D.J. Otzi: From Pauper to Schlager Prince

D.J. Otzi overcame big obstacles to
emerge as one of schlager's biggest stars

By Anne Ritchie
CSMR Correspondent

HOUSTON -- With over 15 million in record sales, Austrian, D. J. Otzi is one of the superstars in the schlager constellation. He is also a very colorful character with an extremely interesting life narrative.

Born Gerhard Friedle on January 7 1971 in St. Johann in the Austrian Tyrol, young Gerry was passed to foster parents and finally to his grandmother as a young child. An epileptic, he embraced positive thinking to overcome the limitations of that affliction. He also survived a cancer diagnosis and worked his way out of homelessness in the early 1990s.

And today he has emerged as a really big star.

DJ Ötzi got started in music by trying to impress his girlfriend doing karaoke in clubs. He worked as a chef while trying to support his work as a DJ in clubs.

He was discovered and signed to a recording contract and his debut album, called "Das Album" ("The Album"), was on the Austrian charts for 75 weeks.

His second album was not as successful, but a single off of it, "Hey Baby," was a huge success. As a result,he became  the first Austrian artist to earn gold and platinum records in the UK. The single even got airplay in the U.S. on some country stations.

In 2003, he caused a controversy by recording a satiric children's song, "Burger Dance" containing little more than names of fast food outlets, and mixing in a bit of the chorus of the Battle Hymn of the Republic. A boycott of his work ensued and his music was heard very little on the air over the next few years.

Otzi (R) collaborated with Nik P (L)
on the smash hit Ein Stern

In 2006, DJ Ötzi covered the Uwe Busse song "7 Sins" and did an animated children's video called "I am the Music man."

And 2007 marked the beginning of Otzi's big comeback with the release of the album "Sternstunden" ("Magic Moments"), which hit the top 10 on both the Austrian and German charts.

The single "Ein Stern (… der deinen Namen trägt)" ("A Star (... that bears your name)") hit number 1 in both countries. And "Sternstunden" went platinum in both countries as well.

Ever the merry prankster, in November 2007, DJ Ötzi made the Guinness Book of World Records for signing albums by consecutively signing over 4,000 copies of "Sternstunden," without a break.

His 2008 album "Hotel Engel" went to number 1 in Austria, but only 26 in Germany. His 2010 album "Du und ich" was even less successful.

His current album, "Der DJ aus Den Bergen," contains the hit single, "I Sing a Liad Für Dich," a cover of fellow Austrian, Andreas Gabalier's signature ditty.

DJ Ötzi married his manager Sonia Kien in 2001. They have a daughter.

Here's a really good example of DJ Ötzi's solo schlager, his big 2008 hit Noch in 100.000 Jahren (Even in 100,000 years):



Here is DJ Ötzi's first big single hit, a cover of Bruce Channel's 1962 US rock 'n roll classic Hey Baby:

This is another of his big hits, a cover of ECHO award winner Nik P's hit song, in which DJ Ötzi performs with Nik P. on the remake. This version became one of the decade's biggest selling pop singles in Germany,  Ein Stern (der deinen Namen trägt) (A Star [with your name on it]):