Wedding bells ringing soon? Pop star Michelle rules out a comeback
Pop star Michelle has ruled out returning to the stage at a later date.
Image: dpa
The decision to end her music career did not come overnight.
Image: dpa
Pop star Michelle has ruled out returning to the stage at a later date.
Image: dpa
The decision to end her music career did not come overnight.
Image: dpa
After almost 35 years, German pop singer Michelle is finally leaving the show stage in mid-February. The 53-year-old's decision to retire has been clear for some time. In this interview, she talks about the reasons.
14.01.2026, 08:27
14.01.2026, 14:19
dpa
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- The end for Michelle: the German pop singer is calling time on her career.
- Her "Zum letzten Mal" farewell tour starts on January 18 and ends on her 54th birthday on February 15 in Berlin.
- According to the 53-year-old singer, she no longer wants to travel so much and be on the road every weekend.
One last tour with 20 concerts across Germany: after more than 30 years, pop singer Michelle is now saying goodbye to the music business.
She is not wistful, she told the German Press Agency in her last interview on the end of her career:
"I'm more certain with every second that it's the right moment to close this important chapter in my life and move on to new paths."
"Decision not made overnight"
Her "Zum letzten Mal" farewell tour starts in Lingen on January 18 and ends in Berlin on her 54th birthday on February 15. "It will be a very emotional journey in every city, because it's the last time for people in every city," said the singer.
The songs selected are a "stark journey" through her life. "We have a great mix of old and new from almost 34 years."
There will definitely not be a comeback. "I didn't make this decision overnight. It's a development that has taken place over the years," the singer continues.
She no longer wants to travel so much, be on the road every weekend, drive 100,000 kilometers a year on the freeway. "I want to use the time I now have to myself differently."
On January 16, Michelle will release her last album "Flutlicht" from summer 2024 as a "Wahnsinnig Edition" with nine new songs. It is her most personal work, which reflects the many highs and lows of her life. She doesn't shy away from any topic and also sings about her suicide attempt.
"Otherwise I wouldn't be the person I am today"
The artist, who was born in Villingen-Schwenningen, reached the top of the charts, was a regular guest on TV shows, filled concert halls and collected gold and platinum for album sales. She represented Germany at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2001 with the song "Krasse Reise durchs Leben" - and finished in eighth place.
She has also experienced many low points in her life: a difficult childhood, personal bankruptcy, disappointments and a stroke.
"Today I know that everything that happens in life is right. Even the bad things that happen are part of it." She has learned a lot from them. "Otherwise I wouldn't be the person I am today."
That would also be the message she would like to pass on to her fans: "No matter what happens in life, and even if it doesn't feel like it at the moment: it's all right and it will be good in the end."
She is happy in love: she is engaged to 29-year-old musician Eric Philippi. The couple live in Saarland. Do she and Philippi want to get married? "Nothing is planned yet, but we're planning it."
What comes next?
She wants to devote herself to spirituality. "I feel that now is the right time to get even more involved with people who are at a certain point in their lives and don't understand why everything is the way it is," said the singer, whose real name is Tanja Hewer.
So far, she has "given" her fans messages through her music that might have made their lives easier.
"I am grateful that I was able to have this start. But I know there's more. Yes, that's just not enough for me now," said Michelle. Accompanying people even more personally: She now wants to make that her mission.
