Interview with legendary singer Michaela Rose of Arabesque
— Michaela, what have you been up to besides music? Are you planning to release any new songs- singles or albums?
— I started singing when I was 15 and signed my first record deal when I was 17.
Since the age of 14 I often had extras in TV formats and was trained as a photo model by the in-house photographer of the Hessischer Rundfunk (German television).
I am very happy to be able to publish my first cooperation with the very renowned Russian DJ Nejtrino!
With DJ Nejtrino I worked out the Arabesque hit «Friday Night» in a very special new way and sound. Its «FRIDAY NIGHT», THE ORIENTAL NIGHT MIX
Official release on all musical and streaming platforms will be on July 16, 2021 .
In the last few years I was often asked about collaborations from various sides, but nothing convinced me as much as this project and the musical implementation by DJ Nejtrino. We complement each other artistically and often had creative video calls. The result even impressed the former composer of all Arabesque titles, Jean Frankfurter!
I very much hope to inspire not only all my Arabesque fans, but of course also the fans of DJ Nejtrino))
— Tell us a little about your childhood in Germany. You didn’t have a father, was your mother all alone, or did she get married? How did you cope financially?
— I spent the first 6 years of my childhood in Frankfurt am Main with my great-grandmother, grandmother and mother.
It wasn’t always easy for me, because I looked very different from the German children .. I was also made to feel that a few times.
At that time I only knew about my Jewish ancestors on my mother’s side; I only found out about my Asian (Uzbek) roots on my father’s side many years later.
When I was seven years old, my mother remarried and through the work of my stepfather, we lived for 2 years on the Swiss border, then in Genoa, Italy.
Shortly afterwards, back in Germany, my singing career began as the only original member of the pop group “Arabesque”.
— Thanks to Russian television, you have found a new family.
— It was a very emotional and exciting event in my life!
Getting to know and meeting real relatives from Uzbekistan, apart from my half-siblings in Germany, was absolutely exciting for me.
I have four half-siblings on my father’s side who live in Germany and America. I met a cousin and a nephew from Uzbekistan, but of course there are larger relatives over there. I am of course in contact with them via the various messengers. The translation apps make it possible;))
Last year Corona broke the travel plans to Uzbekistan but there are new plans now and I hope it works this time.
In fact, I also have 3 half-siblings on my mother’s side, two live in Frankfurt and we are in good contact, one will soon be returning to Germany from the USA.
Life sometimes plays strange games, because I grew up as an only child myself and always wanted siblings. I first had to grow up and do my own research to find all siblings, well, that’s probably called fate …
— What was your favorite tour/performance and why?
— Oh there were some !!
Starting with my very first appearance at the 1975 singing competition, which I won with the song «Killing me softly» by Roberta Flack.
Our first indoor tours in Japan in 1980 and Korea were great. We were superstars there back then and couldn’t take a step without bodyguards (to our regret, because we girls would have liked to break out every now and then, and sometimes we secretly succeeded).
There were many great and exciting performances and encounters with other well-known artists in the countries in which we were on tour, and you mustn’t forget that it was the end of the seventies and the beginning of the eighties, that was simply a very glamorous time in the Entertainment industry!
But my stage comeback in 2006 in Russia with “Legendy Retro FM” in the Olimpiyski Hall in Moscow topped everything again!
I did not expect such an intoxicating reception from the Russian fans! We had goosebumps at the performance, because the enthusiastic energy of the fans made our hearts fly !!
And that it is still the case today makes me very grateful.
— You seem to have been fond of yoga and esotericism, what did it give you? What has become your philosophy of life?
— I’ve been into spirituality for as long as I can remember. I’ve always wanted to get to the bottom of things and find out what seemed hidden. Probably because so many questions in my life remained unanswered for a long time.
In spirituality I found answers and methods that have helped me very often in my life. Especially when I had to cope with a few blows of fate ..
I always had a good divine connection, which is why I never resorted to drugs or alcohol, because clarity and self-reflection are very important to me.
Over the years I have been trained in numerology, tarot, Reiki and sound massage. I have been doing readings and coaching for clients since 1992 when I have the time.I am very grateful and happy that I was able to help many people a little further and that I can also incorporate this spiritual energy into all my concerts and contacts with the fans and that I get the positive feedback back.
My maxim in life is to treat everyone as you would like to be treated.
— What are your plans after the pandemic, will there be concerts and where?
— Well, whatever and whenever after the pandemic … fortunately we have a lot of requests in several countries like Russia, Kyrgystan etc for performances again. Not all of them can be played, since new Corona regulations are still being made all the time, but some concerts are fixed and if God or Corona will, we will play them!
— How do you spend quarantine?
— Last year and part of this year, during the quarantine period I took care of my older neighbors, went shopping, cooked, etc. so that they could stay at home. But since I also gave a lot of interviews here or via Skype, a journalist asked me why I didn’t start to write a book about my life. I thought about it and actually started to write … That also touched me emotionally at times and it will certainly take a while until I finish it..I am a little lacking the discipline at the moment;))
— What else would you like to accomplish in your life? An idea for the future?
— I want to continue to develop myself, strengthen my spirituality, as long as I sing and perform as my fans want to see me, and look forward to more life adventures.
— Say something for your fans
— First of all, I would like to thank them for the fact that there are still so many fans who love our music and would still like to see me! It is always a pleasure and a need for me to come and stay in contact with the fans. Especially during this special time that we are all going through, it is wonderful to be in contact with one another in the various social networks.
Please stay healthy and confident, we’ll see you again soon!
