In the morning the sun was still shining, now the sky is gray, it is raining. In front of the stage of the Hamburger Weltkinderfest there are some parents with umbrellas. A second group of guardians has rescued under a large tree. On stage, Simon Bergholz aka "Simon says" tries to get away from the bad weather.
"Popcorn, popcorn, Schubidubidu, summer, sunshine." The refrain goes into the ear. The umbrellas in front of the stage teeter in time, a few young fans in colorful rubber boots jump through the rain. His performance lasts 30 minutes, then there are autographs. While the children's musician is signing a few CDs with the red kepi, a youth orchestra builds his music stand on stage. The rain is over. There is not much gage on this day, but at least a platform for his music.
Making music for children has never been the declared plan of Simon Bergholz. He studied pop music at the Hamburg School of Music, played co-band for a long time, and has a punk band away from commercial success with school friends. And he teaches guitar, that's his main job - and something of a source of inspiration for children's music. Simon Bergholz not only teaches his students chords but also encourages them to write their own songs and takes them to his Hamburg studio. "I noticed that writing songs for and with children is a lot of fun, especially when you take their themes and their musical preferences seriously," he says.
Children's music is hard work
He writes a few songs about popcorn, children's songs that he has never heard, the first love and takes on demos with a friendly producer. His audible influences: a bit of hip-hop, a bit of punk, a lot of pop. The way to the record contract pave then a silverback children's music and coincidence: In September last year Bergholz played as a guest musician in the Young Musical Braunschweig in a production for the 40th anniversary of Rolf Zuckowski stage.
After the performance, the two sat in a pizzeria and talked about music. Bergholz sent his songs to Zuckowski later that evening. And met with love. A little later, he signed his first recording contract on Zuckowski's label "again !!" - at least for successful projects like "Your friends" and "Owl finds the beat". However, if you think of the word "record contract" in terms of bundles of money and a life as a rock star, is wrong, especially in the niche market children's music.
The debut album "Popcorn for all!" came in April, sales are cautiously optimistic. Most appearances of Simon Bergholz increase the popularity, but do not provide the fee for a filled refrigerator. After all, a concert offensive is planned for 2020.
Karina Marchke
Children's musician Bergholz: The most important multipliers are parents - guardians of the playlists
"Establishing oneself in the children's music market is tedious," confirms Jörg Hackelbörger, head of children's music at Universal Music Family Entertainment. Again, the CD sales weaken, the distributions from the streaming services for newcomers hardly enough for the rehearsal room rental. For lucrative concerts especially the established sizes are booked.
Hackelbörger tells of the hard fight for media attention: there are only a few radio formats for children. Even on television children's music hardly takes place. And to put on Youtube and streaming services, may work with individual rappers, but is almost impossible for children musicians.
Morning Kita, afternoon children's party
All that remains is the Ochsentour - instead of rancid concert cellars, the newcomers play in kindergartens and elementary schools or at the children's party on the weekend at the local supermarket. Also training for educators are popular. From the point of view of Volker Rosin this is a good school. The 63-year-old has been singing for the young audience for 40 years and is one of the most successful representatives of his guild. "The concerts and workshops in schools and day-care centers are doubly important, even if you often get only a small fee, you stay in touch with the children and their environment and you convince the educators and parents," says Rosin.
Especially the parents are important multipliers. They finally buy the CDs for the kids, fill playlists for long car rides, and sing the songs in the morning circle. If such a big hit such as "The Song About Me" or "The Singing Kangaroo" succeeds, only the revenues from CD sales, publishing rights and streaming services make a living as a children's musician.
Until then, it is still a long way for Simon Bergholz. At the moment, children's music is another mainstay for him, alongside performances as a guest musician, in addition to teaching. But potential is there: Bergholz regularly receives inquiries from schools, plays at summer festivals or takes over music lessons for one hour.
His reward is above all inspiration: the exchange with the children provides textual ideas and is a good seismograph for new songs. "I think it's important to ask the kids for their opinion and to take them musically and lyrically seriously, maybe even to challenge something," he says. Children's music is also without appeal.
More diverse and adult
With this attitude, the hamburger is not alone. For a long time, children's music was very educational, accompanied by healing world xylophones and acoustic guitars, texted in a simple rhyme scheme and with an uplifted index finger, breaking a new generation of musicians with the old values.
"We are dealing with a new kind of children's musicians: they are less songwriters, but socialized themselves through all facets of pop music, which brings new impulses," says music manager Jörg Hackelbörger. In fact, children's music has probably never been so diverse. Projects such as "Under Your Bed" brought Indierock to the nursery, "Heavysaurus" Metal and "Your Friends" voice chanting.
Especially the latter are considered as a kind of pioneer of the new children's music. Since their founding in 2012, the Hamburgers have put their faith in pop rap for children and lyrics about scary fairytales, the phrase "you've grown up" and chocolate. The audibility for parents is a big part of the success, more consideration for adult ears is often observed. Adults make up half of the audience, buy concert tickets and CDs and rule over playlists. "Children's music can handle irony, nuances and allusions to the big listeners, which is what makes many animated films worth watching even for adults," says Simon Bergholz.
The fusion of the musical worlds of big and small is also evident in the concerts. Children's music is increasingly taking place in concert halls, trendy clubs and at festivals such as A Summers Tale or Lollapalooza. The effect is fascinating: the children are allowed to stay in places that are otherwise denied them. The adults indulge in festival memories of wild, childless days. In the end, everyone is happy and still home early enough for supper and a bedtime story.
Bergholz also finds the early end of work quite convenient. In February he becomes a father himself. The nights are short enough even without rock'n'roll.
