Markus Zosel
Markus Zosel is a new kind of folk / singer-songwriter - thoughtful, multi-talented and confident. With the radio single 'Lost Places' running up the charts, Markus Zosel is in a unique position to re-define the genre.
LAUREN: What is the most surprising thing that has happened to you during the course of your music career?
MARKUS ZOSEL: It was the very beginning of my musical activity. The moment when I realised that people started to listen to me and what I had to say musically. I was a shy young man at the age of nineteen when I did my first public concert out on a fair of my hometown. There, for the first time, the people simply stopped and listened and have done so ever since. It was - and still is - magic to me.
LAUREN: Your song is receiving a positive listener response on radio. What was your initial reaction when you heard your new song playing on radio?
MARKUS ZOSEL: It is always great to hear a new song playing on the radio. The moment it also receives a positive listener response makes it double special for the one who wrote the song. Once again it seems to be magic to me.
LAUREN: What was the inspiration behind your radio single?
MARKUS ZOSEL: I have always admired old couples who stayed together for decades, forty or fifty years of marriage. They have been working on it hard to make it possible to stay together that long. Today we throw away precious friendships too early and too easy. It feels like we don’t want to work on it any more. These are the ‚Lost Places’ I am talking about in my song. I dearly hope and wish this situation is about to chance someday soon again. I’ve seen stories likes this when looking at a lot of friends or myself in the passing of recent years. But deep inside I know we can do otherwise. There is so much to offer to another person. You just got to open up your mind and let this person in - and true love may appear. That is the main message you can hear when listening to the chorus. Really everyone can surrender and go for it!
LAUREN: Was there ever a time in your life when you felt creatively stifled and unable to make music?
MARKUS ZOSEL: Gladly, I’ve never lived through times like this. There have always been two or three projects, literary projects or musical ones, lying ahead in front of me and I couldn’t wait to start with one of them. But only one at a time to make it the best way possible.
LAUREN: How would you describe yourself in three words?
MARKUS ZOSEL: Thankful to the Good Lord and glad to be living on this wonderful planet to be able to share what I found.
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LAUREN: Do you prefer to work alone or with a team?
MARKUS ZOSEL: When working on my music or on my books I am a loner. I do it all by myself because I want to gain control over everything that needs to be done. I’ve Became accustomed to this way of working and I have to say that I like it this way. When I started out in music business I often was disappointed by other people who claimed for themselves to be professional but were not.
LAUREN: Did you come from a musical background? Are there other musicians in your family?
MARKUS ZOSEL: I am the only musician in my family. And it really came to me as some sort of surprise. One day at the age of eleven or twelve I started writing my first songs. My mum has always been singing since she was a girl, but she did not feel the need to enter a stage. My father always loved to listen to music but did not perform himself. So, I am the only active musician in my family.
LAUREN: What do you find most rewarding about being an artist? What do you find most challenging?
MARKUS ZOSEL: If you have something to tell, people will listen to you. There is nothing more rewarding and also challenging than being an artist.
LAUREN: Who would be your number one inspiration and role model in music?
MARKUS ZOSEL: It has always been John Denver on the vocal level and Jose Feliciano in the way he played the guitar. His Beatles covers are really astonishing. These are real role models to me. I also have a great respect for the music of Mike Batt and the way he combines classical elements with the pop genre.
LAUREN: Describe your funniest performance where things didn't quite go as planned.
MARKUS ZOSEL: It had been a wonderful summer night out in a cafe in the woods with really old trees all around. There was a cheerful crowd of lovely people who wanted to listen and enjoy a drink or two while relaxing in such an atmosphere. Suddenly a thunderstorm arose, black clouds crowded the sky and rain began to fall very hard. We continued the concert inside the cafe, all the people in there, and me performing without any amp or microphone. What a splendid and great night after a lot of excitement to get all my equipment saved from the thunderstorm outside.
LAUREN: What advice would you give to young, aspiring artists out there who are unsure and need guidance?
MARKUS ZOSEL: To do as much as he or she can by him- or herself. I would tell not to trust too many people who promise to help and just mess up good plans or projects with being unable to get things done right. The third thing is is to believe in your own way and to try to make it work with your own pictures and words in mind. No one can do or tell it the way you can when it comes to creative work.
LAUREN: What's next for you as an artist? Is there an album in the works? If so, what can you tell us about it?
MARKUS ZOSEL: A new album is lying ahead which is to be released in spring 2020. The title will be VOYAGE. Ten songs that are almost finished by now and take me further into a new variety of personal musical expressions and the ways of being satisfied with the quality of the songs I recorded. It’s a great experience to work on this current production. I am also continuing to work on new episodes of my own podcast in German language, the name is ‚A Songwriter’s Cabin’. And I’ll surely go on performing with my 12string guitar at interesting places or concert sites.
LAUREN: That sounds great! Thank you for giving us more insight into your life as an artist. I wish you much continued success in your career!
https://www.theakademia.com/artistkit/MarkusZosel-LostPlaces.html
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