Gerhard "Gerry" Friedle (born 7 January 1971), better known by his stage name DJ Ötzi (), is an Austrian pop and Schlager singer. Successful mainly in German-speaking countries, he is best known in the English-speaking world for his 2000 single "

Hey Baby (Uhh, Ahh) "Hey! Baby" is a song written by Margaret Cobb and Bruce Channel, first recorded at Clifford Herring Studios in Ft. Worth Tx, and recorded by Channel in 1961, first released on LeCam Records, a local Fort Worth, Texas label. After it hit, it was ...

", a cover version of the

Bruce Channel Bruce Channel ( ; born November 28, 1940) is an American singer-songwriter best known for his 1962 million-selling number-one hit record, " Hey! Baby". Career Channel performed originally for the radio program '' Louisiana Hayride'' and t ...

song "

Hey! Baby "Hey! Baby" is a song written by Margaret Cobb and Bruce Channel, first recorded at Clifford Herring Studios in Ft. Worth Tx, and recorded by Channel in 1961, first released on LeCam Records, a local Fort Worth, Texas label. After it hit, it was ...

". His stage name comes from

Ötzi Ötzi, also called the Iceman, is the natural mummy of a man who lived some time between 3350 and 3105 BC, discovered in September 1991 in the Ötztal Alps (hence the nickname "Ötzi") on the border between Austria and Italy. Ötzi is believed to ...

the Iceman, the name given to the 5,300-year-old frozen remains of a mummified man discovered in 1991 in South Tyrol's

Ötztal Alps The Ötztal Alps ( it, Alpi Venoste, german: Ötztaler Alpen) are a mountain range in the Central Eastern Alps, in the State of Tyrol in western Austria and the Province of South Tyrol in northern Italy. Geography The Ötztal Alps are arrayed at ...

Biography

Early life

Ötzi was born Gerhard Friedle in St. Johann, Tirol, the son of Anton Friedle. Shortly after birth, his mother, aged 17 at the time, gave him up for adoption. He was raised by foster parents and later by his paternal grandparents in the nearby village of Erpfendorf in Tirol. At a young age, Ötzi suffered from

epilepsy Epilepsy is a group of non-communicable neurological disorders characterized by recurrent epileptic seizures. Epileptic seizures can vary from brief and nearly undetectable periods to long periods of vigorous shaking due to abnormal electrical ...

. At age 16, he was homeless and lived on the streets for a short time. His career arose gradually, first working as a student cook, then on being discovered at a

karaoke Karaoke (; ; , clipped compound of Japanese ''kara'' "empty" and ''ōkesutora'' "orchestra") is a type of interactive entertainment usually offered in clubs and bars, where people sing along to recorded music using a microphone. The music is ...

competition, went on to work as an entertainer (

animateur An animateur is a musical professional whose role is to engage audiences with a new or unfamiliar form of music, "bringing it to life" beyond what might be expected in a traditional performance. The role of animateur developed from the French con ...

), DJ and singer in

discothèque A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music. Nightclubs gener ...

s around Austria, as well as in tourist destinations

Mallorca Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest island in the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain and located in the Mediterranean. The capital of the island, Palma, is also the capital of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. The Bal ...

and Turkey. In 2002, before the birth of his daughter, Ötzi suffered a severe form of

conductive hearing loss Conductive hearing loss (CHL) occurs when there is a problem transferring sound waves anywhere along the pathway through the outer ear, tympanic membrane (eardrum), or middle ear ( ossicles). If a conductive hearing loss occurs in conjunction wi ...

Musical career

Debut album and early success

In 1999, DJ Ötzi released the single "Anton aus Tirol". The song was a massive hit in German-speaking countries, reaching number one in Austria and Germany, while it peaked at number two in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. The song spent 75 weeks in the Austrian charts and was number-one for ten weeks. The success of the single propelled the release of the Anton (feat. DJ Ötzi) album ''Das Album'' in 2000.

Second album and international recognition

In July 2000, Ötzi released a cover version of

's 1962 song " Hey Baby". This single reached number-one in several English-speaking countries, including Australia, Ireland and the United Kingdom. He followed up this release with a cover version of "

Do Wah Diddy "Do Wah Diddy Diddy" is a song written by Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich and originally recorded in 1963, as "Do-Wah-Diddy", by the American vocal group the Exciters. ''Cash Box'' described the Exciters' version as "a sparkling rocker that bubble ...

Continued success

upÖtzi in 2014 In 2003, Ötzi released a cover version of "

A Ram Sam Sam "A Ram Sam Sam (A rum sum sum)" is a popular Moroccan children's song and game, that gained popularity around the world, other variants were used like "Aram" instead of "A Ram" and "Zam Zam" instead of "Sam Sam". Lyrics, movements and meaning ...

", called the " Burger Dance", which reached number-one in Germany, number 3 in Austria, and number 7 in Switzerland. In 2006, he found success with the

Volksmusik Alpine folk music (german: Alpenländische Volksmusik; German's ''Volksmusik'' means "people's music" or as a Germanic connotative translation, "folk's music") is the common umbrella designation of a number of related styles of traditional folk m ...

hit "Sieben Sünden", which became a number 2 hit in Austria and "I Am the Music Man" under the pseudonym DJ Ötzi Junior, which reached number-one in Japan. In 2007, he released " Ein Stern (...der deinen Namen trägt)" with Austrian Schlager singer

Nik P. Nikolaus Presnik (born 6 April 1962), better known as Nik P., is an Austrian schlager singer. Biography Born in Friesach, Nik P. moved to Straßburg, Austria with his family after the death of his mother. He learned to play the guitar at a ...

It reached number one in (Germany) where it stayed for 13 weeks and Austria, number 2 in Switzerland, and number 5 in the European Union, despite the fact that at the time of its release, some of the most popular radio stations in Austria and Germany declined to play the song because its genre did not fit their programme style. The single has sold more than 2 million copies. Spending 106 weeks on the

German Singles Chart The GfK Entertainment charts are the official music charts in Germany and are gathered and published by GfK Entertainment (formerly Media Control and Media Control GfK International), a subsidiary of GfK, on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindust ...

, it is the first song to be on that chart for two years or longer, and the longest running song ever on that chart.

Discography

Albums

Singles

References

External links

DJ Ötzi's official homepage (in German) at Universal Music GmbH
{{DEFAULTSORT:Otzi, Dj 1971 births Living people Austrian DJs Club DJs People from Tyrol (state) Eurodance musicians English-language singers from Austria Schlager musicians Electronic dance music DJs 21st-century Austrian male singers EMI Records artists