''Königlich'' is the debut album by German singer Marie Wegener, released on 1 June 2018 through

Electrola Electrola is a German record label and subsidiary of Universal Music Group. Based in Munich, its roster has included Chumbawamba, Matthias Reim, Helene Fischer, Brings, Höhner and Santiano. History On 8 May 1925 the British Gramophone Company ...

Background

Dieter Bohlen Dieter Bohlen (; born Dieter Günter Bohlen, 7 February 1954) is a German songwriter, producer, singer and television personality. He first achieved fame as a member of pop duo Modern Talking in the 1980s, and has since produced numerous German a ...

had originally expressed that he did not want to act as the producer for the winner of the 15th season of ''

Deutschland sucht den Superstar ''Deutschland sucht den Superstar'' (''DSDS''; "Germany is looking for the Superstar") is a German reality talent show. Part of the ''Idol'' franchise, it was created by British media mogul Simon Fuller as a spin-off from the British show ''P ...

'', the German version of ''

Pop Idol ''Pop Idol'' is a British music competition television series created by Simon Fuller which ran on ITV from 2001 to 2003. The aim of the show was to decide the best new young pop singer (or "pop idol") in the UK based on viewer voting and par ...

'' and ''

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...

'', wishing to focus more on his family during the summer. However, during an accidental meeting backstage, Wegener told him that she finds his compositions "amazing" and he felt "guilty" that he would not be writing a song for her, which led to the writing of her finale song "Königlich". Upon Wegener's victory on 5 May 2018, Bohlen made the decision to cancel his family holiday to produce her album.

Singles

"Königlich", Wegener's winning ''Deutschland sucht den Superstar'' song, was released as the first single from the album on 5 May 2018, the day of the finale. It peaked at number 3 in Germany, Shows peak positions in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. number 10 in Austria, and number 11 in Switzerland. Marcel Adler of the ''

Berliner Woche ''Berliner Woche'' (until September 2003: ''Berliner Wochenblatt''/''Hallo Berlin Wochenblatt'') is a weekly advertising magazine in Berlin. The magazine, financed by advertising revenues, is published every Wednesday in 32 different local edition ...

'' gave it a negative review, writing that "the song hardly differs from the countless Bohlen winning songs", but acknowledged that Wegener "has potential ..with her great voice".

Critical reception

In a pre-release review, nordbuzz.de described ''Königlich'' as "a mix of groovy pop songs, soulful ballads, and duets with

Sarah Lombardi Sarah Engels (born 15 October 1992), known as Sarah Lombardi from 2013 to 2021, is a German pop singer and television personality. She is best known for participating in season 8 of ''Deutschland sucht den Superstar'', where she was eliminated ...

, Pietro Lombardi, and MC Bilal", but felt that it "does not offer any big surprise" and that " egeners enormous potential is not fully exhausted on the album". The lyrics were also criticised for "lacking personal notes from Marie herself", being deemed as sounding "more like an experienced schlager queen than a 16-year-old schoolgirl". However, Wegener's "fantastic voice" was praised.

Track listing

Charts

References

{{Authority control 2018 debut albums