Bötschi asks Sina "I experienced several situations that suddenly threatened to become dicey"

Sina is celebrating her 30th stage anniversary with a live album. A conversation with the singer about the most important people in her life, swimming in cold water and whether the future of Swiss music is female.

Sina, I'm going to ask you as many questions as possible over the next 45 minutes. And please answer as briefly and quickly as possible. If you don't like a question, you can say "go on" once.

So I can only say "next" once?

No, as many times as you like.

Super.

Brig or Sion?

Brig. Firstly, the city is in Upper Valais, the region where I grew up. And then I went to business school there at the St. Ursula Institute and completed my commercial training with the nuns.

Red or green?

Red.

Verveine tea or cappuccino?

The longer I wait, the harder it is for me to decide. At the moment, the cappuccino still comes first.

Is it really true that the word "chatty" was on your school report?

Now I realize why I was a bit scared of this interview. Bötschi simply knows everything ... But you're right, the word really was on my school report. I can't really explain why that was the case. The teacher must have mixed me up (laughs).

With whom?

With the other Ursula in our class.

What did you learn for life at school?

That I don't want to go back.

About the author: Bruno Bötschi

Bild: blue News

blue News editor Bruno Bötschi regularly talks to well-known personalities from Switzerland and abroad for the question-and-answer game "Bötschi fragt". He asks them lots of questions - always direct, often funny and sometimes profound. It always remains open until the very last question as to where the fast-paced ping-pong will lead.

Can you still - like your father - do three things at the same time?

(Laughs) I have now realized that this is a nice idea - and nothing more. Today I also know that it works better one after the other. Or as Dabu Fantastic sing in their song "Angelina" in a different context "Will ufenand gaht's, aber näbenand nöd", I've realized over time: Side by side doesn't work, but one behind the other does.

Do you still have a box of cassettes in the cellar with songs that you recorded in pseudo-English when you were 18?

100 percent yes. When I was 18, I listened to music by Elvis Presley, Elton John and the Beatles. At that time, I wanted to channel my own energy on the guitar. However, I don't know what the current state of the cassettes is. There's a good chance that they're not doing well. But so far I haven't had the heart to dispose of them.

Is it really true that you received the most love letters not as a singer, but during your time as a radio presenter on SRF 1?

That's almost true. I received the vast majority of love letters during my school days. Incidentally, former schoolmates still ask me about them today.

What do they say to you?

Hey Sina, you always used to have the feeling that you weren't one of the top 3. You just didn't realize that everyone had a crush on you. To be honest, I have my doubts about that statement.

Did your schoolmates not dare to write you very specific love letters or did you not really understand the message in them?

I thought the letters were nice, but I didn't attach too much importance to the content and therefore didn't respond to them. As a result, the letter writer often reacted with consternation, which I didn't understand in return. Some of my schoolmates thought I was arrogant as a result. While others thought I was probably waiting for some prince charming (laughs).

And what was it like with the love letters on the radio?

I usually presented on SRF 1 radio at night. That's when you're particularly close to the listeners. My rather dark voice made the atmosphere even more intimate. During this time, I occasionally received mail from male fans. My song "Wiä Sammat und Siidu" is about one such admirer who had a radio date with me.

When we met for an interview for "Schweizer Familie" in 2014, when asked if you were afraid of the future, you replied: "Music is a fountain of youth. Let's see if it works for me." Looking back, how satisfied are you with the effect of your music?

(Laughs) Well, I can say that my energy levels have perhaps decreased a little over the last eleven years, but the desire to make music has definitely not diminished.

How do you feel about the future today?

How can I explain that? I've seen several concerts by older female singers recently. And it happened to me a few times that I felt ashamed and sorry for myself. It's clear to me that I don't want to do it like that. But hey, I'm not even 60 years old yet. And that's why Bruno: ask me again in eleven years' time.

Is it easy to be a happy person on stage in front of several hundred people?

It's a challenge to be on stage and be yourself. But that doesn't mean that I'm always happy up there. There were a few concerts where I wasn't at my best. I often communicated honestly about what was going on in my life.

How did people react to your honesty?

I felt very supported during these performances. That's why I believe that the most important thing on stage is not to be happy, but to be honest with yourself and the audience.

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Your explanation for why many singers close their eyes while singing?

For me, it has to do with the fact that I want to listen to myself even more and not be distracted by what's going on around me.

Violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter often wears sleeveless dresses during concerts so that she can feel her violin better against her skin. What is important to you about the clothes you wear on stage?

I used to like to wear form-fitting tops. But I haven't done that for a while now. Today it's important to me to be able to breathe well on stage. That's why I prefer clothes that don't restrict me.

How important is the applause from the audience?

Not entirely unimportant.

Your live album "Bescht of 30 Jahr" was released recently. It was recorded over three nights just before Christmas 2024 at the "Mühle" in Hunziken BE. What makes this album special for you?

My fans were able to decide in advance which songs I would sing on these three evenings and which would later be recorded on the live album. So I handed over my sovereignty, the creation of the set list for a concert, to the audience. We put all 250 of the songs I had released so far up for vote on the Internet. After that, people could vote for a month.

At the end of the voting, did you accept all the selected songs?

Almost. For the upcoming live tour, for example, I added the song "D'Wält Uf Um Chopf" to the set list because it fits well dramaturgically.

Is there a song of yours that is particularly close to your heart?

I don't think you feel like listening to the same music every day. It's exactly the same for me. This afternoon, in this wonderful spring weather, I feel like listening to "Rosa Rosä", a feel-good song that spreads a sense of optimism. But if you were to ask me the same question tomorrow, the answer would probably be different.

Many people have accompanied you on your path as a musician. Which three were particularly important for your career?

These three people definitely include my first music teacher and supporter Alfred Kesseli - and then of course my first producer and current husband Markus Kühne. Thomas Fessler is also important for my career as a singer. I wrote many songs with him. Not forgetting my manager and friend Benita Andres, who has been with me for 30 years. These are my Fab 4.

Are there any other women who were important on your path to becoming one of the most successful singers in Switzerland?

At the beginning of my career, I was in an environment where there were hardly any women. However, those who supported me with a lot of love right from the start and often talked me into it were my two aunts, with whom I grew up.

What did your aunts say to you?

We don't know anything about the music business, but if you really want to do it, then try it.

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Your musical breakthrough happened when the music industry - and not just in Switzerland - was still a male-dominated industry. Tell us, what was it like back then?

Things were like that back then and I didn't know any different for a long time. At the same time, I was lucky enough to be supported and challenged by men in such a way that I was able to develop and grow. At the beginning of my career as a singer, women in the music business worked almost exclusively as backing singers and, in exceptional cases, perhaps as bassists.

Did you experience any unpleasant situations with men during that time?

There were - but only a few years later. At that time, I experienced several situations that suddenly threatened to get dicey after I had initially felt totally safe.

Do you want to tell us more about that?

I remember a producer in Germany, when I was 22 or 23 years old, who followed me to my room after rehearsals. He started to harass me there. He also claimed that I wouldn't get any more jobs in the future. I had drunk some alcohol but managed to lock myself in the toilet. I waited there until the producer's wife came back.

But I also experienced assaultive behavior from men before my career as a singer. As a young woman, I helped out as a waitress in my aunts' two restaurants. There it happened again and again that a guy slapped me on the butt or pulled me onto his lap without being asked. When I once ran into the kitchen crying after such an incident, my aunt said: "That's part of the game."

Has men's behavior towards women changed?

Yes - but that also has a lot to do with the fact that we women are more defensive today. Unfortunately, it's also a fact that almost every second woman has experienced assault in her life - on a small scale, but also very directly.

From Joya Marleen to Naomi Lareine to Priya Ragu and many more, many Swiss musicians are currently conquering the charts. How come?

I think it's cool that there are so many great female singers in Switzerland today. It's also great because as a young woman in this country, you no longer have to emulate some global star like Beyoncé. It was very different when I was a child and teenager. I was a fan of the Glarus singer Betty Legler back then ...

... me too ...

... because she had a great voice and could play the piano brilliantly. Betty Legler also radiated self-confidence and strength. Such female role models are important for young women who also want to become musicians.

I am currently experiencing this up close with Melina Nora. The 24-year-old singer is accompanying me on part of my tour as a support act. Melina also grew up in Valais and studied singing at the Zurich University of the Arts.

I immediately noticed how cool and professional Melina approaches her career. She knows exactly what she needs to do to get noticed by the public. That was different in my day, I learned on the job.

I say the future of Swiss music is female: true or not?

I would like it to be - but at the same time I think it will take some time before it really is.

Your favorite Swiss female singer?

I can't and don't want to pin that down to one woman.

Your favorite international singer?

I'm a big fan of the recently deceased Marianne Faithfull and was lucky enough to see her live several times. The British singer radiated so much honesty and vulnerability on stage that I thought: If I could grow older as a singer in a similar way to Marianne Faithfull, that would be wonderful.

The music industry has changed a lot in recent years because of streaming services. You could also say that music has lost a lot of its value.

Unfortunately, you're right. Today, music flows like water from a tap. For less than 14 francs a month, you can listen to over 100 million different songs on Spotify. And the only ones who really earn from this are the music labels and Spotify.

And what about you musicians?

Our compensation per streamed song was recently reduced once again - and is now 0.0033 euros per stream. The truth is that many Swiss musicians are on the various streaming services. At the same time, however, the income they can generate there is too small to make a living from making music. Even if a song is streamed two million times, it doesn't generate more than 6,500 euros.

How do musicians in Switzerland make a living today?

Mainly from concerts.

In small Switzerland, you can't be on tour all the time.

That's true - that's why many musicians in this country take on other jobs in order to survive financially.

Do you do the same?

I'm lucky that I had a great start with my first albums and have been touring well for the last 30 years, so I'm under less pressure today. I can go a year without giving any concerts. However, my bill looks completely different today.

What do you mean by that?

If I go into the studio today to produce an album, my costs are still as high as they were 15 years ago. It's difficult to refinance these expenses when hardly any CDs are being bought and the income from streaming services is so low. That's why it's still up in the air as to how long I will continue to produce full albums.

AI is an issue in the music business. Basically, what do you think about it?

Initially, I was extremely critical of AI. After I got to grips with it more intensively, I use it myself in the office - to write summaries, for example. But I'm still totally critical of the use of AI in the music world. A creative process in songwriting that comes from myself is important to me.

Kate Bush and Annie Lennox released the silent album "Is This What We Want" together with 1000 other British musicians. They are protesting against a planned change to British copyright law. Have you heard about it?

Yes, in the margins.

The album "Is This What We Want?" features three to four-minute recordings of empty studios and performance spaces. What do you think of the action?

It reminds me of the "Ghost Festival". That was a charity campaign by us artists from Switzerland during the COVID-19 pandemic. In February 2021, a music album was sold that contained so-called "ghost sounds". These are made up of audience sounds, guitar riffs, noise and melodies.

I think initiatives like this are good because it's important to come together in difficult situations, make your voice heard in the media and fight for your own interests. That's why I thought it was important to sign the petition to preserve the SRF program "Faces and Stories". This TV program is still one of the few places where Swiss cultural and artistic professionals can present their work.

As a board member of the musicians' organization Sonart, you fought against illegal music downloads on the Internet.

That is true. Today I'm just a member, but I'm still glad that there are organizations like Sonart that stand up for the rights of musicians. As a board member, I was there when we went to Bern to meet with politicians and explain the problem of illegal music downloads to them.

Did anything change politically after this meeting?

Yes, one thing or another - but at the time I also clearly saw how slowly the wheels of politics grind.

You grew up in Valais, lived in the city of Zurich for several years and have now lived on Lake Hallwil in the canton of Aargau for 20 years. What does home mean to you?

A few days ago, I spoke to cabaret artist Bänz Friedli about this topic. We agreed that home is where there are people who make you feel at home and where you can feel the energy of being loved.

What does that mean for you specifically?

My first home is Valais. I spent the first 17 years of my life there. That shaped me. In the meantime, however, Aargau has also become my home, because my husband and his family are at home here.

Why is the Lötschental dialect one of the most rustic and powerful dialects in the canton of Valais?

One reason is that a phase of language development was left out. In the Lötschental dialect, the Old High German is still very audible.

Can you give me an example, please?

You say "laufe", I say "löüffu" and the people of Lötsch say "loiffun". They add the letter N to the end of the word, which makes it sound more archaic and at the same time more melodious.

Do you still go swimming regularly in Lake Hallwil?

Yes. When I went for a walk this morning, I put my hand in the water to test whether it was already warm enough.

I read that the water has to be at least 14 degrees, otherwise you wouldn't go swimming.

Today I get into the water at eleven degrees.

Have you ever tried winter swimming?

No, but I'm working on it (laughs). My legs and arms are still sore at the moment. I won't do it until then.

What is your greatest talent that nobody really knows about yet?

I wish someone would tell me one day (laughs).

In which situations or in which places do you not want to listen to music under any circumstances?

At breakfast in a hotel, I've never understood why the pianist has to play "Pour Elise" at eight o'clock in the morning. And I've often had the feeling that I'm not the only person in the room who feels this way.

I'm also a person who likes to be distracted by music. So if you want to have a conversation with me in private, you should definitely turn off the music first.

Did you believe 30 years ago that you would still be on stage as a singer in 2025 - or how did you imagine your life at over 50 back then?

Don't you think it's an absurd idea to imagine your life at 50 as a young person (laughs)?

As a young person, I imagined that I would no longer be working at 40.

Okay.

I was 12 years old at the time.

I see ... that sounds like Kuno Launer from Züri West, who at the tender age of ten said he wanted to be an Italian. But when I think back now, to the beginning of my career as a singer, something has never changed since then:

In all those years, I never drew up a multi-year business plan. And I never really thought about where I would be in two years' time. That has a lot to do with the fact that the music business is so fast-moving. I have a funny story to tell, but then this answer will be far too long ...

... go ahead.

My manager Benita Andres recently told me that at the beginning of my career I once said to her that I would prefer that nobody recognized me after I left the stage.

Why is that?

I make music for the sake of music, I preferred to be anonymous off stage. Over the years, I learned how to deal with my increasing fame.

But the Swiss aren't that bad when they recognize you on the street - or are they?

Fortunately not - if I'd had a career as a singer in the USA, I would probably have given it up long ago. Fame on a grand scale changes you.

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Have you ever been mistaken for another famous singer?

That has happened to me several times. Once someone mistook me for Melanie Oesch, another time for Sandee. And not so long ago, a woman said I was Natascha and that she was listening to my new hit all the time. When I asked her which song she meant, she replied: "Sölli, sölli nid". I then told her that she would definitely confuse me.

Finally, we come to the self-rating test: please rate your own talent from zero points, no talent, to ten points, maximum talent. We start with gardener.

Five years ago, I would have given myself zero points, but now I give myself three points.

That means you no longer forget to water your plants enough ...

... with water and not with the wine left over from the night before (laughs).

Guitarist?

Ohh ... two points.

You used to play the guitar, didn't you?

That's true. But after working with guitarists like Adrian Stern and Jean Pierre von Dach, I realized: cobbler stick to your last.

Soccer player?

Six points. During my time at a bank in Geneva, I played football in a women's team for a while. I rarely scored a goal, but I looked so good on the pitch that I was soon given the nickname "Gazelle" (laughs).

Aargauerin?

Eight points.

Do you have any final words?

It's been great working with you, Mr. Bötschi.

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