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What drives someone to dare to make a debut as a singer-songwriter after a successful professional career?

It's quite simple: there's nothing sugarbear loves more than singing. He became especially aware of this during the Covid isolation, when singing helped him successfully fight off depressive moods. But then why isn't it enough for him simply to sing in several choirs? Even as a schoolboy in the drama club he felt a pull towards the stage, and later, in the folk band Disse Tied, he realised how much joy singing and making music brought him. In the end, though, the pressure to first "learn something proper" and earn a secure living was greater than his love of theatre and music. A chemistry degree and doctorate were followed by the founding of his own software and IT company, which he sold after more than 26 years. Others would probably now be thinking of a quiet retirement.
sugarbear, on the other hand, is certain that the best in his life is yet to come.

He has been preparing his debut for two years. The first album bears the working title "Sinn & Sinnlichkeit"; seven songs are written and exist as an unreleased rough version. According to sugarbear, they reflect real life experience and irrepressible joie de vivre, pairing passion with meaning, provoking, inviting reflection – and offering first-class entertainment along the way.

sugarbear describes himself as a singer-songwriter, singer, lyricist and producer. His vocals promise the whole spectrum of emotions, from velvety-seductive through vulnerable and tender to confident and strong – sometimes even all within a single song. His goal is music as varied as a colourful box of chocolates – the first songs move somewhere between pop, rock, folk and chanson.

sugarbear is also a singer with a clear political stance, rooted in the peace and anti-nuclear movements of the 1980s. His social commitment also has personal reasons: as a long-standing voice for queer rights – including as press officer of CSD Leipzig (Leipzig Pride) – he carries the same conviction into his music.

He received classical training on the violin and viola whilst still a teenager. Later, whilst working full-time, he played in various project orchestras, including ‘The Management Symphony’ orchestra, with which he performed as a violist at the Gewandhaus under Riccardo Chailly. The highlight was an orchestral tour to Venezuela, supported by musicians from the Gewandhaus and Herbert Blomstedt.
He taught himself piano and ukulele later in life through self-study during the Covid isolation, and as a bass-baritone he has sung for many years in the gay men's choir "Die Tollkirschen".
From folk band to Leipzig's Gewandhaus, he combines genuine craftsmanship with a clear stance. More details at: https://sugarbear.music/portraet/

The debut single "Sag mir, wo du stehst!" (released 7 August 2026) brings exactly that together: a summery reggae track with a Caribbean feel and, right at its heart, a clear appeal – use your right to vote, don't waste your voice. The title is a knowing nod to the Oktoberklub's song of the same name from 1967. What was then a call to declare loyalty to the party line becomes, in sugarbear's hands, an invitation to decide for yourself and use your own voice.