DJ Ötzi

DJ Ötzi was born Gerhard Friedle in St. Johann in Tirol on January 7, 1971. The Austrian entertainer, pop and pop singer is also known as Anton featuring DJ Ötzi or DJ Ötzi Junior. With over 16 million CDs sold, he is one of the most successful musicians in the German-speaking world. His career began with karaoke evenings in Austria, later he also appeared as an entertainer at vacation resorts in Turkey and on Mallorca, before featuring on the single "Anton aus Tirol" by pop singer Anton in 1999. The success of this collaboration helped him to launch a solo career, and his reinterpretation of the country-pop ballad "Hey Baby" by Bruce Channel, which DJ Ötzi transformed into a party hit in 2000, finally made him famous. By 2001, the song had reached the top of the charts in France, Australia, the United Kingdom, Japan and Ireland, and the subsequent cover "Doo Wah Diddy Diddy" (2001), originally by Manfred Mann, also made it into the top ten in the United Kingdom. DJ Ötzi's album Love, Peace and Volgas is also released in 2001 and contains singles such as "A Ram Sam Sam" and "Ein Stern (Der Deinen Namen trägt)", which continue to dominate the charts in German-speaking countries. A total of seven albums were released in the following years, but Friedle was unable to build on the success of "Hey Baby". DJ Ötzi celebrates his 20-year recording career in 2019 with the album 20 Jahre DJ Ötzi - Party ohne Ende. The studio album Sei du selbst - Party 2.0 followed two years later, reaching the top 10 of the charts in Austria (number 2) and Germany (number 8). After a short break, DJ Ötzi returns in 2026 with the album Öha. It takes him to the top of the charts in Austria.