Nearly two years after achieving the third place of the 15th season of German Idol, Michael Rauscher, now known under his artist name Michael Rush, is ready to take serious action with his first release ‘Never Be Down’.
Formerly a tiler from Augsburg, Germany, Michael always carried a passion for music and took matters into his own hands: Simply typed ‘how to play the guitar’ on YouTube, teaching himself commonly known chords that are often used in songs, like G, D, or C minor, and eventually followed up his passion by teaching himself drums and bass as well. His singing ability was developed the same way, taught himself how to sing, and continuously sang while he was working on construction sites at his previous job, to this result often nicknamed ‘the singing tiler’. This eventually motivated him enough to audition for Idols, or, as titled in Germany as ‘Deutschland sucht den Superstar’ which roughly translates to ‘Germany seeks the superstar’. Between six and seven million homes watched ‘the singing tiler’ performing his favorite song ‘Way Down We Go’ by Icelandic rock band Kaleo impressing with his noticeable deep and powerful voice during the semi-finals, and still able to impress both the judges and the audience during the finals, where he eventually was placed third out of 53.000 participants in total.
Since then, Michael used his platform to keep performing and fight for his place in the music industry, and with positive energy and impressive vocal skills managed to attract people and a loyal fanbase, that eventually accomplished him a deal with Sony Music.
Below, Michael speaks with Richard from The Urban Twist about his single ‘Never Be Down’, his time during German Idol, and his future plans.
You released your single ‘Never Be Down’ on December 12th. The music video came out 6 days later, on December 18th. Could you tell something about the song and the video?
Never Be Down means a lot to me. The song is about never giving up and that you should always fight for your goal. The video for my single is also my very first music video. Of course it was a great experience for me.
You became known through German Idol and finished third in Season 15. A great achievement! What tips would you give to someone who wants to sign up for a talent show?
You should always stay authentic. Never try to deceive people because the audience will notice! Apart from that, don’t take the whole thing too carelessly, because it can change your life.
Often times it’s been said that you don’t hear much from participants of singing competitions anymore. Even though some of them achieved great success, for example, Kelly Clarkson or Carrie Underwood. Was there an artist from a casting TV show who motivated you to participate in a talent show yourself?
To be honest, no. I was motivated from the first minute. And music is my life, so I won’t stop until I reach my goal.
I honestly have to admit, I didn’t watch the season of German Idol that you participated in. My Spotify was on shuffle mode and happened to play your song ‘Never Be Down’. That’s how I discovered you. Your voice stuck out to me positively. Then, later on, I also watched your Idol-performances on YouTube. I think your voice is bass-baritone and would also go well with soul/R&B or rock. Do you already know which genre your music will be?
Just like Never Be Down, it’s going to be a mix of pop and soul. I feel very comfortable in this style of music.
I personally think you can sing cover songs very well. I’ve noticed this not only on German Idol, but on your social media as well. On Instagram and Facebook you often post cover songs with your guitar. Have you thought about publishing a cover album in the future, or maybe posting covers on YouTube?
Most definitely, yes!! There will be a lot in store for my followers in the future.
You’ve mentioned before that Kaleo’s ‘Way Down We Go’ is your all-time favorite. You also performed the song in the semi-finals of German Idol. Are there any other songs that are close to you, or other artists that you see as role models?
Well, Ray Charles actually. He was an artist that I always carried with me. I love his life-story and also the way how he was writing and singing his songs.
On your social media you can see that you also love to travel. You have been to a lot of different places like New York, Bali, and Africa. Does traveling help you find inspiration for your music? Will you perform any gigs abroad soon?
Traveling inspires me a lot! And it helps me to get new ideas for songs, too. Yes, I also plan to perform overseas.
You were originally a tiler before you became a singer. On Instagram we can see that you recently found a passion for surfing, too. Is there anything else you’d like to do? Or do you have other dreams you want to achieve?
I will most definitely pursue more hobbies in addition to my work as a performer. But music is what I like to do the most of course.
Last but not least, what else do you have planned for 2020? Will there be more new music and maybe an album?
A lot is planned for 2020! New songs, many performances, but the rest remains a secret for now. 😉
Never Be Down is out now everywhere. Click here for Michael’s Spotify.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michael.rauscher.official/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Michael-Rauscher-265446453981534/
