This is what Jan-Michael Ohe is doing today

In December 2012, Jean-Michel Ouet won the RTL talent show “Das Supertalent”. He had a record deal and a lot of money. How is he today

Kassel – On December 15, 2022, Jean-Michel Ouet once again reflects sadly on the past. That day was the 10th anniversary of his victory in the RTL casting show “Das Supertalent”. The guy from Kassel mesmerized millions of TV viewers with his delicate piano ballads. He was 20 years old, had a record deal and €100,000 in his pocket.

There is no money left. Now 31-years-old, Awiyah only makes music for himself and “keeps his head above water,” as he puts it. His career is not unusual in the world of talent shows, which are constantly producing new champions. Most of them are forgotten just as quickly, and some cannot stand the fame.

Kassel’s “Supertalent” does not regret participating in the RTL show

However, Aweh, who grew up in Kassel and Nestetal, does not regret his involvement in the RTL format: “I had three big goals: a record deal, popularity and money. Copy. He negotiated well and won more than the record company.

After his victory, Owa was not only in the stage spotlight. He was also received at the city hall by the then mayor of Kassel, Bertram Helgen, so that he could sign the city guest book. But then he canceled his tour in Germany due to lack of demand and also criticized the jury Dieter Bohlen and the casting system, which is only about exploitation.

Ten years of “super talent”: that’s what Jean-Michel Ouet of Kassel is doing today

In 2016, he put his last money into his music company and pop project Ohrwurm Circus. With his melancholy voice, he sang catchy pop melodies over soft electro beats. But hardly anyone wanted to hear about it. With the trio he ended up with a “complete economic loss”, which was probably also due to a stroke of fate. He had a close relationship with his manager at the time, Sergey Rezvanov. But the man from the city of Kassel died of leukemia at the age of 35. “After that, I’d been feeling self-pitying for years,” Awwa says. Meanwhile, he distributed flyers to make ends meet.

Music is still the most important thing to him today. He used to perform in bars in Kassel. Later he was often seen at the piano at the Kulturbahnhof. He taught himself to play the guitar at home. And sometimes he would play the harmonica in lonely parking lots at night: “I just wanted to be by myself. And I love the themed acoustics with the boomerang effect in there.”

Awwa now makes electronic music with analogue instruments, i.e. “techno without computer software” as he describes it. He works voluntarily in Klangkeller with children and young people. There is an open stage every Wednesday (7.30pm) at the facility in the Nachrichtenmeisterei next to the Kulturbahnhof.

‘A great person and musician’: Castle’s ‘extraordinary talent’ suffers complete economic loss

Falk Jacob of Bunte Wege is grateful that Aweh relays his experience: “He’s a really cool person and musician and writes things that other people don’t think of.” His “incredibly great humanity” was displayed, among other things, by the fact that he empathized with others.

Anyone who’s known Aweh for a long time would suspect he was too sweet for the sometimes difficult music business. He still feels at home in Kassel. However, he sometimes feels that “many here call me a loser and a failure”. Then he thinks about whether it would be better to start over in an unfamiliar city.

He achieved all the goals that he set for himself before participating in Supertalent: he was popular and had money. However, Jean-Michel Ouye still had a dream: “I would like to have a music contract again. I want to feel the fire again and do something revolutionary.” (Matthias Loehr)