Last Friday marked the debut of a new song by Till Lindemann, his first musical release since allegations against RAMMSTEIN singer came to light. “Zunge” is merely a precursor to an entire solo album, which Lindemann is launching under his full name for the first time.
This album is anticipated to be available ahead of Lindemann‘s European tour, scheduled to kick off in Leipzig on November 8th. However, unlike most of his previous musical ventures – be it with RAMMSTEIN, solo, or the last album from his collaborative project with Peter Tägtgren – this album will not be distributed by industry giant Universal Music.
In a report initially brought to light by the Danish music magazine, Gaffa, music critics observed an intriguing discrepancy. For the newly released track “Zunge” by Till Lindemann, the customary note on Spotify stating “under exclusive license to Universal Music GmbH” was notably absent in the fine print. Interestingly, this clause was still visible for Lindemann’s 2021 solo releases like “I Hate Children.”
Later on, a spokeswoman for Universal Music in Berlin confirmed to Spiegel that Till Lindemann and Universal Music had “jointly decided in August 2023 to suspend collaboration on the solo album planned for autumn 2023.”
Last month, the sexual assault investigation against Lindemann has been officially dismissed by German prosecutors due to insufficient evidence. The investigation was initiated in June, following multiple accusations against Lindemann of sexual assault. The allegations, which first surfaced online, ranged from claims of drinks being spiked to physical harm at pre-party events. However, the prosecutors found no evidence supporting these claims, nor did they find any testimonies from alleged victims.
In a similar vein, the investigation into Alena Makeeva, who was accused of procuring girls for afterparties with Lindemann, has also been dropped due to a lack of substantial evidence. Both Lindemann and Makeeva have denied the allegations from the outset, with their legal representation asserting that the termination of the investigation showcases a lack of evidence of any sexual offenses.
