Danish Schlager icon Gitte Hænning turns 80, still reinventing herself after seven decades on stage

A career launched by a cowboy song

Gitte Hænning became a household name in Germany in 1963 with the Schlager hit "Ich will 'nen Cowboy als Mann" ("I Want a Cowboy as a Man"). The song, which playfully declared a preference for a cowboy over the boy next door because of his kissing skills, shot to number one on the German charts when she was still a teenager. The track would define her early image and cement her status as a darling of the German-language music scene.

From child star to Eurovision

Her stage career began much earlier. At age eight, Hænning performed alongside her father, songwriter Otto Johansson, in her native Denmark. After years as a child star, she found a home in the light Schlager genre, often duetting with Rex Gildo in the 1960s. Songs like "Vorm Stadtpark die Laternen" made them a beloved on-stage pair, though they were never a couple offstage. In 1973, she represented Germany at the Eurovision Song Contest in Luxembourg, finishing eighth with "Junger Tag".

I'm definitely the type where men say, oh yes, you could fall in love with her.

Constant reinvention

Hænning has described her life's mantra as always wanting to reinvent herself. She moved from Schlager to pop and jazz, starred in the Berlin musical "Shakespeare & Rock'n'Roll", and after the turn of the millennium toured successfully with the show "Gitte, Wencke, Siw" alongside fellow Scandinavian singers Wencke Myhre and Siw Malmkvist. Her adopted home of Berlin became the base for her diverse artistic ventures.

Looking ahead at 80

Speaking to the German Press Agency on her birthday, Hænning acknowledged that her long career has had its ups and downs, but added that anything else would be boring. She remains energetic and forward-looking, with a special jubilee programme planned. Despite a day of interviews and rehearsals, she appeared friendly and engaged.

You can't always fly first class.