Peter Maffay and Johannes Oerding announce joint album 'Nashville' at Hamburg concert

Surprise announcement in Hamburg

During Johannes Oerding's concert at the Volksparkstadion in Hamburg on Friday evening, the 44-year-old singer-songwriter brought 76-year-old rock legend Peter Maffay on stage. To the delight of around 45,000 fans, the duo revealed plans for a collaborative album titled 'Nashville', due out October 2. The crowd erupted in applause and cheers as they then performed the first single, 'Ein Leben lang ist nicht lang', followed by the classic 'Über sieben Brücken musst du gehn'. For Oerding, the stadium show was the largest of his career, a moment he repeatedly called an "absolute highlight".

“It was incredibly fun, and that we get to kick this off here today is a great moment.”

A friendship forged in music

The partnership between Maffay and Oerding dates back to 2017, when they first met professionally. Mutual respect quickly grew into a close friendship. They had already demonstrated musical chemistry on Maffay's 2021 album 'So weit', where Oerding co-wrote all eleven songs with Benni Dernhoff. In 2024, Oerding accompanied Maffay on his farewell tour, further cementing their bond.

“He is not only a good friend for years, no, he is still Peter Maffay, the legend, the most successful German solo artist and a fantastic musician. For me as a younger musician and fan, that's just very special.”

Recording in the home of country and blues

The album was born from a shared love of blues, country-rock, and handcrafted storytelling music. The two sifted through unreleased songs, refined them, and decided it was more than an experiment. In spring 2025, they traveled to Nashville and recorded the eleven tracks in just five days with local musicians.

“The air was full of inspiration. It was an incredibly beautiful, humorous, and productive trip.”

The sound of 'Nashville'

Described as authentic and reflective without country clichés, the album features almost a dozen duets with live instrumentation and empathetic lyrics. Maffay called the work "authentic, substantial, and emphatic, making one thoughtful in a positive way". Oerding stressed that every note was played live with "no net, no safety net".

A star-studded evening

Before the big reveal, Oerding's concert had already seen guest appearances from Max Giesinger, Clueso, Wincent Weiss, Michael Patrick Kelly, and Stefanie Heinzmann, whose performances thrilled the crowd. However, the surprise of Maffay's appearance and the album news underscored the evening's main narrative: two generations of German music merging into a single, unexpected project.