Brand new song

Rainhard Fendrich jokes about Vladimir Putin

With "Wladimir", Austropop legend Rainhard Fendrich is releasing his first new song in five years.(Bild: Johannes Ehn)

Five years after his last album "Starkregen", Austropop bard Rainhard Fendrich has released a new single. In "Wladimir", he criticizes politics as usual and pokes fun at the Russian head of state Vladimir Putin.

Austropop superstar Rainhard Fendrich is currently making himself scarce with interviews - he much prefers to let the music do the talking. A few days ago, the 69-year-old performed in Bad Staffelstein at Germany's largest singer-songwriter festival "Lieder auf Banz" and surprised the audience with a humorous, politically critical song called "Wladimir", which is addressed directly to Russia's head of state Putin.

Carried by a classic Russian polka rhythm, Fendrich sings: "Wladi was very lonely, Wladi was very small / and all small children want to be bigger. Wladi wasn't stupid, Wladi was very clever / and whoever is clever gets very far in the KGB."

Austropop legend Rainhard Fendrich releases his first new song in five years with "Wladimir".(Bild: Johannes Ehn)

First single infive years
 Fendrich posted the live recording of the song on his homepage and on YouTube. On Friday, "Wladimir" will also be officially released as a single. The usual politically active musician doesn't mince his words and also makes fun of Putin's questionable portrayal as an invincible despot. "First naked through the taiga, then full of delusions of grandeur / suddenly the day came when no war began." In the comments on YouTube, Fendrich's fans are all enthusiastic about the Viennese singer's brand new song.

On his homepage, Fendrich explains the current and explosive number in the following words: "There are songs that don't need many words and lines to explain them. Sometimes humor is simply the only weapon to counter the madness in the world day after day. Imagine if a war had just started on a vodka whim and could be ended in the same way. Man Vladimir ...!" This is Fendrich's programmatic introduction to the song: "Wladimir sit down with me / Drink a vodka or two. Maybe you'll see clearly later." "Wladimir" is Fendrich's first new song since his last studio album "Starkregen" from 2019.

2025 live in Vienna
2025 will be the big year for the Austro-Bard. Not only will he celebrate his 70th birthday, but he will also release the studio album "Wimpernschlag" and go on a major Austrian tour to celebrate 45 years of "Fendrich live", including a concert at the Wiener Stadthalle on April 25. Tickets and further information are available at www.oeticket.com. In addition to the many top hits from Fendrich's rich history, "Wladimir" will certainly also be part of the live show.