Buddy

Buddy is a German musician best known for the party pop hit “Ab in den Süden”. He is also known as Sebastian Erl, born in East Berlin in 1977, and later lives in Cologne-Porz. Before working in music full time, he trains as a gas and water installer and begins recording songs with friends in a studio while also writing and performing his own material.

Career

In 2000, Buddy releases “Ab in den Süden” under his stage name. The song does not chart at first, but later gains popularity in Austria after DJ The Wave discovers it online and plays it in clubs. It then receives radio play on Ö3 and becomes a summer hit. When the single is reissued in 2003, it reaches number one in Austria for twelve weeks and number two in Germany. It also earns a gold record in Germany and double platinum certification in Austria, where it is named the country’s most commercially successful song of 2003.

Buddy and The Wave also release “Ab in den Norden”, a version with altered lyrics, and Buddy issues “Ab auf die Piste” as a solo ski-party variant of the same song. In 2005 he works with Urbi & Orbi on a song connected to the papal election, releases his debut album, and returns to the charts with “Mama Mallorca”.

Style and activity

Buddy works in party pop and is associated with German rap, indie, and Los Angeles in the wider cataloguing of his music. His output centres on catchy, seasonal songs and club-oriented material.