We are fans of Daniel – no ordinary fans. We are faniels. This is something uncommon, something different. No other star can claim to have faniels. Of course, since none is like Daniel. There are indeed people who have not yet seen the facts. This has led to numerous errors. Some of them I have listed below.

They called him a clown & a joker, someone without a chance in this casting voting thing around Pop Idol. Wrong there!

We gained a lot from Daniel's hearty & humorous performances that stood out from the dull TV shows as we knew them. Thus we stretched our phone bills – Daniel made it into the semi-final, despite of the critics shaking their blank heads. Daniel had to go after the semi-final. They called him a passing craze not worth bothering about. Wrong there!

We were dying to get our hands on Daniel's first single. Soon as it was released it went number one in the charts. Well, they said it would just be something in the wake of the hype around Pop Idol. Wrong there!

Pop Idol was no more than an airport for Daniel to take off & land in our very hearts. Yet he had booked a one-way ticket. Had it been up to us, he could have dropped the contact to his place of departure right away. The Pop Idol tour started & the media pulled him to pieces. Not later than now it would show he had not got what it takes to be a singer & the stage was not his place to be. Wrong there!

Every concert of this tour that he had joined somewhat reluctantly got him triumphant cheers. To see Daniel perform live was an experience of a special kind. None of his colleagues would cast their spell over the audience like he would. Persistence will win, the media thought & stuck to it. Again & again they tried to make him look silly, criticised where there was nothing to be criticised & did not get tired of inventing headlines for a negative press. One day – they believed – even those backing Daniel would turn away from him. Wrong there!

The meaner the press got, the stronger we got behind him. Not uncritical at all but ready to defend him, no matter where, no matter when. His solo album was released & they promised a flop. Explanation: Germany had had enough of that superficial Bohlen music – & on top of that – performed by someone who cannot even sing – this would not work. Wrong there!

'Positive Energy' shot to top 2 of the LP charts & stayed among the top 10 for several weeks. Shallow Bohlen sound or not – Daniel's voice turns every song on the album into something special. I would like to anticipate a future error that is certain to occur – Daniel's success will be tied to the name of Dieter Bohlen. Wrong there!

We faniels are dying to listen to Daniel's own songs. Well, this is pie in the sky, let us rather look at the errors of the past & present. The album sold well, this could not be foiled. But his ongoing success had to be stopped somehow. In clear, radio stations would boycott his music. What is not played cannot attract listeners. This way Daniel's gaining ground was meant to be prevented. Wrong there!

We wanted Daniel's music to be played on the radio & thus bombarded them with e-mail, letters & phone calls that emphasized our matter of concern. Admittedly, we were & are often ignored but we will not give up. They might gnash their teeth but yet have to admit that Daniel does have a certain fan base. If he really has fans it could only be those wearing braces on their teeth. Wrong there!

Daniel is versatile. And so is the age spectrum of his fans. It represents fans from age 6 up to 66 & even beyond. The media seem neither willing nor able to understand this. So they keep on predicting the imminent end of Daniel's career, the decline of his star. They cut about in reports, distort facts & assert that the faniels had long since turned away from Daniel. Wrong there!

We faniels still stand behind Daniel like a bulwark. Whoever claims the opposite – we will let them know it. We make protests against manipulated reporting & fight for the correction of distorted facts. The information that Daniel was about to publish an autobiography gave the media fresh food for their headlines. Long before the book was released they would tear it to pieces. What could a boy of his age have to tell? No one would be interested in what he had experienced so far, they predicted. Wrong there!

It showed that Daniel had a lot to tell. His fate, his childhood & youth did not only touch his hard core fans. 'Ich lebe meine Töne' shot from zero to top 3 on the Spiegel best-seller list. They would rack their brains over the Küblböck phenomenon. The enthusiasm in his fans could only be due to Daniel's shrill & crazy ways that make him stand out from the masses. Wrong there!

At least half-wrong. Daniel does stand out from the masses. But not because he is shrill or crazy. He stands out because he has a great talent for entertaining people of all age groups. He stands out from the masses for approaching people in his own open way. For his sincerity that does not allow him to bend his principles. For his sense of humour that allows him to laugh at himself. For his fighting spirit that makes him face ever new challenges. For his enormous courage that makes him do things the way he thinks is best. For his charming smile & his refreshingly cheerful nature. For his often surprising seriousness with which he approaches things. For his maturity that is untypical of a boy of his age....
Alright, I could as well continue this list of qualities that make Daniel stand out from the masses but we faniels know these qualities anyway. The rest of the world may never understand & keep on believing that this small crazy Bavarian will fall from his flight of fancy as soon as another new & remarkable star rises in the sky of show business. Wrong there!
Daniel will stay unique to us & cannot be replaced by any other. But they might not understand....