DJ Ötzi

DJ Ötzi, born Gerhard «Gerry» Friedle, is an Austrian pop and Schlager-adjacent singer widely regarded as one of the most commercially successful artists to emerge from the German-speaking music scene. He took his stage name from Ötzi, the famous prehistoric mummy discovered in the Ötztal Alps, and built a career on upbeat, singalong party anthems designed for festivals, ski resorts, and stadium crowds rather than traditional Schlager radio.

He broke through internationally in the early 2000s with «Hey Baby», a cover built around a sample of Bruce Channel's 1962 hit, which topped charts across Europe. That success was followed almost immediately by «Anton aus Tirol», a novelty and Alpine-party staple that remains, to this day, the best-selling Austrian single of all time. These two songs cemented his identity as a specialist in feel-good, crowd-driven anthems rooted in Tyrolean and Alpine party culture.

Beyond his signature hits, DJ Ötzi built a long career recording covers, Christmas songs, and duets, including his version of «Sweet Caroline», extending his appeal well past the initial 2000s wave. His music occupies a distinct niche between Schlager, Alpine party pop, and mainstream pop covers, and he remains a fixture of German-language party and festival culture, particularly in ski regions and Oktoberfest-adjacent events.