File: German commuter Uwe Baltner, 56, sings karaoke versions of well-known songs on his way to work - a project that has earned him more than a million followers on Instagram. Photo: Gregor Bauernfeind/dpa
Ludwigsburg, Germany: Uwe Baltner always seems a bit like he doesn't take the hype about him and his singing totally seriously.
The advertising specialist from Ludwigsburg, just north of Stuttgart, now has more than a million followers on Instagram - not least US singer Rihanna.
His fans tune in as every day on his way to work, Baltner pulls his Fiat 500 over for a bit and films himself singing any variety of popular songs, giving it his all as he looks directly into his smartphone's camera.
He tackles new hits from the US charts as well as classic songs from Britain and even hip-hop from Germany, turning his car into a karaoke party. Sometimes he sings lesser-known songs from Africa, Russia or the Middle East. It doesn't cost him anything to make, and it doesn't take much time, and yet he's made a big impact around the world.
A fifth of his fans on Instagram are from Africa, another fifth from the US. "Music ties us together," Baltner says. "Big artists have shared my songs, like Chris Brown in the US. ... And that's when I realized this isn't normal anymore. Something is happening."
That's when he realized that it was high time to let his wife know about his little experiment on Instagram that had completely taken off. Baltner says the first videos were actually only meant for himself, not only to prevent boredom but also to stop snacking on candy while he drove. But, he thought, why not share the videos?
The 56-year-old says that he's an extroverted guy by nature, and knowing that people were watching his videos also motivated him.
On top of it, singing puts him in a good mood to start off his day. Once he feels that he has rehearsed a song sufficiently at the wheel, he pulls off to a parking bay and records his performance until he's satisfied. He sings, smiles and uploads the videos — sometimes even two or three times a day. He hopes to pass on the good mood to all of his Instagram followers, who often make requests for specific songs.
"There seems to be an urgent need for it. And it's a good thing to put a smile on people's faces in the morning." That's why he smiles before he sings the first note of each song, and why he happily answers comments from all over the world for another hour or two in the evening after work.
He can't quite explain his Instagram success. He's not extravagant or an influencer. "The people just think I'm nice," Baltner says. He looks just how he looks when he goes into the office — like a reliable guy in a good mood.
"It's also kind of a counterpoint to what influencers are doing," he says. Influencers use their social media reach to shape public opinion and possibly earn money with advertising. Having fun singing is "a better message than styling and shopping tips," he says.
Of course, the man is in advertising himself. Couldn't he use his fame for profit? "I do it all for fun," Baltner says. "But as an advertising agency, we are of course also interested in marketing the reach for our customers." Baltner and his team in Ludwigsburg have no concrete plans, but they aren't writing off the possibility either.
Baltner didn't have to think long about which song to sing on the occasion of reaching 1 million followers: It had to be "We are the Champions," the classic from his favourite band, Queen.
He also knows that the Instagram hype won't last forever, and the number of followers will fall.
"At some point I'll have only a few hundred followers left, just like at the start, but I'll also have a nice story."
