Frank Farian Net Worth in 2023 Career & Relationship

Estimated value: €90 million
Age: 80
Born: 07/18/1941
Country of origin: Germany
Source of Wealth: Singer
Last updated: 2021

Short introduction

Frank Farian is a German singer and record producer whose productions have received more than 800 gold and platinum awards. He celebrated his greatest successes with the group Boney M., who stormed the charts with hits like Rivers of Babylon and Rasputin. Frank Farian was also involved in the rise of No Mercy, Milli Vanilli and La Bouche.

early life

Frank Farian was born Franz Reuther in Kirn on July 18, 1941 and grew up in Saarbrücken-Altenkessel after the end of the war. His father was a skinner by trade and died in Smolensk during World War II. With his two older siblings, Heinz and Hertha, Farian enjoyed a sheltered childhood in modest circumstances with his mother Cilli. His mother was a teacher and put her son in the church choir because of his melodious voice. At the age of 12, Farian received his first guitar. After training as a chef, Farian increasingly pursued his musical interests. Actually, he wanted to be a rocker, but there were only attempts in the field of hits, which brought rather moderate success in the sixties. It all began in 1963 with a tape recorder and a single microphone in a cowshed in Saarland, where Frank Farian recorded their first record with his band Die Schatten. The single Shouting Ghost can be heard on it, but it didn’t reach any significant sales figures. The album So ein Tag, which was released shortly thereafter and had a circulation of 1000 copies, was also without major success. When he was young, Farian set up a small studio in the attic of his apartment in Elversberg.

Career

The trips to the stage as a singer reached their peak with Farian’s single Rocky. The song is about a father who becomes a widower and encourages his young daughter. In the second week after the release of the album of the same name, 100,000 pre-orders were booked. According to Farian, the Ariola record label did not keep up with the pressing. The album sold over a million copies in four weeks. But Farian’s work as a producer was more promising. His big break came in 1976 with the start of the group Boney M., for which he secretly lent his voice. The single Daddy Cool became a mega success. The hit charted in all parts of Europe. The group’s debut album Take The Heat Of Me proved to be an absolute hit. Between 1975 and 1988, Boney M. landed 38 top ten hits. His successes with the group made Farian interesting as a music producer in the industry. In the eighties he caused a stir with Milli Vanilli. The group, consisting of two men, could dance well, but others sang the world-famous songs. The Grammy won was revoked after the cheating became known. In the 1990s, Farian produced the Puerto Rican band No Mercy, which also topped the charts with a few songs.

Career highlights

With Rivers Of Babylon, Brown Girl In The Ring and Mary’s Boy Child, three titles by Boney M. grace the all-time bestseller list in England. Queen Elizabeth II welcomed the musicians as England’s most successful pop group. In 1978, Frank Farian made it into the Guinness Book of Records: 175,000 Mary’s Boy Child singles were sold in just one day, and 2.2 million copies within four weeks. With Milli Vanilli’s Girl you know it’s true, the album and single occupied number one in the hit parade for six weeks. Milli Vanilli even went platinum in America. In 1991, Farian was certified with two Diamond LPs for 10 times Platinum for the Boney M. and Milli albums. Big stars produced a few hits in his Rosbach studio. In 1982, Stevie Wonder recorded the chart-topping I just called to say I love you with Farian. The award-winning music producer now owns studios on the island of Ibiza, in Brussels and in Miami.

Famous quotes

A motto that has accompanied Frank Farian throughout his career is: Better criticized than ignored. The millionaire hit producer wants to show the essential importance of attention. According to his own statements, he tolerates bad criticism. This is also far better than if there was no resonance at all. In an interview with the newspaper Die Welt, when asked about differences with Meat Loaf, Farian made it clear that the singer always ate the contents of his fridge and that eating Farian’s mother’s Thuringian dumplings would have made him angry. Today there is said to be a friendly relationship with Meat Loaf.

tips for success

Frank Farian’s success is not visually noticeable. The music producer relies more on thrift than on ostentation and pomp. For Farian, money was not the primary motivation for his interest in music. You can only be successful in the music business if you have enough passion. One recipe for success was testing his songs before actually releasing them. If the audience showed up in large numbers on the dance floor, this was an indication of future success.

Estimated value: €90 million