According to the critics he's a loser, but he has already won the hearts of the audience a long time ago: pop tenor Helmut Lotti is breaking all sales records in Belgium - with classic evergreens from Grieg up to Schubert. Now "Pavalotti" is enchanting Germany. --

A gym's atmosphere. On the first floor of the concert hall building in Essen the musicians have gathered together in groups; provisional partition walls are parting the gigantic room. 'Men's changing-room' is written on a sheet of paper attached to a folding screen.

It's 11.30 p.m. and the members of the 'Golden Symphonic Orchestra' are waiting for the departure of the tour bus that is to take them back to Brussels.

An adjoining room: 'Dressing-room Helmut Lotti'. That's him, the man who, aside from chocolates, beer and French fries, is to become one of the most popular exports of Belgium soon. Helmut Lotti, real name Lotigiers, is sitting there with a glass of white wine in front of him; he is almost swallowed up by the monstrous couch that isn't really able to take the ambience of a doorman's office off this room. Instead of a tail coat he is wearing a double-breasted suit now; pinstripes and silver buttons are contrasting with cobalt blue cufflinks, brown boots with a yellow necktie.

Lotti's fingers are checking the tie knot once more. It's hard to believe: this neat gentleman is selling more CDs in Belgium than Michael Jackson, the Spice Girls and the Backstreet Boys altogether. "You'll have to ask the people who buy my albums why they do that" he explains with a soft voice. And almost a bit shy he adds: "All I can say is that I'm only recording CDs I would buy myself."

Still, it took his manager Piet Roelen to get him to take a liking to classical music. Pop singer Lotti had already brought out four CDs when his adviser pushed him vigorously towards Mozart and Co. in 1995. "Those are simply wonderful melodies" the 28-year-old says today.

His career started out completely different though. "I have always been singing, even when I was only a small child, on family parties or school events or in the children's holiday camp."

At that time Lotti was still dreaming of a career as a racing cyclist: "Just like Jan Ullrich, with the yellow jersey and all of that - but I've never been very fast."

Things were to come different. In 1989 Lotti had his first performance on television as an imitator of Elvis. And with 'My Boy' he managed to get a lot of applause and his first recording contract.

Voday Lotti has fairly well repressed all memory of his début album 'Vlaamse Nachten', the beginning of his Flemish period, or - as Lotti calls it himself - his "sex period": the 'Flemish Nights' of the 20-year-old were very autobiographical and the lyrics very immature.

Forget about it, and also forget about the following 'Alles Wat Ik Voel' and the results of his English period, 'Memories' and 'Just For You'.

Since manager Roelen discovered Lotti's heart for classics three years ago, platinum is following his way. He has received 21 platinum discs up to now for the albums 'Helmut Lotti Goes Classic I & II' that were brought out in the Benelux countries.

Since November 1997 the Belgian is breaking the German market with the live-recorded CD 'Helmut Lotti Goes Classic III'. In the pop sales charts he has already climbed up to position 24.

Lotti doesn't care about the critics who disapprove of his artificial-sweetener-like classic adaptations.

"They are just critics, they consider their work as some kind of a science. Those aren't people who just love music," says the tenor who calls himself a pop singer. "In my opinion a singer should be allowed to sing everything he is able to sing. I have a range of three octaves, that's enough to sing lovely songs."

And the autodidact won't let himself be told by other people how to do that. "If I would listen to them, it wouldn't be art any more, but work."

His own criterion: "What's more important to me is that my mother likes my music."

And it is just that very generation that is now discovering the pop tenor in Germany.

"In contrast to Belgium my audience is older here," says Lotti, who doesn't make a secret of the fact that he rather likes wearing a collar and tie than jeans and sneakers.

His classic menus however are very well prepared in a fastfood manner: Lotti changes the arrangements of everything that is too complex in structure. With nice lyrics even themes from Tschaikowsky's 'Swan Lake' become suitable for the charts.

"I'm the machete for the composition," says the singer who doesn't know how to play an instrument himself. "Take for instance Grieg's 'Morning Mood'; it starts out great, then there are some variations, then some of the basic notes from the beginning again. But for songs that are to be understood by everyone you need verse - refrain - verse - refrain. That's why I rearrange every song until I've given it a pop structure."

Even Lotti's musical examples are more popular than respected. "Elvis Presley, Mario Lanza, Billy Joel, Paul McCartney.....and George Michael, but only the old things he did with 'Wham!'," Lotti says. "What Michael is doing now is very good, but too complicated for my mother again..."

Lotti smiles. "She likes 'I'm never gonna dance again, guilty feeling...'," he starts to sing the hit 'Careless Whispers'.

Making music for the discriminating listener is something the singer wants to leave up to others. Lotti: "I'm not that difficult, not that intellectual, maybe not even that intelligent either." Nevertheless, he would very much like to perform on stage together with George Michael or Céline Dion maybe, but most of all with Luciano Pavarotti: "He's not the best as far as the techniques are concerned, but he has got pathos and power. When Pavarotti sings a high note that just bangs right into your face. Bocelli is technically better, but a bit soft, he doesn't have this power." An opinion which can be excused maybe by considering that Lotti himself has never had singing lessons.

Anyway, he bears the nickname 'Pavalotti' with some pride. And he's happy about the fact that Pavarotti has already borrowed two of his musical arrangements.

But the man being in his late twenties, who has been divorced recently ("I have an ex-wife and a six-year-old daughter"), won't let himself be put onto the classical track. Although there are other 'Goes Classic'-CDs to be brought out in Germany, Lotti is receptive for new ideas: "Christmas carols, gospel songs, jazz, rock'n'roll or all those hardrock hymns - Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody' with a symphonic orchestra --fantastic!" And even musicals attract the grey-eyed singer as well. "But not on stage, I'd prefer a film."

The question of who would have to be the producer is still open, but not that of the woman who would have to play the female leading part: "Michelle Pfeiffer," Lotti blurts out. "Something like 'The Fabulous Bakerboys'."

Which of the two blond heads would have to sit at the piano and who would be the one lying on it scarcely dressed is going to stay Lotti's secret. "It's only because Michelle can sing," he affirms laughing, "that's why I'd like to be in a film with her."