On the third advent, our stadium will be transformed into a giant, Black and Yellow Christmas choir, for on the 17 December, the premiere of the sing-along concert "Dortmund sings Christmas carols" will take place!

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We want to get in the mood for the upcoming festive season together with you and many other Dortmunders, accompanied by a 10 person music ensemble and music artists. Both traditional and modern Christmas carols will be sung. The event begins at 16:30 CET. A large part of the income generated by the event will go towards good causes and social purposes in Dortmund. BVB senior team players will be present of course, as will stadium announcer Norbert Dickel and pop-star Sasha.

With 18 chart singles and nine gold and platinum selling records in a row, Sasha is one of the most successful and consistent artists of the German music scene. But more than anything, he is a BVB fan! We spoke with the 45 year old about the family event, Christmas, and of course, BVB.

What is your connection with BVB?
As is the case for every child from the Ruhr area or Westphalia – I myself am from Soest – there were only two clubs: either Schalke or Dortmund. I first went to see Dortmund as a fan in their stadium early at the age of five, and at that age I also started to play football. I was in goal at first, later also in midfield, and at some point I became a classic left-winger. You still had them back then.

Do you watch every game?
I live in Hamburg. For a while I managed to get to every game HSV played against Dortmund, and stayed with my brother to make the equivalent fixture in Dortmund. Trips to the stadium have become less frequent, something I miss a lot. For that reason, I'll definitely be there for the Christmas event!

That's just what we wanted to discuss: on 17 December the stadium will be converted into a giant Christmas bakery. What are you looking forward to most about "Dortmund sings Christmas carols", and what can the fans expect from you?
The last time I was there for a reason other than to go to a match was 2001 or 2002. I had just produced the WM song This is my time around then, and the video for it was made in the Westphalia stadium. I feel very honoured that I will now grace the field of play where the boys are normally giving it their all, so that I can give it my all. It will certainly be a special moment, and I've never done something like this before.

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What kind of atmosphere will there be when ten thousand people sing together?
I can't quite imagine how it will be. It feels like hundreds of years since I sang in front of the Pope. That was the last time in front of the public. As a BVB fan and a Dortmunder of some years, this is something quite special. It's something akin to returning home and singing with the family.

Have you already thought about what you will sing on 17.12?
I am a fan of old swing classics, and so I really like things like White Chistmas. Personally, I think the English and American songs are really good. Leise rieselt der Schnee (Quietly falls the snow) with a band and orchestra should also go down well.

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How do you feel about Christmas, and what does it mean to you?
Christmas, New Year's, and my birthday all take place during the 'off-season' for the music industry, which I like very much. Christmas is just great as you can get a bit of peace and quiet and you see the entire family, which is something that only happens quite sporadically over the course of the year. It's a a fixed time of the year that you can look forward to. You return home. I wrote my own personal Christmas song Coming Home about all of that. It is a time during which things get cold and dark, and you retreat, as they said in the past, into the living room...

Is contemplation particularly important in this day and age? With "Dortmund sings Christmas carols", we want to force that a bit.
I think singing together with other people really promotes a sense of togetherness. You are sharing the same experience, you're creating something beautiful together. It is not important to which religion you belong, or whether you belong to any at all, it is something that you can do together. It is about being with each other on the 17 December, and celebrating community. It will be a fantastic event, and I can imagine that when tens of thousands of people are singing together in the stadium, I will get really bad goose pimples! Music simply brings people together. There are no age limits either. It is an event for young and old, it is for everybody.

What projects can your fans look forward to in future?
At the moment I'm concentrating on my new album that should appear early next year, if everything goes well. I am just about to fly to L.A. in order to produce the album there.

Is "Dortmund sings Christmas carols" the only opportunity for your fans to see you live this year?
Exactly. We will go on tour in the autumn of next year. I am already looking forward to it.

Tickets for "Dortmund sings Christmas carols" cost from €9.90, and are available at: www.bvb.de/weihnachtssingen. Children can get a ticket for free!