Marianne Mendt thrilled the sold-out audience on her 80th birthday!

Marianne Mendt thrilled the sold-out audience on her 80th birthday!

Marianne Mendt, who is considered the “Mother of Austropop”, celebrated her 80th birthday on a very special evening in Vienna. On September 29, 2025, the celebrated singer and actress celebrated her impressive life's work with an unforgettable concert in a sold-out hall. The guests were able to enjoy a brilliant vocal performance that reflected her impressive career. News.at reports, that Mendt performed pieces by Cole Porter, such as “Close To You”, and Georg Danzer, with “Come, Old Piano Player”.

The evening was a high mass of Austropops. With her own classic “Kaisermühlen Blues” and the rousing finale – “Wie a Glock’n” – the celebrant warmly warmed up the audience. Everyone sang along to this hit, with which she played a key role in establishing dialect pop in Austria in 1970, with their faces beaming with joy. At the same time, Mendt remembered her first performance in the Vienna Konzerthaus as a ten-year-old, when she received a fee of five shillings with the children's choir.

A look back at the career

On stage, Mendt reflected on her impressive career. Born in Vienna in 1945 as Marianne Krupicka, she grew up with a great passion for music and received classical singing lessons and piano lessons. After her time at Henkel, she devoted herself fully to music and toured Europe with her band “The Internationals”. A key moment was the discovery by Gerhard Bronner, who wrote the lyrics for “Wie a Glock’n”, the song that is considered to be the beginning of Austropop. Wikipedia describes that this song was presented on ORF in 1970 and landed at number 8 as one of the 100 most important Austrian pop songs in 2020.

Many companions and well-wishers such as Regen, Neuwirth, Katharina Straßer, Victor Gernot and the group 5/8erl were present at the concert. The big band with which Mendt performed also performed their solo performances, which further enriched the evening. The atmosphere in the room was full of heart and nostalgia.

A look into the future

The evening,

which both honored the past and looked to the future, showed that Marianne Mendt is a living legend of Austrian musical life. From her first appearance to the current concert, she has proven again and again how much influence and talent she has. Her discography ranges from “Kaisermühlen Blues” to “Freunde und Propheten”, and she plans to continue to delight Viennese audiences in Jazzland between Christmas and New Year.

Marianne Mendt remains not only an icon of Austropop, but also a source of inspiration for future generations of musicians and artists. Her life story is a living testimony to the changes in Austria's musical landscape.