Beginning: 1979–1985 Dschinghis Khan was managed by German producer
Ralph Siegel and choreographed by Hannes Winkler, one of the most famous German choreographers during that time. Their original
eponymous song was written and produced by Siegel with lyrics by
Bernd Meinunger and came in fourth place at the
Eurovision Song Contest 1979 in
Jerusalem,
Israel. Their name is one of several possible German spellings (the most common is "Dschingis Khan") of the name of the historical figure
Genghis Khan of the
Mongol Empire. and "
Moskau". A year later, the English version of "Moskau" topped the charts in Australia for six weeks, largely thanks to
Seven Network using the song as the theme music for coverage of the
1980 Summer Olympics. In an interview with Russian television presenter Alexandra Glotova, the producer of the group Dschinghis Khan, Heinz Gross, said that in the 1980s, the group was banned in the
Soviet Union and was accused of anti-communism and nationalism. Following the success of the singles "Hadschi Halef Omar", "Rom", "Pistolero", and "Loreley", Dschinghis Khan underwent an image change, with their songs becoming more folk-oriented with their fourth album,
Helden, Schurken & der Dudelmoser. As a result, their popularity waned. The group released their fifth album,
Corrida, which served as the soundtrack to the musical of the same name by Siegel and Meinunger. After the release of the single "Mexico", Dschinghis Khan disbanded in 1985.
Post-disbandment: 1985–1994 Following Dschinghis Khan's disbandment, the members took different paths. Mándoki became a successful musician and producer while Pop pursued a solo singing career and Bender worked as a music producer. The success of the band eventually led to Wolfgang and Henriette's divorce in 1986, with Henriette reverting to her maiden name of Strobel. In 1986, the group reunited as "Dschinghis Khan Family", but only with original members Strobel on vocals, Mándoki on drums, and Potgieter on keyboards. The song "Wir gehör'n zusammen" led them to a national qualifying round of the
Eurovision Song Contest, where they finished in second place.
Reunion: 2005–2018 On 17 December 2005, Dschinghis Khan reunited at the Retro FM Festival in
Moscow, with founding members Bender, Pop, Heichel, and Strobel joined by new members Stefan Track, Kaya Ebru, and Daniel Käsling. In May 2006, Bender died of cancer. At the same time, Heichel teamed up with Track to record the song "We Love Football". It was revealed that Heichel gained the rights to the Dschinghis Khan name in Germany and Spain. Strobel, Pop, Kupreit, and producer Heinz Gross also own the rights to the name Dschinghis Khan, with both group patents revealing the use of their own logos. As a result, there are two disco groups operating under the name Dschinghis Khan. On 12 September 2020, dancer and singer Johannes Kupreit died in a car accident in Germany. Tributes were paid from the members and Dschinghis Khan fans from around the world. By the end of 2020, Pop and Strobel retired from their band. Meanwhile, the Heichel and Track faction of Dschinghis Khan released the studio album
Here We Go, which is a mix of new songs and self-covers. In July 2021, Siegel sued Heichel when the latter attempted to bar him from releasing the 2018 FIFA World Cup version of "Moskau" and claimed to have full ownership of the Dschinghis Khan name. The Munich Regional Court ruled in favor of Siegel and awarded him the trademark rights to the group, citing him as the group's original creator and producer and the group's prior disbandments did not affect his ownership rights. In January 2022, Heichel posted a statement on his Facebook in regards to his split from Stefan Track's iteration of Dschinghis Khan, due to serious creative differences and the claim that Track's "Dschinghis Khan" account falsely claims to be the original Dschinghis Khan. In 2023, the Siegel lineup was revamped with three new members: Marco Matias, Selina Kohl, and Michael Thurner. On 20 January 2026, Heichel died at his home at the age of 75. His death was announced by his management on his official social media accounts. == Members ==