This is how Inka Bause became a star in the GDR

Inka Bause is a veteran of German TV. The presenter with the cheeky short haircut has been on Bauer sucht Frau for 20 seasons and helps farmers find true love. But did you know that Inka Bause’s success didn’t originally start on TV? With this career, the cult blonde became a megastar in the 80s.

Her father was already well-known in the GDR: Inka Bause was not originally a presenter

Today we know Inka Bause as a cheerful, cheeky presenter who helps run-down farmers look for true love between the chicken coop and the horse paddock. Although the show is mostly about showing off the wayward farmers, that hasn’t hurt Bause’s popularity: she’s been the face of the show since 2005 and there’s still no end in sight.

What many people no longer know: Inka Bause’s career didn’t start on TV. Born in Leipzig, she grew up as the daughter of the GDR musician Arndt Bause, who gave her a love of music in her cradle. Even as a little girl, the blonde amazed people with her musical talent. This passion remained until adulthood: in 1989 she finished her singing studies in Berlin and was a member of an orchestra.

Inka Bause becomes a GDR star: she even created a historic TV moment

Hard to believe: Inka Bause became a GDR star straight away with her musical debut. When she was just 16 years old, she released her first single, “Spielspoiler”, which became an instant success. One can only speculate about the reason for Bause’s meteoric rise, but one circumstance certainly helped: the young singer was an absolute teen crush – with her XXL curly mane and big blue eyes, she really turned everyone’s head.

After that, things went uphill: more singles and albums followed, which cemented Bause’s success even further. In 1990 she was even given a very special honor. As she describes on her own website, Inka Bause was the first GDR singer to appear in the West German ZDF hit parade in 1990. The reason: With her single “Aber du” she made it to number 3.

Despite TV success on Bauer sucht Frau: Inka Bause continues to make music

Little by little, Inka Bause made the jump to TV. Although she also had various appearances on television as a singer, Bause wanted more: in the late 80s she began working as a presenter on the side. Her first job was at the GDR children’s show Talentbude.

Inka Bause achieved her greatest success in 2005 with Bauer sucht Frau. The dome show hit like a bomb and made Bause known to a completely new audience overnight. The RTL ratings hit is so successful that soon no one is talking about the presenter’s singing career anymore. Despite the TV success, Bause also remained true to music. Her latest single, “Herz im Stroh”, was released in 2024.

TV & Streaming: Then comes Farmer Looking for a Wife

Farmer is looking for a woman comes every Monday at 8:15 p.m. on RTL. All episodes can be streamed 7 days earlier on RTL+.