Unheilig frontman on his great love: "You are my home" – and then comes the comeback

There are moments when even the most mysterious man in German pop goes all soft. Der Graf, for decades the enigmatic face behind the phenomenon that is Unheilig, has rarely shown his hand. His identity? A secret for years. His music? Struck a chord with millions. And now, just when he'd seemingly left the stage behind, he's opening a whole new door – straight into his inner world.

The woman who changed everything: "You are my home"

Who would have thought that behind the dark, deep voice of hits like "Geboren um zu leben" lurked such a hopeless romantic? Der Graf has steeled himself to speak, for the first time really properly openly, about the love of his life. Sotiria is the name of the woman who brings him out of his shell. No fuss, no staging – just one sentence that carries more weight than any stage outfit: "You are my home, you are everything to me." A sentence so stark in its simplicity, so incredibly powerful, it gives you goosebumps that'll linger for a good while yet.

It's this unfamiliar vulnerability that now makes the singer so relatable. For years he guarded his private life like a state secret, and now, when it comes to her, he's letting the walls come down. You can feel it: this isn't someone talking to sell records. This is a man talking, a man who has found his place.

Back into the spotlight: The Unheilig comeback no one saw coming

And while we're still recovering from that declaration of love, Der Graf goes one better. A man who once said he wanted to retreat from the limelight – suddenly he wants one more shot at it. No quiet return, no hushed album for the hardcore fans. No, Der Graf is coming back. And with a force you wouldn't have thought him capable of after all those years of silence.

It's as if his love for Sotiria hasn't just given him a home, but a new lease of life too. The first announcements make you sit up and take notice: new music is in the works, and rumours of live appearances are gathering pace. Hard to imagine? Then you'd better prick up your ears.

Here's what we've got to look forward to:

• New songs: Der Graf has been busy in the studio. It'll be dark, it'll be emotional – and it'll definitely sound like Unheilig.
• The voice: That timbre that's accompanied us through countless nights is back. Deeper, more mature, but still with that magic.
• A declaration of love in concert form? Listening to the lyrics, you get the feeling many of them are aimed directly at Sotiria. Live, that's guaranteed to get under your skin.

It's a damn good feeling when someone who's accompanied us with their music for so long finally finds their happiness. Der Graf has built his own little world with Sotiria, and now he's giving us new songs that will hopefully be just as honest as that one sentence: "You are my home." Welcome back, Graf. We've missed you.