10 Most Famous German singers

10 Most Famous German singers

We love to listen to music often passively or actively while working, travelling or just relaxing.

Some people know the words of their favourite songs as well as know every new release or launch of an album.

Music is a universal language that dates back to the beginning of time. In Germany, their music history dates back to the 18^th and 19^th centuries with the likes of Beethoven and other great composers.

Germany’s first pop music was cabaret which was popular in the 1920s. It was played in nightclubs. Some of the popular performers back then were Marlene Dietrich and Margo Lion.

Today, German music has evolved and there are several genres available. The German artists have made great contributions to the music industry globally.

Currently, Germany is the largest music market in Europe and the third-largest in the world.

Here are the 10 most famous German singers.

1. Sarah Connor

Photo by Jacqueline Nolting – Wikimedia

Sarah Connor is a songwriter and a singer. She is a talented singer with a sultry voice and a sexy body.

Her most popular hit single, Bounce, became the top on the charts in the United States and Japan.

She released her first album in 2015, and all the songs were sung in the German language. The album is named ‘Muttersprache’ which translates to mother tongue in English.

Sarah has sold over 15 million records. Her best-selling album is ‘Green Eyed Soul.’ Connor is a great pop artist who incorporates other genres in her singing.

she is regarded as one of the most successful German artists that have had her songs top the charts on the German Singles Chart.

2. Lena Meyer-Landrut

Photo by Stefan Brending – Wikimedia

Although she is German, most of Lena’s songs are written in English. Her lyrics are described as invigorating and fun to listen to.

Lena shot to fame after she represented Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2010. Not only did she win the contest, but her song ‘Satellite’ took home the prize.

Today, Lena is regarded as one of the best-selling female artists in Germany. she has won several local awards like 1LIVE Krone, a Comet, the Radio Regenbogen Award, three Echo Music Awards, and five MTV Europe Music Awards.

Other than excelling as a singer, Lena has featured in reality shows like The Voice Kids, Eurovision Song Contest, and Sing Meinen Song as a coach and judge.

3. Nena

Nena is another famous German singer who rose to international fame in 1983. She remains to be a household name in Germany.

Back then, she was the lead vocalist of the band Nena with the Neue Deutsche Welle song ‘99 Luftballons’.

That same year, Nena and her band re-recorded the 99 Red Balloons song in English. 

When she went solo in 2002, she did re-recordings of some of the band’s old hit songs. She worked with the co-composer of most of them, her former Nena band colleague and keyboard player Uwe Fahrenkrog-Petersen.

Nena has sold over 25 million records, making her the most successful German pop singer in chart history.

4. Marlene Dietrich

Video Courtesy of YouTube

Another famous German singer is Marlene Dietrich. She is a legendary singer as well as an actor.

Her singing career is described as being illustrious and popular in live performances in theatres. 

Marlene made classic music popular and her themes are described as easy and relaxing, even to new listeners. She has a sweet melodic voice ideal to listen to at any time.

Some of Marlene’s top hits are ‘Sag Mir Wo Die Blumen Sind’ (Tell Me Where the Flowers Are) and ‘Ich bin von Kopf bis Fuß auf Liebe eingestellt’ (I Am from Head to Foot In Love).

In 1953, she was offered $30,000 per week to appear live at the Sahara Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip.

5. Sandra

Video Courtesy of YouTube

Sandra was no doubt the princess of pop in Germany in the 1980s. She released several hits together with her producer and husband Michael Cretu.

All her shows were sold out and crowds showed up and filled the arenas in Moscow and Tokyo. Hers was a global performance.  

Before going solo, Sandra was the lead singer of an all-female band, disco trio Arabesque. This band was very popular in Japan and the Soviet Union.

Some of her solo projects were successful in America and the United Kingdom between 1990 and 2001.

Sandra has sold more than 33 million records worldwide.

6. Till Lindemann

Till is a famous German singer-songwriter and poet. He is best known as the lead vocalist and lyricist of the German heavy metal band Rammstein.

One of his most popular musical projects was Lindemann. Lindemann was listed among the 50 Greatest Metal Frontmen of All Time by Roadrunner Records.

His vocal range is described as a dramatic baritone and sings with force from below and uses the alveolar trill. This he said, he does out of instinct.

The New York Times described his singing as a low, powerful bass seldom used in contemporary pop music.

Lindemann is also a published author. He published two books of poetry, In Stillen Nächten and Messer, and has also made appearances in minor roles in movies.

7. Rob Pilatus

Alan Light – Wikimedia

Rob is a model, dancer, and singer. He was a member of the pop music duo, Milli Vanilli, with Fabrice Morvan.

Growing up in Munich as a black boy, Rob described his childhood as a difficult one. Despite that, he chased his dreams and his first job was working as a model.

Additionally, he was a breakdancer and sang as a backing singer with the group Wind at the 1987 Eurovision Song Contest in Brussels.

In 1988, he met Fabrice Morvan on the dance scene in Munich. The duo decided to pursue music and formed a band with one other person, Charliene.

Their band was known as Empire Bizarre and they performed locally. Rob was the lead singer and played the bass guitar too.

They later became two, Rob and Morvan and renamed their band, Milli Vanilli.

Unfortunately for Milli Vanilli, their music career was short-lived after accusations of lip-synching were brought against them.

After the disbandment of Milli Vanilli, Rob struggled with substance abuse and died a few years later from a prescription drug overdose. He was 32. 

8. Bill Kaulitz

Bill is not only a successful and famous singer but also an LGBTIQ+ icon. He became famous when he was the lead vocalist of the band Tokio Hotel.

They released epic tracks such as Monsoon. His solo career debuted with his single I’m Not OK.

His interest in music began at an early age when he played the guitar together with his twin brother Tom.

The brothers started their band when they were teenagers and performed live shows in their hometown.  

Later on, after joining Tokio Hotel, their fan base increased not only in Europe but the world over. They re-recorded their songs in the English language.

Their English language album was called Scream. Bill is a strict vegetarian and has done campaigns for PETA.

9. Lou Bega

Photo by Sven Mandel – Wikimedia

Lou Bega was an overnight sensation after his single Mambo No. 5 topped the charts in 1999.

Bega’s love for music was stirred by his love for rap and RnB. However, he opted for mambo music after he visited Miami.

The song Mambo No. 5 was a remake of Pérez Prado’s 1949 instrumental piece. This hit song earned him a Grammy Award nomination.

Most of Bega’s songs feature musical elements of the 1940s and 1950s.

Mr Bega has entertained royals and international corporations. He sang the theme song for the Disney Channel animated series Brandy and Mr Whiskers.

10. Mike Singer

Mike is popularly referred to as the German Justin Bieber. He is a successful pop artist who is mostly self-taught.

His big break to fame happened after he auditioned for the show The Voice Kids in 2013.

A year later, Mike released the album Only You mostly in English. There were two tracks sung in German.

A rising pop star, Mike has attracted millions of followers and fans on his social media pages.