Xavier Kurt Naidoo, born October 2, 1971 in Mannheim, Germany, is a German singer and songwriter of Indian South African descent, who sings in German and occasionally in English. He is known for his soulful voice and has collaborated with several famous artists such as the Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA, Deborah Cox and 3-P’s Sabrina Setlur, along with the Swiss artist Stress. Many of his lyrics show his deep Catholic beliefs.
Edguy is a power metal band from Fulda, Germany that was formed in 1992. The band was founded in 1992 by 14-year-old students Tobias Sammet, Jens Ludwig, Dirk Sauer, and Dominik Storch. The name “Edguy” was an affectionate epithet for Mr. Edgar Zimmerer, their math teacher at the time.
Megaherz is a German electronic/rock group that was formed in 1993 in southern Germany. One of the most famous songs of the band is Gott sein (”To be God”) on first full album Wer Bist Du? (”Who Are You?”).
OOMPH! is a German Neue Deutsche Härte group. OOMPH! incorporates many styles of music such as metal, industrial, alternative rock, electronica and gothic to create their sound. OOMPH!’s change of style which leaned more heavily to a guitar-driven metal sound without ever giving up their electronic roots, inspired numerous musicians to follow their lead.
Deichkind is a hip-hop / electro band formed in Hamburg, Germany in 1999. Deichkind’s characteristic lyrics typically consist of irony and humor. In 2005, Deichkind represented Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in the Bundesvision Song Contest, finishing 14th of the 16 entries. The band’s single Electric Super Dance Band marked a noted change in their sound. Their recent appearances (mostly at House and Electro clubs) display this change noted by fast, electronic rhythms. The band describes their new sound as TechRap, a mixture of techno and rap.
Cinema Bizarre is a German rock band from Berlin. The group members met in 2005 at an anime convention and formed a band, incorporating elements of glam rock, gothic rock, new wave, and visual kei. They signed to Island Records and released their debut album in 2007, which is a hit in Germany and Austria. The group was a finalist to represent Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2008 with the song Forever or Never which is the video below, but was not chosen.
Alphaville is a German synthpop group which gained popularity in the 1980s. The founding members were Marian Gold (real name Hartwig Schierbaum, born May 26, 1954 in Herford), Bernhard Lloyd (real name Bernhard Gößling, born June 6, 1960 in Enger, North Rhine-Westphalia), and Frank Mertens (real name Frank Sorgatz, born October 26, 1961 in Enger, North Rhine-Westphalia). The band was at first named Forever Young before changing to Alphaville. They are best known for their two biggest hits, Big in Japan and Forever Young.
Alex Jolig, born Alexander Jolig on January 14, 1963 in Stuttgart, is a German actor, singer and motorcycle racer. Better known with his stage name Alex, he was once a housemate in Big Brother Germany reality show on RTL II. He became famous in Europe and also internationally with his hit songs Ich will nur dich and Willst du. The former reached #3 and stood there for 10 weeks in Germany, #5 for 9 weeks in Austria, and #15 for 7 weeks in Switzerland, but the latter was less successful and reached #46 for 3 weeks in German charts.
The Scorpions are a heavy metal/hard rock band from Hanover, Germany, probably best known for their 1980s rock anthem Rock You Like a Hurricane and their singles No One Like You and Still Loving You. The band has sold over 75 million albums worldwide and were ranked #46 on VH1’s Greatest Artists of Hard Rock program.
Yvonne Catterfeld was born on December 2, 1979 in Erfurt, Thuringia and is a German singer, actress and TV host. More information about Yvonne Catterfeld can be found at her German website.