Famous German Lyricists & Songwriters

Nico was a German musician, singer, and songwriter. Her work continues to serve as an inspiration to several musicians like Björk, Morrissey, and the English rock band The Cure. In 2017, Susanna Nicchiarelli directed Nico's biographical film titled Nico, 1988. Also an actress, Nico appeared in many films, including Andy Warhol's experimental underground film Chelsea Girls.

Zedd is a Russian-German songwriter, record producer, and DJ. He is best known for his 2012 single, Clarity, which earned him a Grammy Award in 2014 after peaking at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Although he mainly performs and produces electro house music, Zedd also draws inspiration from dubstep, progressive house, and classical music.

Kim Petras is a German singer-songwriter currently based in USA. She was assigned male at birth and underwent medical gender transition as a teenager. Interested in music from a young age, she began recording music as a teenager. Her debut single topped several viral music charts on Spotify. Since then, she has released many hit albums and singles. 

German singer/songwriter Gabriele Susanne Kerner, better known as Nena, soared to international fame with the hit 99 Luftballons. Known for her energetic performances, Nena is also a mother of four and has co-founded the Neue Schule Hamburg school, based on the American Sudbury model of education.

Lena Meyer-Landrut is a German singer-songwriter who rose to fame after participating in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010. Her debut album peaked at No.1 in Germany and was accredited Platinum. She has since released many hit albums and singles. Besides singing, she has also served as a coach on five seasons of the reality TV series The Voice Kids.  

Klaus Meine is a German singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist. He is best known as the lead singer of the heavy metal band Scorpions. He wrote or co-wrote most of the songs released by the band. During the peak of his career, he temporarily lost his voice due to a medical condition but was able to make a comeback. 

German record producer Frank Farian founded iconic pop groups such as Boney M. and No Mercy. He was accused of showcasing attractive dancers as members of Milli Vanilli, while others had actually sung the songs. He has also been associated with groups such as La Bouche and Eruption.

Lou Bega became an overnight sensation with the 1999 international chartbuster Mambo No. 5, based on Pérez Prado's 1949 original. Born in Germany, Lou was the son of a Ugandan father and a Sicilian mother. Initially inspired by rap and R&B, he deviated to mambo music after a trip to Miami.

Matthias Schweighofer is a German actor, film director, voice actor, and producer. Over the course of his career, Schweighofer has received several prestigious awards like the German Television Prize, Adolf Grimme Award, and Bavarian Film Award. Matthias Schweighofer is also a fashion enthusiast; he is credited with co-founding a fashion label named German Garment along with television presenter Joko Winterscheidt.

Thomas Anders is a German singer and songwriter. He gained prominence as the lead singer of the German duo Modern Talking. He developed an early love for music and began his career when he was a teenager. Despite being talented, he struggled for a few years before he could make it big in the music scene.  

Nina Hagen is a German singer-songwriter and actress. She began her career as an actress and gained fame as a singer during the punk and new wave movements in the 1970s and 1980s. Her parents are also actors and singers. Hagen is a voice-over artist as well. She is involved in human and animal rights activism. 

German singer-songwriter Zoe Wees soared to fame with her debut single, Control, which detailed her struggle with epilepsy. She followed it up with Girls Like Us. Raised by her mother, she first experimented with music as a child and often wrote her songs in English instead of German.

German singer/songwriter Dieter Bohlen redefined the Eurobeat in the 1980s and is also known as the Pop-Titan. He formed the duo Modern Talking with Thomas Anders, creating international superhits such as Brother Louie. He later went solo as Blue System, releasing hits such as Gangster Love, before rejoining Modern Talking.

A pioneer in electronic music and founder of music band Tangerine Dream, Edgar Willmar Froese started playing guitar at the age of 15. At nineteen, he formed his first group, which disbanded within three years. By then, he had started experimenting and eventually formed Tangerine Dream, concurrently continuing to sing solo and release solo albums.

German singer-songwriter Wolf Biermann caused massive protests among the German public after his 1976 expatriation from the German Democratic Republic. His communist ideals and political theater caused him to be banned in East Germany. His East German citizenship, too, was revoked. His song Ermutigung talks about his struggles.