Famous German Singers

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 and poet Till Lindemann is best-recognised as the lead vocalist and lyricist of the German heavy-metal band Rammstein and for the musical project Lindemann that he fronted. Roadrunner Records listed him among "50 Greatest Metal Frontmen of All Time". He has also published two books of poetry, In stillen Nächten and Messer, and featured in minor roles in movies.

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.

German model, dancer, and singer, Rob Pilatus, was a member of the pop music duo, Milli Vanilli, with Fabrice Morvan. As an interracial child growing up in Munich, he had a difficult childhood. He began working as a model as a teenager and soon ventured into music. He struggled with substance abuse and died at the age of 32.

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. 

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.

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.

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.  

Klaus Nomi was a German countertenor with a wide vocal range. He wore heavy makeup, unusual costumes, and a highly stylized signature hairdo. He had an otherworldly stage persona that was unique to him. His music was also considered unusual. He suffered from AIDS and was one of the earliest musicians known to die of the illness.  

John Kay is a German-born Canadian singer, guitarist, and songwriter. He is credited with co-forming the popular American rock band Steppenwolf for which he served as the lead vocalist. He is also credited with contributing immensely to the success of the band. In 2004, he was inducted into the Canada's Walk of Fame.

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. 

Born into a musical family, Ari Up began experimenting with punk music early in her life. At fourteen, she co-founded post-punk band, The Slits, releasing their debut album Cut in 1979 and her first full-length solo album, Dread More Dan Dead, in 2005. Known for her wild hair and odd stage outfits, she died at forty-eight after battling breast cancer.

German opera tenor Jonas Kaufmann is best known for his versatility. Born to music lover parents, he grew up listening to his father’s collection of classical music. Dropping out of a math course in university, he opted for music instead. He is best known for his performance in Don Carlos.

German singer Angela Gossow is best known to fans as the lead vocalist of the Swedish death metal band Arch Enemy. She is one of the few female singers who use death grunts as part of their performances. An atheist and a vegan, she is quite vocal about her opinions.

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.

Rapper Shelley Marshaun Massenburg-Smith, better known as D.R.A.M., is best known for his Billboard-charting singles such as Broccoli. He has collaborated with artists such as Gorillaz and Erykah Badu. He has also voiced Wallace in Lazor Wulf and now uses his original name, Shelley, instead of his pseudonym, D.R.A.M.

Herbert Grönemeyer is a musician, singer, composer, producer, and actor. After appearing as Lieutenant Werner in the popular West German war film Das Boot, Grönemeyer went on to focus on his musical career. Over a period of time, Grönemeyer became one of the most successful German musicians of all time, having sold more than 13 million copies of his albums.