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Nena

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Nena is a highly influential German pop singer. She is widely recognized as the most successful German pop artist in chart history. Throughout her career, she has sold more than 25 million records.

Nena live
Nena live

She first achieved international stardom in 1983 as the lead vocalist for the band Nena. Her music helped define the Neue Deutsche Welle, a movement in German music. This style combined pop melodies with a distinct German energy. Today, she remains a major figure in the music industry through solo work and live performances.

Born Gabriele Susanne Kerner on March 24, 1960, her journey began in West Germany. She spent her childhood in Breckerfeld and Hagen. Her father worked as a teacher. Interestingly, she acquired her stage name while vacationing in Mallorca, Spain. The name "Nena" comes from the Catalan language and means "baby girl." Before finding musical fame, she pursued a different craft. She trained as a goldsmith, which is a person who works with precious metals. She left this training before she could earn her journeyman's licence.

Her professional music career started in July 1979 with a group called the Stripes. The guitarist, Rainer Kitzmann, recruited her after seeing her dance at a local disco. The Stripes performed songs with English lyrics. They had a minor hit with a song titled "Ecstasy," but the group disbanded in early 1982. Following this, the record company CBS offered Nena a new opportunity. They wanted her to move to West Berlin to record music using German lyrics. This change led to the formation of the band Nena in May 1982.

Nena beim Sommernachtstraum 2013 in München (1)
Nena beim Sommernachtstraum 2013 in München (1)

In the band, she worked with guitarist Carlo Karges, keyboard player Uwe Fahrenkrog-Petersen, and bass player Jürgen Dehmel. Their first single, "Nur geträumt," became an instant hit in Germany. This success followed an appearance on the television show Musikladen in August 1982. The single sold 40,000 copies just one day after the broadcast. In 1983, the band released their self-titled debut album. This album featured the massive hit "99 Luftballons." The song reached number one in West Germany and the Netherlands.

"99 Luftballons" achieved significant international success. In 1984, the band released an English version called "99 Red Balloons." A radio show called American Top 40 played a "mixed" version that spliced the German and English lyrics together. This helped the song reach listeners in the United States. During a UK tour in 1984, Nena faced unexpected media attention regarding her unshaved armpits. While this was common in continental Europe, it was unusual in English-speaking countries. Nena later noted in her 2005 memoirs that she simply had no idea about these different cultural expectations. The band eventually split in 1987, leading to her solo career.

Nena's solo career has seen various stages of success and challenge. She released her first solo album, Wunder gescheh'n, in November 1989. The title track, which means "Miracles Happen," is closely associated with the fall of the Berlin Wall. In the 1990s, her commercial success slowed down. After her second solo album, Bongo Girl, had an indifferent performance, Sony did not renew her contract in 1993. However, she experienced a massive comeback in 2002. She released the album Nena feat. Nena, which featured new arrangements of her old hits. This album was produced by her former band colleague, Uwe Fahrenkrog-Petersen.

Nena beim Sommernachtstraum 2013 in München (1)
Nena beim Sommernachtstraum 2013 in München (1)

Her return to the charts was significant and long-lasting. In 2005, her album Willst du mit mir gehn achieved platinum status. The single "Liebe ist" reached the top of the German charts. This achievement marked the longest span between a first and last number one hit in German chart history. Since 2009, she has operated her own record label, The Laugh & Peas Company. This label publishes her music and supports other artists, including her daughter's group, Adameva.

Nena beim Sommernachtstraum 2013 in München (1)
Nena beim Sommernachtstraum 2013 in München (1)

Nena is also a prolific live performer. Since 1997, she has toured Germany and neighboring countries almost every year. She typically performs between 15 and 50 concerts annually. Her 2018 Nichts versäumt tour was especially successful. It attracted more than 250,000 fans across 45 cities. This tour won the German Live Entertainment Award for "concert hall tour of the year."

Nena live
Nena live

Her ability to connect with audiences through both new recordings and live shows has maintained her status as a pop icon.

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File:Nena Stadtfest-Wien2008a.jpg
Nena Stadtfest-Wien2008a.jpg
File:Nena beim Sommernachtstraum 2013 in München (1).jpg
Nena beim Sommernachtstraum 2013 in...
File:Nena live.jpg
Nena live.jpg
File:Nena Dein Song.jpg
Nena Dein Song.jpg
File:Nena Sakias & Larissa Zitadelle 2018.jpg
Nena Sakias & Larissa Zitadelle 2018.jpg
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