German Musicians (Edition 4) - NENA

German musicians - No. 4 as requested - NENA

Here comes edition 4 of the Music genre to mention famous Germans. Nena was suggested and mentioned a few times. Nena was according to my sources the first German artist to become No. 1 of the US American Billboard Hot 100 Charts ever in the 1980ies with 99 Luftballons aka 99 red balloons.

About Nena

Nena is a mystery in Germany - she is the always young singer that is not ageing at all. Apart from being one of the most successful singers in Germany she also was actress and comedian. Nena rose to international fame in 1983 with the New German Wave song "99 Luftballons". Nena was also the name of the band.

Nena was born in Hagen, one of the most exciting cities in the country (kidding) where myself was close to settle and work 17 years ago. After school she was trained as a goldsmith. She always had a passion for music and performed with a local band called "The Stripes" in Hagen. CBS discovered her and offered her a contract if she would move to Berlin, she did it and the rest is history.

The band Nena released their first single in 1982 called "Nur geträumt" which was performed in the German TV show Musikladen on a Saturday night (I was watching this I remember!) and became their first chart breaker in Germany straight after the broadcast. Following that a lot hits followed in the 80ies until the band split in 1987.

Nena started a solo career but stepped back from show career and focused on her family with 4 children. On Christmas Day 2009, Nena became grandmother. In 2002 she started a comeback, 2009 founded her own record label is still performing, her live shows are a must-see still.

Some of her / the band's Chart Breakers: