Andrea Neuenhofen (née Rosenbaum; 25 December 1969 – 16 March 2025), better known by her stage name AnNa R., was a German singer and songwriter who provided the lead vocals for pop group Gleis 8. She was previously the main vocalist of

Rosenstolz Rosenstolz () was a German Pop music, pop duo from Berlin that was active between 1991 and 2012 and had chart hits in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The duo consisted of singer AnNa R. and musician Peter Plate, who occasionally provided ...

, a pop duo that was active between 1991 and 2012 and had chart hits in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Early life

AnNa R. was born Andrea Rosenbaum on 25 December 1969"laut.de-Biographie – Rosenstolz"
(in German). ''laut.de''. Retrieved 18 January 2014. in Berlin-Friedrichshain and grew up in the former

East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...

.Rosenstolz (1997). ''Lieb mich, wenn du kannst, nimm mich, nimm mich ganz'' (3rd ed., July 1998) (in German). Munich, Germany: dtv. . She sang in a choir during her youth. After she had finished her secondary education, she auditioned for a place at Musikschule Friedrichshain (Friedrichshain music school), but was not accepted. Consequently, she took up private singing lessons. She also trained as a laboratory assistant after finishing her secondary education, but soon changed career to become a sheet music salesperson.

Career

1991–2012: Rosenstolz

Looking for a pianist to help her to realize her aim of becoming a bar singer, AnNa R. was introduced by a friend to

Peter Plate Peter Plate (born 1 July 1967) is a German musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. Between 1991 and 2012, he was the keyboardist and occasional vocalist of Rosenstolz, a German pop duo that had chart hits in Germany, Austria and Swit ...

, a keyboard player who had just moved to Berlin and needed a singer. Although they had different musical aspirations, with AnNa R. preferring to sing

chanson A (, ; , ) is generally any Lyrics, lyric-driven French song. The term is most commonly used in English to refer either to the secular polyphonic French songs of late medieval music, medieval and Renaissance music or to a specific style of ...

and Plate wanting to make English-language pop music, the pair got together to write songs, performing them as pop duo Rosenstolz. Although their early records were not commercially successful, AnNa R. and Plate achieved increasing success over Rosenstolz's two-decade history, eventually having charts hits not only in their native Germany but also in Austria and Switzerland. These included five No. 1 studio albums in Germany. During their Rosenstolz career, AnNa R. and Plate undertook various initiatives to raise money for

AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

charities, and both were awarded the ''Bundesverdienstkreuz'' (

Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (, or , BVO) is the highest state decoration, federal decoration of the Federal Republic of Germany. It may be awarded for any field of endeavor. It was created by the first List of president ...

) in 2011 in recognition of their efforts. In 2012, the duo decided to split up. AnNa R. stated that both she and Plate wanted to take a break from each other and try something new.Opitz, Anja
""Wir sind nicht Anna R. und, sondern eine Band""
(in German). ''AMPYA''. 24 May 2013. AnNa R. was the main vocalist of Rosenstolz and also contributed to writing the lyrics of the band's songs with Plate and Ulf Leo Sommer. Towards the end of Rosenstolz, AnNa R. felt that she was not contributing as much to songwriting as she had done earlier in the band's history.

2012–2025: Gleis 8

In January 2012, AnNa R. started working with musicians Lorenz Allacher, Timo Dorsch and Manne Uhlig.Kampe, Sina

(in German). ''Berliner Kurier''. 12 May 2013. The following year, they officially announced their formation as the band Gleis 8. Their debut album ''Bleibt das immer so'', which was released in May 2013, reached No. 7 in the German albums chart. AnNa R. wrote the band's songs in cooperation with her band colleagues. She described the band as being democratic, with all the members being of equal standing.Lohr, Matthias

(in German). ''HNA.DE''. 23 May 2013. A few weeks prior to her death, she took to Instagram to promote her "Courage to Love" tour, which was scheduled to start in October 2025.

Personal life and death

AnNa R. married Nilo Neuenhofen in 2002. Her activities in her spare time included cooking and boxing."Sängerin AnNa R. über Rosenstolz und Gleis 8"
(in German). ''Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung''. 6 July 2013. On 17 March 2025, it was announced that AnNa R. had died in Berlin, at the age of 55. An official cause was not disclosed, however, police communicated that a crime or selfharm had been ruled out.
''Frankfurter Rundschau''. Retrieved 24 March 2025.

Discography

Studio albums (Rosenstolz) * '' Soubrette werd' ich nie'' (1992) * ''Nur einmal noch'' (1994) * ''Mittwoch is' er fällig'' (1995) * ''Objekt der Begierde'' (1996) * '' Die Schlampen sind müde'' (1997) * '' Zucker'' (1999) * '' Kassengift'' (2000) * '' Macht Liebe'' (2002) * ''

Herz Herz is the German word for ''heart''. It may refer to: * Herz (surname) * Herz Bergner (1907–1970), Polish-born Australian novelist * Herz Cerfbeer of Medelsheim (1730–1793), French Jewish philanthropist * Herz., author abbreviation of Germa ...

'' (2004) * '' Das große Leben'' (2006) * '' Die Suche geht weiter'' (2008) * '' Wir sind am Leben'' (2011) Studio albums (Gleis 8) * ''Bleibt das immer so'' (2013) * ''Endlich'' (2016)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:AnNa R. 1969 births 2025 deaths German women singer-songwriters German singer-songwriters HIV/AIDS activists Singers from Berlin German women pop singers Recipients of the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany 20th-century German women singers 21st-century German women singers