Lena Meyer-Landrut

Lena Johanna Therese Meyer-Landrut (; born 23 May 1991), also known by the mononym Lena, is a German singer. She rose to fame after representing Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 in Oslo, winning the contest with her song "Satellite". Both "Satellite" and her debut album ''My Cassette Player'' (2010) debuted at number one in Germany and became platinum sellers. With her three entries from the German national final '' Unser Star für Oslo'', Meyer-Landrut set an all-time chart record in her home country by debuting with three songs in the top five of the German Singles Chart. She represented Germany for the second consecutive time in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 in Düsseldorf with the song "Taken by a Stranger", finishing in tenth place.

Meyer-Landrut followed this with a series of successful albums, including '' Good News'' (2011), '' Stardust'' (2012), ''Crystal Sky'' (2015) and ''Only Love, L'' (2019), all of which entered the top two of the German Albums Chart. Several singles from these albums became top ten hits on the pop charts throughout German-speaking Europe, including " Stardust" and " Wild & Free." One of the best-selling female German artists to emerge in the early 2010s, Meyer-Landrut has won several high-profile prizes as a recording artist such as the 1LIVE Krone, a Comet, the Radio Regenbogen Award, three Echo Music Awards, and five MTV Europe Music Awards.

Beyond her music career, Meyer-Landrut has been featured as a coach on seven seasons of the reality competition television series ''The Voice Kids'' as well as an expert panel member for the Eurovision Song Contest on several occasions. In 2017, she joined the cast of the fourth season of ''Sing meinen Song – Das Tauschkonzert'', the German version of the series '' The Best Singers'' whose accompanying compilation album topped the Austrian and German Albums Chart. In addition, Meyer-Landrut has also voiced characters in audiobooks and animated films, including '' A Turtle's Tale'' (2010), ''Tarzan'' (2013), ''Trolls'' (2016) and ''Wonder Park'' (2019), and has been a brand ambassador for L'Oréal hair coloring and skin care products.

Early life

Lena Meyer-Landrut was born in Hanover, Germany, on 23 May 1991. She is the granddaughter of Andreas Meyer-Landrut, the Baltic German-born West German ambassador to the Soviet Union in Moscow from 1980 to 1983 and 1987 to 1989, and Hanna Karatsony von Hodos who was born in Bratislava, Slovakia of Hungarian nobility. She grew up as an only child, and started taking dancing lessons at the age of five; initially doing ballet and later practicing various modern styles, including hip-hop and jazz dance. Meyer-Landrut grew fond of singing and appeared as an extra in a number of German television series, though she never received any formal acting or vocal training. In June 2010 she graduated from IGS Roderbruch Hannover, a comprehensive school, receiving her Abitur diploma.

Career

2009–2011: ''Unser Star für Oslo'' and Eurovision Song Contest

Meyer-Landrut decided to take part in the talent show '' Unser Star für Oslo'', a newly created national television programme to select the German entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2010. The show was organised by public broadcaster ARD and private television station ProSieben, as well as entertainer, music producer and former Eurovision entrant Stefan Raab. From 4,500 entrants, Meyer-Landrut was picked as one of the 20 contestants for the show. Asked about her motivation to apply, she said, "I like to test myself. I wanted to see how I am perceived, and I wanted to hear what people with knowledge have to say about it. I personally can't judge myself at all." After her first appearance, performing " My Same" by British singer Adele, Meyer-Landrut received much praise from the show's jury panel and was instantly considered the favourite. The following week, Adele's "My Same" entered the German singles chart at number 61. Meyer-Landrut reached the final of ''Unser Star für Oslo'', mainly performing lesser-known songs by international artists The Bird and the Bee, Kate Nash, Paolo Nutini and Lisa Mitchell. Of her eight cover performances, five of the original songs subsequently charted in Germany, with all but " Foundations" reaching their peak chart position. In the final, on 12 March 2010, Meyer-Landrut sang three songs specifically written for the contest, " Bee", "Satellite" and " Love Me". Through televoting the audience chose "Satellite", written by American Julie Frost and Dane John Gordon, to be her designated song in the event she won the show. In a second round of voting Meyer-Landrut was chosen as Germany's entry for the 55th Eurovision Song Contest, beating the last remaining contestant, Jennifer Braun.

Throughout the show, Meyer-Landrut was seen as the clear favourite. One day after winning ''Unser Star für Oslo'', her three songs from the finals topped the German iTunes Store sales chart, making her the first singer to accomplish this. "Satellite" sold over 100,000 downloads in its first week, becoming Germany's fastest-selling digital release ever. Her three songs entered the top five of the German singles chart reaching positions one, three and four. No artist had achieved this since the charts were first established in Germany in 1959. "Satellite" was certified gold after the first week and platinum after the fourth week of its release. The song remained at number one for five consecutive weeks in Germany. The music video for "Satellite" was shot during the night of the final and premiered on German television stations four days later. While competing at ''Unser Star für Oslo'', Meyer-Landrut continued to attend school. The last show was held one month before the start of her final exams. Following them she released her debut album, ''My Cassette Player'', on 7 May 2010. Produced by Stefan Raab, it

includes the singles "Satellite", "Love Me" and "Bee", as well as two cover songs and eight unreleased titles. Meyer-Landrut is credited as a co-writer for the lyrics of five songs. The album debuted at number one on the German albums chart. It peaked at number one on the Austrian albums chart, and at number three on the Swiss albums chart. "Satellite" has been certified double Platinum, and the album has been certified five times Gold for sales of over 500,000 units.Bundesverband Musikindustrie.

Representing a " Big Four" country, Meyer-Landrut automatically qualified for the final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2010. Germany received a wild card during the running order draw, allowing the German representatives to choose the country's position for the final. They chose position 22 out of the 25 spots. Meyer-Landrut arrived in Oslo one week before the show and completed five rehearsals of her song "Satellite". Before the final, she was considered one of the favourites. Bookmakers regarded her as the second favourite behind Azerbaijan's Safura, while Google projected she would win based on search volume in the participating countries. According to Norway's ''Aftenposten'' she received the most media attention of all the participants. The final was held on 29 May 2010 at Oslo's Telenor Arena. Appearing fourth from last, Meyer-Landrut wore a simple black dress and performed on a bare stage with four backing singers. Her pared-back presentation was a break from recent Eurovision trends, as it did not feature any choreography, dancers or an elaborate stage show. "Satellite" received a total of 246 points, giving Germany its first win since 1982, and the first victory as a unified country. The song won over Turkey's entry " We Could Be the Same" with a margin of 76 points, the second largest in Eurovision history, second only to Alexander Rybak's margin of 169 points in the 2009 contest. (It would later be eclipsed by Loreen's victory in 2012, sporting a margin of 113 points). "Satellite" was awarded the maximum of 12 points nine times and received points from all but five countries. The BBC
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