Lena Johanna Therese Meyer-Landrut, also known by the mononym Lena, is a German singer-songwriter. She grew up as an only child, and started taking dancing lessons at the age of five; initially doing ballet and later practising various modern styles, including hip-hop and jazz dance. Lena 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.
Meyer-Landrut decided to take part in the talent show Unser Star fur Oslo, a newly created national television programme to select the German entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2010. 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 Adele, Meyer-Landrut received much praise from the show’s jury panel and was instantly considered the favourite.
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. One day after winning Unser Star für Oslo, her three songs from the finals topped the German iTunes 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.
Representing a big four country, Meyer-Landrut automatically qualified for the final. 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. Appearing fourth from last, Meyer-Landrut wore asimple 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. She released her debut album, My Cassette Player, in 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 Album Charts.
In May 2011, Meyer-Landrut attempted to defend her title for the second consecutive time in the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest at Dusseldorf, She was the third winner to do so, and the first in over 50 years. She sang the song “Taken By A Stranger”, placing 10th. She also appeared in the opening performance of the show, less than an hour before she took the stage to represent Germany.
In September 2012, “Stardust”, the first single from her new album of the same name, was released. A commercial success, it was certified Gold for selling 150,000 copies. The album was released in October and debuted at number two on the German Albums Chart. It produced two further singles, including “Neon (LOnely People)” and “Mr Arrow Key”. Meyer-Landrut attended the 2013 Echo Awards. She was nominated for two categories—Best National Video for “Stardust”, and as Best National Female Artist. She won the Best National Video award.
After four press concerts in Hamburg, Berlin, Munich, and Cologne from late February to early March 2015 she released Crystal Sky’s first single “Traffic Lights” to radio in March 2015. It reached the top twenty of the German Singles Chart. Crystal Sky was released in May 2015. It marked her fourth consecutive album to reach the top two of the German Album Chart. In September 2015, Meyer-Landrut released “Wild & Free”, the theme song for the motion picture Fack ju Gohte 2 as a single. The song peaked at number eight on the German Singles Chart, becoming her highest-charting single in three years.
