Lena Meyer-Landrut facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lena Meyer-Landrut
Lena Meyer-Landrut in 2020
Born	Lena Johanna Therese Meyer-Landrut (1991-05-23) 23 May 1991 (age 34) Hanover, Lower Saxony, Germany
Occupation	Singer songwriter voice actress
Years active	2010–present
Spouse(s)	Mark Forster ​ (m. 2020)​
Children	1
Relatives	Andreas Meyer-Landrut (grandfather)
Awards	Full list
Musical career
Genres	Pop indie pop electronic
Instruments	Vocals
Labels	USFO We Love Music Universal Music Germany
Associated acts	Stefan Raab

Lena Johanna Therese Meyer-Landrut (born 23 May 1991), also known simply as Lena, is a popular German singer. She became famous after winning the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 in Oslo with her song "Satellite". This song and her first album, My Cassette Player (2010), both reached number one in Germany. They also sold millions of copies!

Lena made history in Germany by having three songs in the top five of the German Singles Chart at the same time. She represented Germany again in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 in Düsseldorf, finishing tenth.

She has released several successful albums, including Good News (2011), Stardust (2012), Crystal Sky (2015), and Only Love, L (2019). All these albums reached the top two in Germany. Many of her songs, like "Stardust" and "Wild & Free", became top ten hits. Lena is one of the best-selling female German artists of the 2010s. She has won many awards, including three Echo Music Awards and five MTV Europe Music Awards.

Besides music, Lena has been a coach on The Voice Kids for many seasons. She has also been an expert for the Eurovision Song Contest. In 2017, she joined the TV show Sing meinen Song – Das Tauschkonzert. Lena has also lent her voice to characters in animated films like A Turtle's Tale (2010) and Trolls (2016). She is also a brand ambassador for L'Oréal beauty products.

Lena is married to singer Mark Forster, who is also a coach on The Voice Kids. They have one son.

Early Life and Beginnings

Lena Meyer-Landrut was born in Hanover, Germany, on 23 May 1991. She is the granddaughter of Andreas Meyer-Landrut, who was a German ambassador. Lena grew up as an only child.

She started taking dancing lessons when she was five years old. She learned ballet and later modern styles like hip-hop and jazz dance. Lena loved singing and appeared as an extra in German TV shows. However, she never had formal acting or singing lessons. In June 2010, she finished school and received her diploma.

Music Career Highlights

Starting with Eurovision Success (2009–2011)

Lena decided to join Unser Star für Oslo. This was a new TV show to choose Germany's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2010. The show was organized by TV channels ARD and ProSieben, along with entertainer Stefan Raab. Lena was one of 20 contestants chosen from 4,500 people.

When asked why she joined, Lena said she wanted to challenge herself. After her first performance, singing "My Same" by Adele, she received a lot of praise. She quickly became a favorite to win. The next week, Adele's "My Same" even entered the German charts!

Lena reached the final of Unser Star für Oslo. She mostly sang cover songs by international artists. In the final on 12 March 2010, she sang three new songs. The audience chose "Satellite" to be her song if she won. Lena was then chosen as Germany's entry for Eurovision.

Lena at the press conference after winning the ESC 2010.

After winning Unser Star für Oslo, her three songs from the final topped the German iTunes Store charts. "Satellite" sold over 100,000 downloads in its first week. This made it Germany's fastest-selling digital release ever! Her three songs entered the top five of the German singles chart. No artist had done this since the charts began in 1959. "Satellite" quickly became a platinum-selling song. It stayed at number one for five weeks in Germany.

Lena released her first album, My Cassette Player, on 7 May 2010. It included "Satellite" and other songs. The album debuted at number one on the German albums chart. It also did well in Austria and Switzerland. "Satellite" has been certified double Platinum, and the album has sold over 500,000 copies.

As a "Big Four" country, Germany automatically qualified for the Eurovision 2010 final. Lena performed "Satellite" on a simple stage with four backing singers. This was different from other performances that had lots of dancers. "Satellite" received 246 points, giving Germany its first win since 1982! The song won by a large margin. The BBC called "Satellite" the first "contemporary pop hit Eurovision has produced in decades." Lena's victory was a big deal in Germany. 15 million people watched the show. She was greeted by 40,000 people when she returned to Hanover.

In June 2010, Lena voiced the character Shelly in the German version of the animated film A Turtle's Tale: Sammy's Adventures. In January 2011, a TV show called Unser Song für Deutschland chose Lena's 2011 Eurovision song. The songs she performed were on her second album, Good News. This album quickly reached Gold status in Germany. In February 2011, "Taken by a Stranger" was chosen as her song for Eurovision 2011.

In April 2011, Lena went on her first German tour. In May 2011, she tried to win Eurovision for the second time in Düsseldorf. She was the third winner to do so. She sang "Taken by a Stranger" and finished 10th.

New Music and TV Shows (2012–2015)

Lena at the Echo Music Prize 2013

On 24 May 2012, Lena performed at the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 in Baku, Azerbaijan. She sang with other Eurovision winners. In late 2012, Lena sang the theme song for Sesamstraße, the German version of Sesame Street. She also covered the Pippi Longstocking song "Sjörövar Fabbe" for an album.

On 21 September, "Stardust" was released. It was the first song from her new album, Stardust. The song sold well and was certified Gold. The album was released on 12 October and reached number two in Germany. It also had two other singles, "Neon (Lonely People)" and "Mr. Arrow Key".

Lena attended the 2013 Echo Awards on 21 March. She won the Best National Video award for "Stardust". In April and May 2013, she was a judge on The Voice Kids.

Lena was the head of the German jury for the Eurovision Song Contest 2013. In July 2013, it was announced that she would voice Jane in the animated film Tarzan 3D. She also voiced characters in two audiobooks. In 2013, she became a brand ambassador for L'Oréal hair and skin products.

From March to May 2014, Lena returned as a coach for the second season of The Voice Kids. Around this time, she started working on her fourth album, Crystal Sky. This album had more electro and dance pop sounds. In November 2014, one of her children's songs, "Schlaft alle", appeared on an album.

From February to April 2015, Lena was a coach on the third season of The Voice Kids. She released "Traffic Lights" as the first single from Crystal Sky. It reached the top twenty in Germany. Crystal Sky was released in May 2015. It was her fourth album in a row to reach the top two in Germany. In September 2015, Lena released "Wild & Free". This song was the theme for the movie Fack ju Göhte 2. It became her highest-charting song in three years.

New Projects and Albums (2016–Present)

Lena at the 1LIVE Krone 2016

In December 2016, Lena announced that her fifth album would be called Gemini. In April 2017, she released the song "Lost in You". The next month, Lena joined the TV show Sing meinen Song - Das Tauschkonzert. She sang a new song called "If I Wasn't Your Daughter". This song reached the top forty in Germany and Switzerland. A Sing meinen Song album, released in May 2016, topped the charts in Austria and Germany. In November 2017, Lena said she had decided not to release the Gemini album because she wasn't happy with it.

In June 2018, Lena worked with DJ Topic and Juan Magán on the song "Sólo Contigo". In October, it was announced that she would return as a coach on The Voice Kids. In November 2018, Lena released "Thank You". This was the first song from her fifth album, Only Love, L. The song reached number 40 in Germany. "Don't Lie to Me" was released in March 2019. Only Love, L was released on 5 April 2019 and reached number 2 in Germany.

A special version of Only Love, L, called the More Love Edition, was released in December 2019. It included new songs like "Better".

On 16 June 2023, Lena released a new song called "What I Want". This song is from her upcoming sixth album, Loyal to Myself, which was released on 31 May 2024. Other songs like "Straitjacket" were also released before the album.

Discography

Studio albums

• My Cassette Player (2010)
• Good News (2011)
• Stardust (2012)
• Crystal Sky (2015)
• Only Love, L (2019)
• Loyal to Myself (2024)

Film and Television Appearances

Awards and Nominations

Lena has won many awards for her music and performances. Here are some of her notable achievements:

Images for kids

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  Lena Meyer-Landrut in 2020

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  Lena at the press conference after winning the ESC 2010.

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  Lena at the Echo Music Prize 2013

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  Lena at the 1LIVE Krone 2015

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  Lena at the 1LIVE Krone 2016

See also

In Spanish: Lena Meyer-Landrut para niños