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
Relatives	Andreas Meyer-Landrut (grandfather) Nikolaus Meyer-Landrut (first cousin once removed)
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), known simply as Lena, is a German singer. She became famous after winning the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 in Oslo. Her winning song was "Satellite". Both "Satellite" and her first album, My Cassette Player (2010), went straight to 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. This happened with her songs from the TV show Unser Star für Oslo. She represented Germany again in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 in Düsseldorf. Her song was "Taken by a Stranger", and she finished in tenth place.

After her Eurovision wins, Lena released several successful albums. These include Good News (2011), Stardust (2012), Crystal Sky (2015), and Only Love, L (2019). All these albums reached the top two on the German Albums Chart. Many of her songs became top ten hits in German-speaking countries. Some popular ones are "Stardust" and "Wild & Free". Lena is one of the most successful German female artists of the 2010s. She has won many important music awards.

Besides singing, Lena has been a coach on the TV show The Voice Kids for many seasons. She has also been an expert for the Eurovision Song Contest. In 2017, she joined the show Sing meinen Song – Das Tauschkonzert. The album from this show topped the charts in Austria and Germany. Lena has also lent her voice to characters in animated movies. These include A Turtle's Tale (2010), Tarzan (2013), Trolls (2016), and Wonder Park (2019). She has also worked as a model for beauty products.

Early Life and Education

Lena Meyer-Landrut was born in Hanover, Germany, on May 23, 1991. She is the granddaughter of Andreas Meyer-Landrut. He was a German ambassador to the Soviet Union. 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 to sing and appeared as an extra in some German TV shows. However, she never had formal acting or singing lessons. In June 2010, she finished high school and received her diploma.

Lena's Music Journey

Becoming a Star: Eurovision 2010

Lena decided to join a new TV talent show called Unser Star für Oslo. This show aimed to find Germany's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2010. The show was organized by TV channels ARD and ProSieben, along with famous 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. She wanted to see how people saw her and hear what experts thought. After her first performance, singing "My Same" by Adele, Lena received a lot of praise. Many people thought she would win. The next week, Adele's "My Same" even entered the German music charts.

Lena made it to the final of Unser Star für Oslo. She mostly sang cover songs by international artists. In the final on March 12, 2010, Lena sang three new songs. These were "Bee", "Satellite", and "Love Me". The audience voted for "Satellite" to be her song if she won. Lena then won the show, becoming Germany's choice 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 chart. "Satellite" sold over 100,000 downloads in its first week. This made it Germany's fastest-selling digital song 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 gold and then platinum record. It stayed at number one in Germany for five weeks.

Lena released her first album, My Cassette Player, on May 7, 2010. It included "Satellite" and other new songs. Lena helped write the lyrics for five songs. The album went straight to 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.

Winning Eurovision 2010

As Germany was a "Big Four" country, Lena automatically qualified for the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 final. She performed "Satellite" on a simple stage with four backing singers. Her performance was different from other acts, as it didn't have complex dances or big stage shows.

"Satellite" received 246 points, giving Germany its first win since 1982. The song won by a large margin. "Satellite" received the highest score (12 points) from nine countries. It received points from almost every country. The BBC called "Satellite" the first "modern pop hit Eurovision has produced in decades." Lena's victory was a huge event in Germany. About 15 million people watched the show. When she returned to Hanover, 40,000 people greeted her. "Satellite" also topped the charts in Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland. It was the first Eurovision song to top the European Hot 100 singles chart.

Eurovision 2011 and New Music

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 was held. This show helped choose Lena's song for Eurovision 2011. The twelve songs she performed on the show were on her second album, Good News. This album was released on February 8, 2011, and quickly became a gold record in Germany.

On February 18, 2011, it was decided that Lena would sing "Taken by a Stranger" at the Eurovision Song Contest 2011. In April 2011, she went on her first tour across Germany. In May 2011, Lena tried to win Eurovision for the second time in Düsseldorf. She was only the third winner to do this. She sang "Taken by a Stranger" and finished in 10th place.

Stardust and The Voice Kids

Lena at the Echo Music Prize 2013

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

On September 21, 2012, Lena released "Stardust". This was the first song from her new album of the same name. It was very popular and sold 150,000 copies. The album came out on October 12 and reached number two on the German Albums Chart. Lena won the Best National Video award for "Stardust" at the 2013 Echo Awards.

Lena went on a club tour through thirteen German cities in April 2013. The tour was called "No One Can Catch Us". In April and May 2013, she became a judge on the TV show The Voice Kids. She was also the head of the German jury for the Eurovision Song Contest 2013. In July 2013, it was announced that Lena would be the German voice of Jane in the animated film Tarzan 3D. She also voiced characters in two audiobooks. In 2013, she became a model for L'Oréal beauty products.

Crystal Sky and More Voice Acting

Lena at the 1LIVE Krone 2015

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 electronic and dance pop sounds. In November 2014, Lena's version of the Aladdin song "A Whole New World" was released on an album.

From February to April 2015, Lena was again a coach on the third season of The Voice Kids. She released "Traffic Lights" in March 2015. This song 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.

Sing meinen Song and Only Love, L

Lena at the 1LIVE Krone 2016

After a short break, Lena announced in December 2016 that her next album would be called Gemini. In April 2017, she released the song "Lost in You". The next month, Lena took part in the German TV show Sing meinen Song - Das Tauschkonzert. On the show, she sang a new song called "If I Wasn't Your Daughter". This song was about her relationship with her father. It became popular in Germany and Switzerland. An album from Sing meinen Song 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 Spanish DJ Juan Magán on the song "Sólo Contigo". In October, it was announced that she would return as a coach on the seventh season of 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. On March 15, 2019, "Don't Lie to Me" was released as the album's second song. The song "... in the Morning" featuring Ramz was released on March 29, 2019. Only Love, L was released on April 5, 2019, and reached number 2 in Germany.

A special version of Only Love, L called the More Love Edition was released on December 6, 2019. It included the songs "Better" and "It Takes Two". It also had acoustic versions of "Thank You", "Don't Lie to Me", "Skinny ...", and "Better".

New Album: Loyal to Myself

On June 16, 2023, Lena released a new song called "What I Want". This song was from her sixth studio album. The album, titled Loyal to Myself, was released on May 31, 2024. Before the album came out, she also released the songs "Straitjacket" and the title track "Loyal to Myself".

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 Roles

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Lena Meyer-Landrut para niños

• Nicole Seibert, the only other German to have won the Eurovision Song Contest