Till Lindemann facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids Till Lindemann
Lindemann in 2017
Background information
Born	(1963-01-04) 4 January 1963 (age 62) Leipzig, East Germany
Origin	Schwerin, Germany
Genres	Neue Deutsche Härte industrial metal
Occupation(s)	Singer songwriter poet actor
Years active	1986–present

Parent(s)	Werner Lindemann (father)

Till Lindemann (born 4 January 1963) is a German singer and songwriter. He is best known as the lead singer and main lyric writer for the band Rammstein. He also has his own solo music project called Lindemann. Rammstein has sold over 25 million albums around the world, and many of their albums have reached platinum status, meaning they sold over a million copies. Lindemann has also been named one of the "50 Greatest Metal Frontmen of All Time" by Roadrunner Records. Besides music, he has acted in a few movies and published three books of poetry. He has even shown some of his poems and writings in art galleries.

Early Life and Interests

Till Lindemann was born on January 4, 1963, in Leipzig, which was then part of East Germany. His mother, Brigitte Hildegard "Gitta" Lindemann, was a journalist, and his father, Werner Lindemann, was a poet. They met in 1959. Till grew up in Wendisch-Rambow with his younger sister, Saskia.

When he was 11, Lindemann attended a special sports school in Rostock and lived in a boarding school from 1977 to 1980. His parents separated in 1975 and later divorced. He lived with his father for a short time, but they had a difficult relationship.

In 1978, Lindemann competed in the European Junior Swimming Championships in Florence. He finished 11th in the 1500-meter freestyle and 7th in the 400-meter freestyle. He was considered for the 1980 Olympics in Moscow but had to stop swimming due to an injury. Lindemann later worked as a carpenter's helper, a gallery worker, and a basket weaver. His mother wrote a letter about him in 2009 called "My son, the frontman of Rammstein." His first album was Stormbringer by Deep Purple.

Music Career

Starting with Bands

Lindemann at a Rammstein concert during a performance of "Engel", wearing angel wings fitted with flamethrowers in 2012

Lindemann began his music journey in 1986 as a drummer for an experimental rock band called First Arsch in Schwerin. They released an album called Saddle Up in 1992. He also played drums for one song with a punk band called Feeling B in 1989. This band included future Rammstein members Paul Landers, Christoph Schneider, and Christian "Flake" Lorenz.

In the 1990s, Lindemann started writing song lyrics. In 1994, his new band won a contest in Berlin, which allowed them to record a four-song demo professionally. This band became Rammstein. The band was named after the Ramstein air show disaster, an event Lindemann saw on television. He and the band wanted to create a musical tribute to it.

Rammstein's Live Shows

Lindemann moved to Berlin. In the early days of Rammstein, he often used a lot of pyrotechnics (fire effects) during their shows. Sometimes, he would accidentally burn his ears, hair, or arms. His bandmate Christoph Schneider once said, "Till gets burned all the time, but he likes the pain." After an incident in 1996 where part of the stage caught fire, Lindemann got a special certification in pyrotechnics. This helped the band use fire effects more safely in their performances.

Lindemann during a performance of the song "Rammstein", wearing dual arm-mounted flamethrowers in 2005

Lindemann has had some injuries during performances. In 2005, he hurt his knee on stage in Sweden when keyboardist Flake accidentally ran into him while riding a Segway PT. This injury caused several concert dates in Asia to be canceled.

In 2005, five Rammstein albums received platinum awards, and the band also won the "World Sales Awards" for selling over 10 million copies worldwide.

For the music video of their song "Ich tu dir weh", Lindemann wanted a light inside his mouth for a cool visual effect. He chose to have a small surgical cut in his left cheek so the light could be placed directly inside, mostly hidden from view.

Lindemann has a unique stage move called "The Till Hammer." He bends his knees, hits his thigh with his fist in a hammering motion, and turns his head from side to side. Sometimes, Flake will playfully copy this move on stage. Lindemann has said he doesn't like being stared at by the audience during shows, so he often wears sunglasses. The band's famous pyrotechnics also help draw the audience's attention away from him, while also being an amazing show for everyone.

Other Music Projects

On his 52nd birthday, January 4, 2015, it was announced that Lindemann would start a new project with Peter Tägtgren called Lindemann. Their first album, Skills in Pills, came out in June 2015. Their second album, F&M, was released on November 22, 2019.

Lindemann's music video for Frau & Mann was nominated for Best Narrative at the Berlin Music Video Awards in 2020. In 2021, his music video Alle Tage ist kein Sonntag was nominated for Most Bizarre.

Poetry and Books

In November 2002, Lindemann's first poetry book, Messer (which means "Knife"), was published. It contains 54 poems put together by Gert Hof, who was also Rammstein's pyrodesigner.

In 2013, his second poetry book, In stillen Nächten (meaning "On Quiet Nights"), was released. Lindemann said about his poems that "The vast majority of my poems could have been written a few hundred years earlier." In 2014, he displayed two sculptures and his original poem writings from In stillen Nächten at a gallery in Dresden.

In 2018, Lindemann went on a book signing tour in Russia for Messer, which had been translated into Russian.

Film and Television Appearances

Lindemann in 2009

Two songs from Rammstein's album Herzeleid were used in David Lynch's 1997 film, Lost Highway. Lindemann has also had small acting roles in movies. He appeared with his bandmate Christoph Schneider as musicians in the 1999 film Pola X. He played a character named Viktor in the children's comedy film Amundsen der Pinguin (2003). He also appeared as an animal rights activist in the 2004 film Vinzent. Lindemann and the rest of Rammstein also appeared in the 2002 movie xXx performing their song "Feuer frei!" In July 2010, Lindemann and Flake were interviewed for the VH1 Classic series Metal Evolution, where they talked about shock rock music.

In 2021, Lindemann sang a Soviet war song called Lubimy Gorod (meaning "Beloved Town") in Russian. This song was for the Russian movie V2. Escape from Hell.

Guest Artist Collaborations

Lindemann has worked with many other artists throughout his career. He has collaborated with Feeling B, Apocalyptica, and his bandmate Richard Kruspe's solo project, Emigrate. In 2014, he wrote some lyrics for German singer Roland Kaiser for his album Soul Tracks. In 2023, he was featured on the song "Child of Sin" by Kovacs.

Musical Style

Lindemann during the Made in Germany tour, 2011

Till Lindemann has a deep, powerful singing voice, known as a dramatic baritone. He often sings with a strong, forceful sound and uses a rolling "R" sound. The New York Times described his voice in 2005 as "a low, powerful bass rarely used in contemporary pop music, untrained but electrifying."

Lindemann describes his own lyrics as "love songs." Many of his songs include references to older literature. For example, the song "Dalai Lama" from the album Reise, Reise is based on a poem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe called "Der Erlkönig". He also used parts of Goethe's "Heidenröslein" in the song "Rosenrot". The song "Feuer und Wasser" uses ideas from Friedrich Schiller's "Der Taucher". Lindemann also used elements from Der Struwwelpeter by Heinrich Hoffmann in the song "Hilf mir." The lyrics for "Mein Herz brennt" come from a story in the East German children's TV show Das Sandmännchen.

He also uses ideas from more recent literature. The title "Non, je ne regrette rien" was used in the chorus of "Frühling in Paris." The lyrics of "Links 2-3-4" are based on the song "Einheitsfrontlied" by Bertolt Brecht. Lindemann has said that the lyrics of this song show the band's political views, placing them on the left side of politics. He also used another song by Brecht, "Mack the Knife", for the chorus of "Haifisch".

Personal Life

Till Lindemann has four children. His oldest daughter, Nele, was born in 1985. He raised her as a single father for the first seven years of her life. He also has one grandson through Nele.

Lindemann is an atheist, meaning he does not believe in a god. He has said that he still feels a strong connection to the traditions of East Germany. He also mentioned that he "hates noise" and often spends time in a quiet village in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, though he hasn't shared its name.

Discography

First Arsch

Saddle Up (1992)

Rammstein

Lindemann performing "Du riechst so gut" in 2012

Herzeleid (1995)
Sehnsucht (1997)
Mutter (2001)
Reise, Reise (2004)
Rosenrot (2005)
Liebe ist für alle da (2009)
Rammstein (2019)
Zeit (2022)

Lindemann

Skills in Pills (2015)
F & M (2019)

Na Chui

Till the End (2020)

Solo

"Alle Tage ist kein Sonntag" (with David Garrett) (2020)
"Любимый город" (Lubimiy gorod, Beloved Town) (2021), performed in Russian
"Ich hasse Kinder" (2021)
"Entre Dos Tierras" (2023), performed in Spanish, Héroes del Silencio cover
Zunge (2023)
"Entre dos tierras", "Übers Meer (Radio Edit)", "Übers Meer (Remix)", "Meine Welt" (2024)
"Und die Engel singen" (2025)

As a guest artist

Lindemann appeared as a guest as drummer on the album Hea Hoa Hoa Hea Hea Hoa by Feeling B for the song "Lied von der unruhevollen Jugend", which is in Russian. The song was played at a Rammstein concert in St. Petersburg on 19 November (2001) during the Mutter tour.
Lindemann provided vocals for the track Helden (a cover version of Bowie's Heroes) on the Apocalyptica album Worlds Collide
Lindemann also sings the song "Wut Will Nicht Sterben" by Puhdys.
Lindemann and Richard Z. Kruspe covered the Aria song Shtil and released it as Schtiel Schtiel (Aria Cover) (2003).
Lindemann has also appeared on Knorkator's music video Du nich.
Lindemann also sings on some songs with Richard Z. Kruspe, the songs Let's Go and Always On My Mind by Emigrate.
In 2019 Lindemann collaborated with German rappers Deichkind, singing on the track 1000 Jahre Bier.
Lindemann also sings a song with Zaz, the song Le Jardin Des Larmes (2021).
Lindemann also appears on the song "Child of Sin" by Kovacs (2023).