Nena, whose real name is Gabriele Susanne Kerner, is a German singer whose musical career began in 1979 when guitarist Rainer Kitzmann offered her the position of singer in his group "The Stripes".
The group will experience only one small notorious success with the title "Ectasy".
The nickname "Nena" is a derivative of the Spanish word "niña" (the little one ...), a qualification that would be given to her at the age of 3 when she spent her holidays in Spain with her parents.
Things accelerated in 1981 when she left for West Berlin with her boyfriend at the time, Rolf Brendel. They meet this year Carlo Karges, Guitarist, Uwe Fahrenkrog-Petersen, keyboard player and Jurgen Dehmel, bass player with whom they will found a year later the group "Nena".
So in 1982 they released their first Single "Nur Geträumt" which immediately hit the headlines.
And it was a year later, in 1983, that their first album was released which contained the flagship title "Leuchtturm". But which also and above all contains the cult “99 Luftballons”, an interplanetary hit that will smash everything in its path.
Unfortunately ephemeral success because the group will never find thereafter the same level of success and the group will eventually separate in 1987.
To discover or rediscover because the group will have produced other interesting titles.
Especially since very rare are the Singles released at that time there in German language and only for that, we had to be interested in it.
And the singer will come back later and relaunch her career in an impressive way for decades...
To discover or rediscover...
Discography (among others ...) :
80s Decade :
• Nur geträumt 1982
• 99 Luftballons 1983
• Leuchtturm 1983
• ? (Fragezeichen) 1983
• Rette mich 1984
• Lass mich dein pirat sein 1984
• Irgendwie, irgendwo, irgendwann 1984
• Just a dream 1984
• Feuer und Flamme 1985
• Haus der drei Sonnen 1985
• It's all in the game 1985
• Nackt im wind 1985
• Mondsong 1986
• Engel der nacht 1987
• Wunder gescheh'n 1989
90s Decade :
• Du bist uberäll 1990
• Manchmal ist ein tag ein ganzes leben 1992
• Conversation 1992
• Viel zuviel Glück 1993
• Hol mich zurüch 1994
• Ganz gelassen 1997
• Was hast du in meinem Traum gemacht 1997
• Ich umarm' die ganze Welt 1999
2000s Decade :
• Bang bang 2004
• Schade 2004
• Liebe ist 2005
• Willst du mit mir ghen 2005
• Caravan of love 2006
• Ich kann nix dafür 2007
• Mach die augen auf 2007
• Dein herz für kinder 2008
• Wir sind wahr 2009
2010s Decade :
• Du bist so gut für mich 2010
• In meinem leben 2010
• Geheimnis 2010
• Strobo pop 2011
• Let's go tonight 2011
• Dast ist nicht alles 2012
• Besser geht's nicht 2013
• Lieder von früher 2015
• Magie 2015
• Oldschool 2015
• Genau jetzt 2016
• Be my rebel 2018
• Morgenstund 2019
2020s Decade :
• Licht 2020
• Wandern 2020
• Forelle 2020
• Alles neu 2021
• Zimmer 2023
• Karawane 2023
Tracks :
1982 ... the startling to say the least of the pretty Gabriele. First title and already first success. What more !
1983 ... then this title arrives ! Here she delivers a HUGE 2nd title which will remain as the biggest success of her career and which will above all raise her One Shot to the rank of planetary star. Surely one of the biggest Dance hits of the 80s and of the end of the XXth century. MAS-TER-FUL !
1983 ... in the series "it's all good", it continues and it's not over. Even if this title will not reach the colossal level of success of the previous one, it proves that the singer is surely not there by chance ...
1983 ... an undeniable talent which is confirmed from title to title and which makes her one of the biggest phenomena of the moment. A largely deserved success !
1984 ... a title that spins at 200 km/h and that nothing and no one can stop. Like her, by the way ! The singer is on an impressive dynamic that allows her to dominate the events with obvious ease !
1984 ... we go from one extreme to another. We leave the boosted mode to switch to Intimist mode and it is clear that even in this area, she is far from being ridiculous !
1984 ... miss 100,000 volts, very high voltage guaranteed. We return to illico presto mode in boosted mode. Hunt the natural, it gallops !
1984 ... paradoxically, singing in English during this decade was not going to bring her more than that, at least on the Old Continent. In the Anglo-Saxon sphere, obviously, it will be different ...
1985 ... even if the level of success has been mainly limited to Germany and the neighboring countries for some time, the great adventure continues all the same. And that's the main thing !
1985 ... since 1982 the production of titles is at the very least bloated. Then there are the titles that work and those that remain on the side of the road. Fortunately this one will be part of the 1st category ...
1985 ... this one on the other hand will rather be part of the 2nd category. Once again the English language will not have made the difference ...
1985 ... like the Anglo-Saxon Band Aid in favor of famine in Ethiopia, the Germans gathered the musical gratin of the time to push the song on this title. Certainly, it will not have the same level of incredible success as its counterparts in the English language but will fare with flying colors ...
1986 ... another nice foray into the Intimist, an area that suits him rather well, to say the least. We want more !
1987 ... Nena Season I will stop here with the last title in group mode. Nena Season II solo version will start shortly after but will not really have the same level of success unfortunately ...
1989 ... a hymn tailor-made for a memorable and unforgettable year. Just like this 80's which saw the singer literally explode on the international scene. Not sure that the decade of 90 is as favorable for her...
1990 ... the beginning of a decade in which the singer will no longer find her place. The beginning of a long wandering which will only experience very rare success ...
1992 ... the little success encountered is mainly concentrated in Germany now. And again, success only concerns one title out of four now ...
1992 ... his attempts to try to get back into the international race will all fail. When it doesn't want anymore, it doesn't want anymore ...
1993 ... and yet she continues to produce titles of more than certain quality. But the German language unfortunately does not help ...
1994... unfortunately she didn't know how to adapt to the new musical trends of the moment. An extremism that she will pay a high price for...
1997...a big 3-year air hole followed by a more or less successful comeback. Winner because this title will be ranked but loser because only in Germany once again...
1997 ... she clings, she resists and from time to time, it pays, like on this title. But in a moderate way, you should not get carried away. Case to follow...
1999 ... a decade that ends smoothly but still leaves a feeling of failure. Fortunately, the following decade will hold some nice surprises for her and see her temporarily return to the race ...
2003 ... when Nena covers Nena and invites a good friend to make a little beef on this occasion. This revisited version of her flagship title 'Irgendwie, irgendwo, irgendwann' dating from 1984 allows the 2 'bombs' to give the best of themselves, that's clear !
2004 ... a decade 2000 which will be that of duets and collaborations of all kinds. Since group projects had been particularly successful for her during the 1980s, why not put the cover once again ...
2004 ... and here she is in reggae mode, who would have believed it ? Decidedly, this decade will be the decade of rebirth and especially of projects that are at the very least original ...
2005 ... and when she plays it solo, the least we can say is that she hasn't lost any of her talent of yesteryear. Always there the 'little one' !
2005 ... a mid-decade 2000 which sees her in a form that we will qualify as Olympic. Like what, in music, nothing is ever finished. The proof !
2006 ... charming duo but above all shocking on this title. The adventure continues unabated and allows the singer to keep in touch with the best without too much difficulty. Isn't that the main thing ...?
2007 ... this time, it is a trio that we are dealing with notably Stephan Remmler from a certain group called...Trio. Group which will have produced one of the most crazy titles of the 1980s on the German side ...
2007 ... a sound that is trendy to say the least, which also allows her to stay in touch with the younger generation. Everything comes together during this decade of 2000 so that everything happens in the best possible way ...
2008 ... new trio but this time on a title full of finesse and lightness. She has done everything for us during this decade, that's clear ...
2009 ... a beautiful 2000 decade which is coming to an end and which will have seen her rise to the surface in an impressive way to say the least. Hopefully the next decade will be of the same ilk ...
2010 ... we had every reason to hope that this new decade would be on par with the previous one, but it won't quite go as planned. Hard law of the trade ...
2010 ... she likes it when it beats up but her know-how in the 'emotional' register is no longer to be demonstrated. The proof once again with this title which will bring her one of his last major successes ...
2010 ... from one extreme to the other, after the calm, the storm ! A totally supercharged track that works with godly fire and that shows that we will still have to rely on her anyway in the years to come ...
2011 ... she does everything possible to stay in touch with the younger generation. When we know that she started her career more than 30 years ago, we can only salute the performance !
2011 ... the totally improbable encounter ! When 2 old glories of the 80s push the song, here is the result. Who would have thought it possible ?!
2012 ... each time, we tell ourselves that this year will be the last and that she will surely deliver its last title here. But it's bad to know her ...
2013 ... even if she has not been at the top of the Charts for a long time, what she continues to deliver largely holds up. What talent !
2015 ... no title during the year 2014, surprisingly on his part. So here she is back in this year 2015 in a form that we will qualify as certain, sufficient form to continue to exist perhaps not at the highest level but almost ...
2015 ... one of his last successes and still small. It is clear that times are getting harder and harder and she will have to hang on more and more to avoid the irreversible stall ...
2015 ... when technology makes it possible to revive things that could not be. Superb exercise in style !
2016 ... when we see what she is still capable of producing, we do not want the adventure to stop there. We want more !
2018 ... on this one, the arrival of Dave Stewart will not change much and will not allow to produce a miracle. Nice try anyway ...
2019 ... a sumptuous title that will unfortunately pass under the radar. The dropout from the competition is more and more obvious, and nothing, no one, no will be able to change anything from now on ...
2020 ... she will have gone through the 80s, then the 90s, then the 2000s, then the 2010s and here she is proudly entering the 2020 decade. Only the greatest have achieved this feat !
2020 ... she will have gone through all styles during this decade, from the softest to the most speed. All of this in a particularly inspired and fashionable way. What more !
2020 ... a new shocking but above all charming duo for this last title of the year. All in finesse and lightness as she knows so well ...
2021 ... an adventure that never seems to want to end. Rarely has an artist from this blessed period of the 1980s lasted so long. And it's far from over ...
Wiki :
Official Website :
Greatest Hits :
Discography :