# Mark Medlock

Mark Leon Medlock (born 9 July 1978) is a German singer and the winner of the season 4 of Deutschland sucht den Superstar (DSDS), the German version of Pop Idol.

## Early life

Medlock is the elder of two siblings, born to an African-American father from Georgia, Larry Medlock, and a German mother, Monika, in Frankfurt am Main. Mark and his brother Larry were raised in a semi-poor home in the Lohwaldsiedlung neighborhood of Offenbach am Main during their formative years, before eventually moving to the Lauterborn neighborhood in 1997. At the age of 6, Medlock began singing gospel, widely influenced by his father and soul singers such as James Brown and Barry White.
At the end of the 1990s, his mother fell sick with cancer. Medlock subsequently left school and cared for her until her death in 2000. Two years later, his father died of a heart attack. In the meantime Medlock made a living with various jobs, including employment as a geriatric orderly, gardener, swamper, and garbage remover.

## Deutschland sucht den Superstar

Medlock was one of the favorite contestants right from the beginning of the competition. He had wowed the audience and the judges with his first performance in the Top 20 motto show and so on to the final. Medlock eventually won the competition with 78.02% of the votes against Martin Stosch who originally placed fourth but returned because of Max Buskohl's withdrawal.
Medlock is next to season five winner Thomas Godoj the second contestant of all German seasons who always gained the majority of vote calls during any of the nine theme shows and the two Top 20 shows. He is also one of two winners who was revealed to have never been in the bottom three during the competition, as well as being the first multiracial winner.

### Performances

| Top-20-Show | Song | Original interpreter | % Result |
| 1. Top-20-Show | "Easy" | Lionel Richie | 41,25% (1st place of 9) |
| 2. Top-20-Show | "Ain't No Sunshine" | Bill Withers | 33,23% (1st place of 7) |
| Theme of show | Song | Original interpreter | % Result |
| Greatest Hits | "Hello" | Lionel Richie | 25,85% (1st place in 10) |
| Hits from the 80s and 90s | "Unchain My Heart" | Joe Cocker | 30,77% (1st place in 9) |
| Power of Love | "Endless Love" | Lionel Richie & Diana Ross | 30,43% (1st place in 8) |
| Hits from today | "You Give Me Something" | James Morrison | 31,64% (1st place in 7) |
| Big Band | "Unforgettable" | Nat King Cole | 34,62% (1st place in 6) |
| The great divas and heroes of music | "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" | Marvin Gaye | 36,06% (1st place in 5) |
| The great divas and heroes of music | "Three Times a Lady" | Lionel Richie | 36,06% (1st place in 5) |
| Hits from the 70s, Disco und Dedicated to … | "You're the First, the Last, My Everything" | Barry White | 48,13% (1st place in 4) |
| Hits from the 70s, Disco und Dedicated to … | "Stand by Me" | Ben E. King | 48,13% (1st place in 4) |
| Songs suggested by jury | "You Can Leave Your Hat On" (duet with Heinz Henn) | Joe Cocker | 59,00% (1st place in 3) |
| Songs suggested by jury | "My Girl" (duet with Anja Lukaseder) | The Temptations | 59,00% (1st place in 3) |
| Songs suggested by jury | "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" (duet with Dieter Bohlen) | Otis Redding | 59,00% (1st place in 3) |
| Finale | "What a Wonderful World" | Louis Armstrong | 78,02% (1st place in 2) |
| Finale | "Easy" | The Commodores | 78,02% (1st place in 2) |
| Finale | "Now or Never" | Mark Medlock | 78,02% (1st place in 2) |

## Discography

* Mr. Lonely (2007)
* Dreamcatcher (joint album with Dieter Bohlen; 2007)
* Cloud Dancer (2008)
* Club Tropicana (2009)
* Rainbow's End (2010)
* My World (2011)
* Im Nebel (2014)
* Zwischenwelten (2017)