Nena

**Gabriele Susanne Kerner** (born 24 Mairch 1960), better kent bi her stage name **Nena**, is a German sangster an actress. She rose tae internaitional fame in 1983 wi the New German Wave sang "99 Luftballons". In 1984, she re-recordit this sang in Inglis as "99 Red Balloons".

## Biografie
### Early life
Gabriele Susanne Kerner wis born on 24 Mairch 1960 in Hagen, North Rhine-Westphalie, Wast Germany, while her faimily bidit in the nearhaun toun o Breckerfeld. She spent the earliest pairt o her bairnheid in Breckerfeld an later bidit in Hagen. She acquired her elk-name, based on the Spainyie wird "nena" (colloquial for "niña"), or "wee lassie", the age o three, while on a hailiday tae Spain wi her parents. In 1977, she left heich schuil afore graduation, an in the three follaein year she wis trained as a gowdsmith.

### Muisical beginnins
Her muisical career began in the simmer o 1979 whan guitarist Rainer Kitzmann affered her a poseetion as the lead sanstger in his baund, The Stripes. The group haed a minor hit wi the song "Ecstasy", but never achievit mainstream success, an suin disbandit.

In 1981, Nena an her then-cleek Rolf Brendel flittit tae Wast Berlin, whaur thay trystit futur baund members, guitarist Carlo Karges, keybuird player Uwe Fahrenkrog-Petersen, an bass player Jürgen Dehmel. Thegither thay formit the baund "Nena".
In 1982 "Nena" lowsed thair first single, "Nur geträumt" ("Only dreamt"), whilk became an instant hit in Germany efter the baund kythed on the German televeesion show *[[Musikladen]]*. The single reportitly sauld 40,000 copies the day efter the sang kythed on the show an reakit nummer twa in the German chairts.

### Internaitional success an baund brakup
In 1983 the baund lowsed its first album *Nena*, whilk contained the singles "Leuchtturm" ("Lighthouse") an "99 Luftballons" (the Inglis version is cried "99 Red Balloons."). "99 Luftballons" became a nummer-ane hit in Wast Germany in 1983 an went on tae major internaitional chairt sonse the follaein year, an Inglis version hittin nummer ane in the UK and the oreeginal German version hittin nummer twa in the Unitit States, ahint Van Halen's Jump. In 1984, Casey Kasem's radio show "American Top 40" introducit a "mixed" version o the sang, "splicing" the German an American versions thegither. It wis a huge hit in mony ither kintras an aw, an tae this day it is ane o the best-kent German rock sangs in mony pairts o the warld.
Awtho "99 Luftballons" wis Nena's anerlie hit in the Inglis-speakin warld, the baund continued tae enjoy success in several European kintras in the follaein years. The baund split in 1987, an Nena went solo thareefter. Nena follae up single "Just a Dream", reakit nummer 70 in the UK chairts in 1984, the B side bein cried "Indianer".  A dance version o the A side totally re-written in the 90s wis lowsed tae an unsuspectin audience an became a classic anthem in clubs. Youngsters wis unaware o the sang's oreegins.

### Personal life
Nena stairtit datin Swiss actor Benedict Freitag shortly efter the baund separatit in 1987. Benedict is the son o the German actress Maria Becker an Austrian-Swiss actor Robert Freitag. The couple haed three childer thegither, the first bein Christopher Daniel, wha wis born disabled allegedly due tae medical mistaks made durin the birth that caused Nena tae gang intae cardiac arrest.  He dee'd at the age o 11 month. In 1990 thay haed twins, Larissa Marie an Sakias Manuel. Efter splittin wi Freitag, Nena stairtit a relationship wi drummer an muisic producer Philipp Palm frae Stuttgart, wi wham thay haed twa bairns, Samuel Vincent (1995), an Simeon Joel (1997). The couple an the fower childer currently bide in Hamburg.  On Christenmas Day 2009, Nena became a grandmither whan Larissa gae birth tae a lassie, Carla Maria.  Anerlie twa day efter, Nena's son Sakias became a faither tae a lad namit Noah.

Ootthrou the 1990s, Nena lowsed a wide range o solo albums, a nummer o thaim consistin o sangs for bairns. Simultaneously, she hostit several TV shows, includin *Metro* an *Countdown Grand Prix*, the German preselection for the *[[Eurovision Song Contest]]*, in 1998.

### Back-comin tae kenspeckleness

In 2002 Nena celebratit her 20t anniversary on stage wi the album *Nena feat. Nena*, a disc consistin o newly arrangit recordins o her hits frae the 1980s.  This album markit a backcome for Nena, an spawned a nummer o sonsie chairt entries. The remak o "Anyplace, Anywhere, Anytime" as an Inglis-German duet wi Kim Wilde wis a hit in various European kintras, reakin the Nummer 1 spot in the Netherlands an Austria, an Nummer 3 in Germany, in 2003.  A DVD follaeed: the 2005 album *Willst du mit mir gehn* ("Ar Ye Wantin tae Gang wi Me?") whilk swith gat roon tae platinum status. The first single frae the album, "Liebe ist" ("Love Is"), reackit nummer 1 on the German chairts in early 2005, an wis the theme sang for a German telenovela, *[[Verliebt in Berlin]]*. Nena's 2005 tour in Germany, Austrick, an Swisserland in November an Dizember 2005 haed several sauld-oot concerts. In 2004, Nena teuk the stage durin the Howard Jones 20t Anniversary concert at Shepherd's Bush Empire in Lunnon.  Nena sang "99 Luftballons", wi baith German an Inglis leerics. In 2004, Nena went on stage at the Mayday Music Festival, in Dortmund, accompaniet bi the techno duo Toktok. She sang the sang "Bang Bang", an wis later jynt on stage bi DJ Westbam tae sing the sang "Oldschool Baby". In October 2007, Nena lowsed a new album entitled *[[Cover Me (Nena album)|Cover Me]]*, made up entirely o kiver sangs. David Bowie, Rolling Stones an Rammstein are three o the baunds covered. She lowsed the single an aw, "Ich Kann nix Dafür" ("It's not my Fault") in Aprile 2007 for the film, *[[Vollidiot]]* (*Complete Idiot*).  Nena released a single for her kiver o "She's a Rainbow" bi the Rolling Stones an aw. It wis released in the US an the UK an made No.&nbsp;42 in the Breetish Chairts. Nena recordit an relowsed a new version o her hit sang "99 Luftballons" in 2009 an aw, whilk mair closely follaes the 1980s oreeginal, in contrast tae her 2002 version. This sang wis first performit in Germany on 6 September 2009. Some pairts o the new version is in French.

Nena lowsed a new single on 4 September 2009, cried "Wir sind wahr", an a new album on the 23rd: *[[Made in Germany (Nena album)|Made in Germany]]*.  She haes developit an interest in the teachins o Indie mystic Osho (Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh) in recent years, an practises his meditation methods, an impression o which is featurt in the "Wir sind wahr" video. Maist racent, she collaboratit wi the popular techno-rap airtists Die Atzen tae produce a new single, "Strobo Pop".  In 2011 she contributit vocals tae the track "Let Go Tonight" bi Kevin Costner and Modern West.

## Ither wirk
Besides her singin career, she haes vycit the character Saphira for the German dub o the movie *[[:en:Eragon (film)|Eragon]]* an aw an the role o the Princess for the German version o *[[Arthur and the Invisibles]]* alangside *[[Tokio Hotel|Tokio Hotel's]]* Bill Kaulitz. Kaulitz haes statit on mony occasions that Nena is his favourite sangster an aw.
Nena is currently ane o the coaches for the Voice of Germany.

In 2007, jointly wi Philipp Palm, Thomas Simmerl, an Silke Steinfadt, she foondit the Neue Schule Hamburg, a schuil follaein the Sudbury model.

Nena wrote an autobiografical beuk, *Willst du mit mir gehn* (Ar Ye Wantin tae Gang wi Me?), jyntly wi Claudia Thesenfitz, a jurnalist.  Nena's contreibutions are her disparate accoonts o various episodes in her life.  Maist o Thesenfitz's contreibutions is excerpts frae interviews o mony o Nena's freinds, co-wirkers, an relatives.

## Discografie

*1980: *[[The Stripes]]* (pre-Nena album)
*1983: *[[Nena (album)|Nena]]*
*1984: *[[? (Nena album)|? (Fragezeichen)]]*
*1984: *[[99 Luftballons (album)|99 Luftballons]]* (internaitional album)
*1985: *[[Feuer und Flamme]]*
*1985: *[[It's All in the Game (Nena album)|It's All in the Game]]*
*1986: *[[Eisbrecher (Nena album)|Eisbrecher]]*
*1989: *[[Wunder gescheh'n (Nena album)|Wunder gescheh'n]]*
*1990: *[[Komm lieber Mai...]]*
*1991: *[[Nena Die Band (album)|Nena Die Band]]*
*1992: *[[Bongo Girl]]*
*1994: *[[Und Alles Dreht Sich]]*
*1995: **
*1995: *[[Unser Apfelhaus]]*
*1996: *[[Bambus Bären Bande]]* (soondtrack)
*1997: *[[Jamma Nich]]*
*1997: *[[Nenas Weihnachtsreise]]*
*1998: *[[Wenn Alles Richtig Ist, Dann Stimmt Was Nicht]]*
*1998: *[[Nena Live '98]]*
*1999: *[[Rabatz]]*
*2001: *[[Chokmah (Nena Album)|Chokmah]]*
*2002: *[[Tausend Sterne (album)|Tausend Sterne]]* (Nena Kids)
*2002: *[[Nena feat. Nena]]*
*2002: *[[Madou und das Licht der Fantasie]]* (Nena Kids)
*2003: *[[Nena feat. Nena Live]]*
*2004: *[[Nena live Nena]]*
*2005: *[[Willst du mit mir gehen?]]*
*2007: *[[Cover Me (album)|Cover Me]]*
*2008: *[[Himmel, Sonne, Wind und Regen]]*
*2009: *[[Made in Germany (Nena album)|Made in Germany]]*
*2010: *[[Made in Germany Live]]*
*2010: *[[Best of Nena]]*
*2011: *[[Die Atzen ft Nena-strobo pop]]
*2012: *Du Bist Gut

## Filmografie
**Gib Gas ich will Spaß* (1982)
**Richy Guitar* (1985)
**Der Unsichtbare* (1987)
**Tobias Totz und sein Löwe* (vyce, 1999)
**Die Abrafaxe &ndash; Unter schwarzer Flagge* (vyce, 2001)
**Die Affäre Semmeling* (TV series) (1999)
**[[:en:Eragon (film)|Eragon]]* (German dub, 2006) (vyce)
*''Arthur und die Minimoys (vyce)

## References

## Freemit airtins

* Offeecial Wab Steid 
*