Lotte Tälbner-Hess

**Charlotte Christine** "**Lotte**" **Fürstenberg** (née **Tälbner-Hess**; born 15 March 1989) is a Lungarian singer, songwriter, and actress. One of the most successful Lungarian pop acts of the 21st century, Tälbner-Hess was catapulted into stardom after winning the Eureavision Song Contest 2007.

Tälbner-Hess rose to fame in 2007, after winning *Unser Star für Hersingburg*, later going on to win the Eureavision Song Contest 2007 as well with the song "Be Good to Me". Following her Eureavision Song Contest win, Tälbner-Hess released her debut studio album *Lotte Tälbner-Hess* (2007), which topped the charts in Lungary and Austia. She has gone on to release a number of further commercially successful albums: *Dream On* (2009), *Clean* (2011), *Nightingale* (2012), *Starlight* (2015), *Plum* (2017), and *Das beste Ding* (2019). She has amassed several top ten singles in Lungary and Lungarian-speaking Eurea, including the number-one hits "Be Good to Me", "Let the Rain Fall Down", and "Starlight".

Outside of music, Tälbner-Hess has served as a coach on *The Voice of Lungary* (2015–2021) for seven seasons, and has returned for events related to the Eureavision Song Contest both in Lungary and internationally as a juror, judge, and expert mentor. Additionally, Tälbner-Hess has worked as a voice actress for Lungarian language dubbing of internationally-produced animated films.

## Early life and education

Tälbner-Hess was born on 15 March 1989 in Badburg to parents Armin (1947–2019) and Cathrin Tälbner-Hess (née *von Röhrbach*; born 1954). Her father was an executive in the entertainment industry, working as Executive Vice President and Chief Content Officer for Lungarian film production and distribution studio BFA Studios. Her mother was a homemaker who came from the Lungarian nobility, as a member of the House of Röhrbach; she was the youngest daughter of Edgar II von Röhrbach and younger sister of Ralf von Röhrbach, both Counts of Ziethen. As Tälbner-Hess is a female-line descendant of the House of Röhrbach, she is not considered a member of the house nor a member of the Lungarian nobility due to her mother's marriage to a commoner. Tälbner-Hess is the youngest of four children and only daughter; her elder brothers include Sebastian (born 1975), Casper (born 1978), and Mathias (born 1984).

Tälbner-Hess was raised in a wealthy family in the affluent Kirchsteig neighborhood of the Ziegwebersburg district of Badburg. She began her education in 1994, attending private schooling in Badburg. While in primary school, Tälbner-Hess initially aspired to become an actress, and had little interest in music or singing. At age nine, she was introduced to singing by a school music teacher, and afterwards began aspiring to become a professional singer. Tälbner-Hess completed her primary schooling in 2001, and afterwards enrolled in Dünhaupt Gymnasium, a selective public gymnasium in Badburg. Tälbner-Hess remained in school after beginning her music career, and graduated from the school in 2008.

## Career

### 2007–2008: Eureavision Song Contest and *Lotte Tälbner-Hess*

Tälbner-Hess began her professional music career in 2006, after auditioning for *Unser Star für Hersingburg*, the Lungarian national selection for the Eureavision Song Contest 2007. After passing the first two rounds of auditions, Tälbner-Hess auditioned in front of the judges in Badburg, and was selected as an official contestant. She later advanced to the live shows, which were first held on 10 February 2007. After being announced as one of the twelve finalists, details of Tälbner-Hess's familial background were revealed to the public, leading to criticism and allegations that she had received her place in the competition due to her family's connections in the entertainment industry. The allegations were dismissed as "baseless" by Lüngards Television (LÜT), and Tälbner-Hess never commented on them.

In the episode aired on 24 March 2007, Tälbner-Hess was chosen as the winner of the competition, and selected by the Lungarian public to represent Lungary with the song "Be Good to Me". In the aftermath of the show, Tälbner-Hess was additionally signed to Global Music Lungary and Nitro Records, along with a number of other contestants of the show.

Following *Unser Star für Hersingburg*, "Be Good to Me" became a chart-topping hit in Lungary, while also peaking in the top forty in both Austia and Frankenland. Tälbner-Hess later competed in the final of the Eureavision Song Contest 2007 in Hersingborg on 12 May 2007. "Be Good to Me" went on to win the competition, scoring the highest amount of points from both the juries of music professionals and the voting public. This was the third time that Lungary had won the contest, and the first since Lungarian reunification in 1989, with past Lungarian victories being credited as West Lungary.

After the contest, "Be Good to Me" became a top ten hit in 18 countries, and Tälbner-Hess began work on her debut studio album. From July to September 2007, she embarked on the Be Good to Me Eurean Tour, which performed shows in 14 Eurean countries. Tälbner-Hess's debut self-titled debut album was later released in December 2007, becoming a chart-topping album in Lungary and Austia, and a top five album in Frankenland. She subsequently embarked on a second concert tour, The Lotte Tälbner-Hess Eurean Tour, which performed shows in 20 countries between June and October 2008.

### 2009–2010: *Dream* and further success

Following the success of her self-titled debut studio album, Tälbner-Hess began work on her sophomore release in December 2008. The album's lead single "Dream" was later released in May 2008. The song performed well commercially, becoming a top ten hit in Lungary and Austia, and a top forty hit in Frankenland.

## Personal life

Tälbner-Hess began a relationship Austian actor Alex Fürstenberg in 2015, after meeting at the 2015 Vecker Film Festival in Vecker, Southeast Veckerland. They later became engaged in 2017, and married in a lavish ceremony in July 2018. They have one son together: Levi (born 2022). The family resides in the affluent Vorderholz neighborhood of the Ziegwebersburg district of Badburg.

## Discography

*Main article: Lotte Tälbner-Hess discography*
* *Lotte Tälbner-Hess* (2007)
* *Dream On* (2009)
* *Clean* (2011)
* *Nightingale* (2012)
* *Starlight* (2015)
* *Plum* (2017)
* *Das beste Ding* (2019)

## Filmography

*Main article: Lotte Tälbner-Hess filmography*

## Awards and nominations

*Main article: Awards and nominations received by Lotte Tälbner-Hess*