Lena Meyer-Landrut

Lena Meyer-Landrut (born 23 May 1991 in Hannover, Germany), also known by her stage name Lena, is a German singer and songwriter. She represented Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 in Oslo, Norway, and won the contest with the song "Satellite". With her three entries from the German national final Unser Star f?r Oslo (Our Star for Oslo), Meyer-Landrut set an all-time chart record in her home country by debuting with three songs in the top five of the German singles chart.

Both "Satellite" and her first album My Cassette Player debuted at number one in Germany, and have been certified double Platinum since. It has been confirmed that Meyer-Landrut will once more represent Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2011 with the entry, Taken By A Stranger.

Meyer-Landrut started taking dancing lessons at the age of five; initially doing ballet and later practising various modern styles, including hip-hop and jazz dance. Meyer-Landrut grew fond of singing and appeared as an extra in a number of German television series; however she never received any formal acting or vocal training. In June 2010 she graduated from IGS Roderbruch Hannover, a comprehensive school, receiving her Abitur diploma.

Despite having had no professional singing experience, Meyer-Landrut decided to take part in the talent show Unser Star f?r Oslo (Our Star for Oslo), a newly created national television programme to select the German entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 in Oslo. The show was organised by public broadcaster ARD and private television station ProSieben, as well as entertainer and music producer Stefan Raab. Among 4,500 entrants, Meyer-Landrut was picked as one of the 20 contestants for the show. Asked about her motivation to apply, she stated, "I like to test myself. I wanted to see how I am perceived, and I wanted to hear what people with knowledge have to say about it. I personally can't judge myself at all."

Throughout the show, Meyer-Landrut was seen as the clear favourite, often leading internet polls by huge margins. One day after winning Unser Star f?r Oslo, all three of the songs performed by her in the final topped the German iTunes Store sales chart, making her the first singer to achieve that. "Satellite" sold over 100,000 downloads in its first week, becoming Germany's fastest selling digital release ever. Her three songs all entered the top five of the German singles chart, reaching positions number one, three and four, which no artist had ever achieved since charts were first released in Germany in 1959. "Satellite" was eligible to be certified gold after the first week and platinum after the fourth week of its release. The song has remained at number one for five consecutive weeks in Germany.[28]

While competing at Unser Star f?r Oslo, Meyer-Landrut continued to attend school. The last show was held one month before the start of her final exams.[9] Following her exams, she released her debut album, My Cassette Player, on 7 May 2010. Produced by Stefan Raab, it includes the singles "Satellite", "Love Me" and "Bee", as well as two cover songs and eight unreleased titles. Meyer-Landrut is credited as a co-writer for the lyrics of five songs. The album debuted at number one in the German albums chart. It peaked at number one in the Austrian albums chart, number three in the Swiss albums chart, number five in Billboard's European Top 100 Albums, and has been certified double platinum in Germany since.

The final was held on 29 May 2010 at Oslo's Telenor Arena. Appearing fourth from last, Meyer-Landrut wore a simple black dress and performed on a bare stage with four backing singers. Her pared-back presentation was a break from recent Eurovision trends, as it did not feature any form of choreography, dancers or elaborate stage show. "Satellite" received a total of 246 points, giving Germany its first win since 1982, and the first victory as a unified country. The song won over Turkey's entry "We Could Be the Same" with a margin of 76 points, the second-biggest in Eurovision history, second only to Alexander Rybak's margin of 169 points in the 2009 contest. "Satellite" received the maximum 12 points nine times and received points from all but five countries.

In January 2011, the TV-Show "Unser Song f?r Deutschland" was announced. The viewers of the show will decide for Lena's 2011 Eurovision song. All twelve songs Lena performed during that show were recorded on her second studio album Good News which was released on 8 February 2011.

On February 18, the "Unser Song f?r Deutschland" final was held and it was decided trough televoting that Lena will perform the entry "Taken By A Stranger in the final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2011