The Local Germany

These Anglophone singers are huge in Germany... but you’ve never heard of them

Fri, 22 Jun 2018 13:13:22 +0200

One of the great joys of living in Germany is discovering the weird, wonderful and occasionally awful ballads that sell out stadiums here. Strangest of all are the handful of Anglophone singers who have managed to find fame far from their homelands.

This viral hit perfectly skewers bland German pop music

Wed, 12 Apr 2017 19:30:37 +0200

Germany's favourite comedian Jan Böhmermann is up to his old tricks again - this time getting primates to make a monkey out of German pop music.

Got festival fever? Here are Germany's best picks

Tue, 05 Jul 2016 16:06:51 +0200

Whether you're an indie kid, a pop lover or a metalhead, there's a festival for you in Germany this summer.

Berlin to honour Bowie with plaque outside old flat

Tue, 19 Apr 2016 12:18:58 +0200

Berlin-based fans wanted a street named after pop legend David Bowie, but for now they’ll have to settle for a plaque placed outside the flat where he lived in the 1970s instead.

7 very German things you missed at 'German Grammys'

Fri, 08 Apr 2016 19:17:58 +0200

Educate yourself a bit about the mainstream music landscape in Germany where even the world-famous Adele is apparently no match for Schlager Christmas hits.

VIDEO: British pop band unite with German trash orchestra

Fri, 11 Mar 2016 12:42:01 +0100

When British synth-pop duo Hurts teamed up with Germany’s most popular late night entertainer - they gave 'trash music' a new and brilliant meaning.

Here are Germany's 2016 Eurovision hopefuls

Wed, 24 Feb 2016 13:22:42 +0100

Thursday is the big night for the ten contenders hoping to represent Germany at the Eurovision Song Contest in Stockholm. But who will win the public's heart with their song?

7 songs to make your German lover swoon on Valentine's

Wed, 10 Feb 2016 16:04:07 +0100

Germans aren’t known as an overly emotional bunch. But they’ve still created some of the most powerful ballads of all time - these seven are guaranteed to melt even the hardest Teuton heart.

Bavarian mayor brings hills alive with sound of music

Tue, 02 Feb 2016 15:14:22 +0100

A town mayor in Bavaria has decided to complement her rising career as a politician - by embarking on a pop career.

Berlin Bowie fans etch giant memorial into ice

Fri, 22 Jan 2016 12:26:36 +0100

Fans of recently-deceased British pop star David Bowie have left a touching tribute in a Berlin park, using a frozen-over pond as the canvas for their own work of art.

Bowie's old studio opens doors for fan farewell

Fri, 15 Jan 2016 15:37:19 +0100

The former Hansa Studios, where David Bowie spent much of his time in the years he spent in Berlin in the late 1970s, is throwing a party on Friday for his fans in the capital to raise a glass – or just put on the red shoes and dance the blues.

Berlin pays tribute to dearly departed Bowie

Mon, 11 Jan 2016 11:32:38 +0100

As news of David Bowie's passing reached the German capital on Monday morning, Berliners were quick to pay tribute to one of the city's most famous and universally loved adopted children.

Bieber and 'Beliebers' take over Berlin

Tue, 15 Sep 2015 13:12:59 +0200

Canadian heartthrob Justin Bieber arrived in Berlin on Monday to promote his new single and snap a few artsy Instagram pictures amid a throng of his devoted fans.

Eurovision counts down

Sat, 14 May 2011 21:32:00 +0200

Music acts from 25 nations prepared to compete on Saturday evening in the Eurovision Song Contest, a kitschy pop extravaganza being held in Düsseldorf. Watch The Local's live coverage from 9 pm CET!

Lena faces uphill battle to defend Eurovision title

Mon, 09 May 2011 13:28:00 +0200

As Düsseldorf prepares to host this year's Eurovision Song Contest this week, Germany's teen singing sensation Lena Meyer-Landrut is hoping to defend her title. But few are expecting her to cruise to victory this time.

Teens injured in pop idol event stampede

Mon, 28 Mar 2011 10:40:00 +0200

Some 60 people were injured Sunday in a stampede when an unexpectedly large crowd showed up for autographs with stars of Germany’s equivalent to the TV show “Pop Idol,” leaving more than two dozen hospitalized, police said Monday.

Lady Gaga hackers charged with spying and copyright infringement

Thu, 10 Mar 2011 12:53:00 +0100

Duisburg prosecutors on Thursday charged two Germans with breaking copyright law and stealing data after hacking email accounts of pop stars like Lady Gaga and Ke$ha to purloin unreleased tracks and compromising photos.

Singer shoots down Bild advertising approach

Sat, 26 Feb 2011 12:04:00 +0100

An attempt to recruit the band Wir Sind Helden for this year’s Bild newspaper advertising campaign, which features an honest appraisal of the controversial paper, has failed spectacularly.

Eurovision Song Contest entry is decided

Sat, 19 Feb 2011 15:24:00 +0100

Germany’s entry for this year’s Eurovision Song Contest has been chosen – Lena Meyer-Landrut will sing an electro-pop song called ‘Taken by a Stranger’ after television viewers picked it over several other songs.

The day the music died

Wed, 08 Dec 2010 12:58:00 +0100

Still looking for that special Christmas gift? Two Berliners have compiled a loving – and often humorous – tribute to famous dead musicians in a novel pocket-sized calendar.