Schlager singer Michelle, whose real name is Tanja Gisela Hewe, was born on February 15, 1972, in Villingen-Schwenningen. By the age of 14, she was already singing in a local band. Later, she joined Südwestfunk, where she made her first public appearance. It was there that she was discovered by Schlager singer Kristina Bach. Composer Jean Frankfurter then wrote and produced Michelle’s first single, “Und heut’ Nacht will ich tanzen,” in 1993. The song became a hit on the Schlager charts. Michelle subsequently appeared on the TV show ZDF-Hitparade. This was followed by further recordings and appearances on radio and television. In 1999, she received the Echo Music Award in the category “Schlager Artist of the Year.” Two years later, Michelle represented Germany at the Eurovision Song Contest and placed eighth with “Wer Liebe lebt” . After suffering a minor stroke in 2003, followed by depression and personal bankruptcy, Michelle made a successful comeback. In the spring of 2005, she released the album Leben, which went gold within a few weeks. A year later, her album Glas remained on the German charts for another six weeks. Following another period of withdrawal from the public eye, she released the studio album Goodbye Michelle in 2009, as well as appearing on the ARD TV show Das Herbstfest der Volksmusik. In March 2012, the album L’amour was released; in 2015, she released Die Ultimative Best of , a mix of old and new songs. With this album, she reached No. 7 on the German charts, No. 44 on the Swiss charts, and No. 2 on the Austrian charts. In April 2016, the studio album Ich würd’ es wieder tun was released, followed in May 2018 by the album Tabu, which debuted directly at No. 4 on the German charts. Michelle released the studio album Anders ist gut in 2020. In 2022, the anniversary album 30 Years of Michelle – That’s It… Not Yet! followed. The album reached No. 6 in both Germany and Austria and landed at No. 12 in Switzerland. In early July 2024, Michelle released her 17th studio album, Flutlicht. In Germany and Austria, the album climbs to No. 2. In Switzerland, it reaches No. 10.
