Suzie Kerstgens
Suzie Kerstgens at Zeche Carl in Essen, Germany (2006)
Background information
Born1971
Geldern, Germany
OriginCologne, Germany
GenresPop
Occupation(s)Singer, songwriter
Years activeMid-nineties to present
LabelsLogic (BMG), modernsoul (Ministry of Sound), Island (Universal)
Websitewww.kleemusik.de (in German)

Suzie Kerstgens (born 1971) is a German singer and lyricist. She is the lead vocalist and co-founder of German pop band Klee.

Early life and education

Suzie Kerstgens was born in Germany, 1971,[1] in the north-western town of Geldern[2] and grew up in neighbouring Sonsbeck.[3] During her youth, she received her secondary education at the gymnasium in Xanten and also completed classical ballet and dance training.[2][4] She then studied philosophy and German studies at the University of Duisburg-Essen.[4]

Music career

In the mid-nineties, Kerstgens began working with musicians Sten Servaes and Tom Deininger in Cologne.[2] With Kerstgens as lead vocalist, they formed the band Ralley, which was later renamed Klee.[2][5] Klee is known for its songs about love, life and sorrow and the band members have been described as the great romantics of German pop by music magazine laut.de.[6] Most of the lyrics for Klee's songs are written by Kerstgens[7] and are based on her personal experiences.[8] As a member of Ralley/Klee, Kerstgens has recorded seven albums,[9] three of which have entered the top 20 of the German albums chart.[10]

Kerstgens has made two appearances at the Bundesvision Song Contest, an annual competition shown on German television. The first was in 2005, when she performed the song "Gold" with Klee.[11] The second was in 2007, when she sang a duet with German pop band Anajo on the band's song "Wenn du nur wüsstest".[12]

Under the name "Kölsche Kylie", Kerstgens is active as a DJ at various venues in Cologne, including Gebäude 9.[3][13]

Collaborations

Kerstgens has collaborated with English rock band The Wedding Present, contributing vocals on the 7" vinyl release of the band's single "I'm from Further North Than You" (2005).[14] Another collaboration was with German rock band BAP on a re-recording of the band's song "Frau, ich freu mich" (2005).[15]

Social engagement

Kerstgens lends her support to various organizations in Germany, including Pro Asyl, Aktion Mensch, Fairtrade (Fair trade), Deutsche AIDS-Hilfe (German AIDS aid) and the National Paralympic Committee Germany. She is also a sponsor of the project "Schule ohne Rassismus – Schule mit Courage" (School without racism – school with courage) at her former gymnasium in Xanten.[8][16]

Personal life

Kerstgens lived in a flat share in the Sülz area of Cologne for 16 years. She then moved with her boyfriend to the Agnesviertel, another area of Cologne.[3]

Kerstgens has been a fan of English rock bands The Cure and The Smiths since her childhood.[7]

Discography

Studio albums (Ralley)

  • Ralley (1997)
  • 1, 2, 3, 4 (1999)

Studio albums (Klee)

  • Unverwundbar (2003)
  • Jelängerjelieber (2004)
  • Zwischen Himmel und Erde (2006)
  • Berge versetzen (2008)
  • Aus lauter Liebe (2011)

References

  1. ↑ Zimmer, Andreas. "Klee's new songs take on the simplest but trickiest topic: love". Deutsche Welle. 2 September 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Zur Person: Suzie Kerstgens" (in German). Die Welt. 3 August 2008.
  3. 1 2 3 Koll, Verena. "Mit Suzie Kerstgens durchs Veedel" (in German). Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger. 25 March 2013.
  4. 1 2 Krechting, Wiljo. "Glücksfall für die Popmusik" (in German). RP ONLINE. 12 August 2009.
  5. ↑ Bluhm, David. "KLEE - Von A bis Z" (in German). Gaesteliste.de. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  6. ↑ "laut.de-Biographie - Klee" (in German). laut.de. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  7. 1 2 "„Erst mit z ernst genommen”" (in German). Kölnische Rundschau. 2 January 2009.
  8. 1 2 Sielski, Karoline. "Suzie Kerstgens - Musikerin bei Klee" (in German). stadtmagazin.com. 6 June 2012.
  9. ↑ "Klee | Diskografie" (in German). musicline.de. PHONONET GmbH. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  10. ↑ "Klee | Longplay-Chartverfolgung" (in German). musicline.de. PHONONET GmbH. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  11. ↑ Gantzkow, Sven. "Experten in Sachen Widerspruch" (in German). Westdeutsche Zeitung. 31 July 2008.
  12. ↑ "Anajo-Pop in Reinform live im Hôtel Concorde Berlin" (in German). tip Berlin. 11 October 2011.
  13. ↑ "SUZIE KERSTGENS | Barbarella Entertainment" Archived 2015-09-23 at the Wayback Machine (in German). Barbarella Entertainment website. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  14. ↑ Holland, Roger. "The Wedding Present: Search For Paradise". PopMatters. 16 May 2006.
  15. ↑ Hentschel, Joachim. "BAP - Dreimal zehn Jahre" (in German). Rolling Stone. 3 December 2005.
  16. ↑ Naser, Elena. "Interview mit Sängerin und KLEE-Frontfrau Suzie Kerstgens" (in German). Stargebot. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
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