Helene Fischer
{{short description|German singer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2014}}
{{Infobox person
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| image = File:Helene-Fischer-Schleyerhalle.jpg
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| caption = Stuttgart 2013
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1984|8|5|df=yes}}
| birth_place = Krasnoyarsk, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
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| other_names = 'Schlagerkönigin'
| occupation = {{hlist|Singer|dancer|entertainer|television presenter|actress}}
| years_active = 2005–present
| spouse = {{marriage|Thomas Seitel|2021}}
| partner = Florian Silbereisen (2008-2018)
| children = 1
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| module = {{Infobox musical artist|embed=yes
| origin = Wöllstein, Germany
| genre = {{hlist|Schlager}}
| label = {{hlist|EMI|Universal}}
}}
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| website = {{URL|https://www.helene-fischer.de}}
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Helene Fischer (German: [heˈleːnə ˈfɪʃɐ]; born 5 August 1984) is a Russian-German schlager singer. Since her debut in 2005, she has won numerous awards, including 17 Echo awards, four "Die Krone der Volksmusik" awards, and three Bambi awards. She has sold at least 18 million records.Music certifications: [http://www.ifpi.at/?section=goldplatin AT] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130701062753/http://www.ifpi.at/?section=goldplatin |date=1 July 2013 }} [http://swisscharts.com/search_certifications.asp?search=helene+fischer CH] [http://www.musikindustrie.de/gold_platin_datenbank/#topSearch DE] [http://www.ifpi.dk/index.php?pk_menu=284 DK] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141219150604/http://www.ifpi.dk/index.php?pk_menu=284 |date=19 December 2014 }} In June 2014, her multi-platinum 2013 album Farbenspiel became the most downloaded album ever by a German artist and is currently the sixth-best-selling album of all time in Germany.{{cite web |url=http://www.rp-online.de/kultur/musik/helene-fischer-bricht-alltime-download-rekord-aid-1.4288647 |title=Helene Fischer bricht Alltime-Download-Rekord |date=4 June 2014 |language=de |access-date=9 June 2014}} Her signature song "Atemlos durch die Nacht" was the best-selling song in Germany in 2014. She has had the best-selling album of the year in Germany five times: in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, and 2018.{{cite web |title=TOP 100 ALBUM-JAHRESCHARTS - 2013 |url=https://www.offiziellecharts.de/charts/album-jahr/for-date-2013 |website=OFFIZIELLE DEUTSCHE CHARTS}}{{cite web |title=OFFIZIELLE DEUTSCHE CHARTS |url=https://www.offiziellecharts.de/charts/album-jahr/for-date-2018 |website=TOP 100 ALBUM-JAHRESCHARTS - 2018 |access-date=12 August 2019}}{{cite web |title=OFFIZIELLE DEUTSCHE CHARTS |url=https://www.offiziellecharts.de/charts/album-jahr/for-date-2017 |website=TOP 100 ALBUM-JAHRESCHARTS - 2017 |access-date=12 August 2019}}{{cite web |title=OFFIZIELLE DEUTSCHE CHARTS |url=https://www.offiziellecharts.de/charts/album-jahr/for-date-2015 |website=TOP 100 ALBUM-JAHRESCHARTS - 2015 |access-date=12 August 2019}}{{cite web |title=OFFIZIELLE DEUTSCHE CHARTS |url=https://www.offiziellecharts.de/charts/album-jahr/for-date-2014 |website=TOP 100 ALBUM-JAHRESCHARTS - 2014 |access-date=12 August 2019}} She ranked No. 8 on Forbes' list of "The World's Highest-Paid Women in Music 2018," earning US$ 32 million.{{cite web |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/zackomalleygreenburg/2018/11/19/highest-paid-women-in-music-2018-katy-perry-taylor-swift-beyonce/#4f19396a6a24 |title=The World's Highest-Paid Women in Music 2018 |website=Forbes |language=en |access-date=3 August 2019}} Fischer has been referred to as the "Queen of Schlager".{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/jul/08/ja-ja-ding-dong-how-schlager-found-its-joyful-place-pop-eurovision |title=Ja Ja Ding Dong! How schlager found its joyful place in the pop camp |first=Angelica |last=Frey |date=8 July 2020 |work=The Guardian}}{{cite news |url=https://www.dw.com/en/pop-queen-helene-fischer-makes-rare-political-comment-on-chemnitz/a-45364910 |title=Pop queen Helene Fischer makes rare political comment on Chemnitz |work=Deutsche Welle |date=5 September 2018 }}{{cite news |date=3 January 2013 |url=https://www.thelocal.de/20130103/47095 |title=The 'perfect flesh' of Helene Fischer |work=thelocal.de }}{{cite news |url=https://www.instyle.de/stars/helene-fischer-so-viel-geld-hat-sie-wirklich |title=So viel Geld hat Helene Fischer wirklich auf dem Konto |date=12 April 2016 |work=InStyle |first=Susanne |last=Baur |language=de}}
Early life
Helene Fischer was born in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, former Russian SFSR, Soviet Union, to Pyotr and Marina Fischer. Her father worked as a physical education teacher, and her mother was an engineer. Her paternal grandparents were Black Sea Germans{{Cite web |url=https://www.aussiedlerbeauftragter.de/SharedDocs/Kurzmeldungen/AUSB/DE/koschyk-und-zertik-treffen-helene-fischer.html |title=Im Gespräch mit Helene Fischer im Deutschen Bundestag |website=Bundesministerium des Innern, für Bau und Heimat |language=de-DE |access-date=2018-11-16}} who were among those sent to forced settlements in Kazakhstan and Siberia.{{cite web |date=25 February 2009 |title=Певица Хелен Фишер: "Я родилась в Сибири" /Singer Helene Fischer: "I was born in Siberia" |url=https://gazeta.aif.ru/_/online/enisei/585/03_01 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151005073208/https://gazeta.aif.ru/_/online/enisei/585/03_01 |archive-date=5 October 2015 |access-date=2 June 2017 |website=gazeta.aif.ru |publisher=Argumenty i Fakty |language=ru |quote=Хелен Фишер родилась 5 августа 1984 года в Красноярске. В июне 1988 года с родителями эмигрировала в Германию. После окончания школы Stage & Musical School / Helene Fischer was born in Krasnoyarsk, 5 August 1984. In June 1988, with her parents, she emigrated to Germany. After graduation from Stage & Musical School in Frankfurt...; Бабушки и дедушки Лены Фишер разделили судьбу сотен тысяч поволжских немцев, которых в 1941 году сослали в Казахстан и Сибирь. / Her grandparents shared the fate of hundreds of thousands of Volga Germans, who in 1941 were exiled to Kazakhstan and Siberia.}} In 1988, at the age of three-and-a-half, she emigrated with her parents and her six-year-old sister to Wöllstein, West Germany.{{cite web |url=https://www.derwesten.de/kultur/freizeit/Helene-Fischer-Schoen-wie-im-Maerchen-id3720654.html |title=Helene Fischer: Schön wie im Märchen |access-date=5 November 2010 |work=Der Westen |language=de}}{{Cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ylyv8EgwFfU |title=- YouTube |website=www.youtube.com}}{{cbignore}}{{Dead YouTube link |date=February 2022}}
After graduating from high school, Fischer attended the Frankfurt Stage & Musical School for three years, where she studied singing and acting.{{cite web |url=http://www.helene-fischer.de/hf/helene-fischer/biografie/helene-fischer-stationen-einer-karriere |title=Helene Fischer – Stationen einer Karriere |language=de |access-date=5 November 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110105110045/http://www.helene-fischer.de/hf/helene-fischer/biografie/helene-fischer-stationen-einer-karriere |archive-date=5 January 2011}} During this time, she performed on stage at the Staatstheater Darmstadt, as well as at the Volkstheater Frankfurt.
Fischer's debut on stage occurred on 14 May 2005, in a program by the TV channel ARD. It was a duet with schlager singer Florian Silbereisen. The two later became a couple.
She has won 17 Echo awards, the "Goldene Henne" award seven times, and the "Krone der Volksmusik" prize four times. All her albums and DVDs have achieved multiple gold and double platinum certifications. Her songs, with their stories of the everyday worries and woes of home-loving folks, are lyrically close to what could be called "country music," although musically quite different.
Her fanbase extends beyond Germany, Austria, and Switzerland to Belgium, Canada, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, the United Kingdom, Finland, and New Zealand.
She released her first English album, The English Ones, on 7 June 2010. The album was produced by {{ill|Jean Frankfurter|de}} (Erich Ließmann), a German producer, composer, and arranger. On singing in English, Fischer commented: "I have always dreamed of singing my songs in another language. English is the language of country, the music that we call Schlager. Language is a tool, but it is important that what you sing comes from the heart – and that is what this album is about."
File:Helene Fischer Wiener Stadthalle Mai 2011.jpg
In January 2013, she made her acting debut in an episode of the German TV series Das Traumschiff.
On 4 October 2013, she released her album Farbenspiel in Germany. She went on tour in 2014 and embarked on a major stadium tour in 2015.[http://www.vorverkaufstarts.de/helene-fischer-tour-tickets/ vorverkaufstarts.de] Helene Fischer Tourdates, retrieved 5 October 2013. She performed at the Olympia Stadium in Berlin in front of 120,000 people. The album received platinum certification after just five days in Germany, Denmark, and Austria. Farbenspiel became the most successful release by a German female artist in the first week of release in the past decade. To date, over 2.4 million copies of the album have been sold.
On 13 November 2015, Fischer released a Christmas album entitled Weihnachten. It consists of two CDs, the first featuring Christmas songs sung in German and German dialects, and the second featuring songs sung in English.{{Cite web |title=Helene Fischer - Weihnachten |url=https://www.ukmix.org/forum/music/albums-aa/108931-helene-fischer-weihnachten |access-date=2021-04-27 |website=UKMIX Forums |language=en}} The album reached number 1 on the year-end charts in both Germany and Austria and received a total of 14 platinum certifications in both countries. It sold over 1.3 million copies.
In 2016, she sang the German version of "How Far I'll Go" ("Ich bin bereit"), the title song from Disney's Moana.
On 12 May 2017, she released her eighth studio album, titled Helene Fischer. It was released by Polydor. The album debuted at number one on the Austrian, German, and Swiss Albums Charts and reached the top ten in the Netherlands and the Flemish region of Belgium. In Germany, Helene Fischer sold more than 300,000 copies in its first week of release, making it the highest-selling debut since Herbert Grönemeyer's 2002 album Mensch. The album won nine platinum certifications in Germany and Austria and has sold over 1 million copies in both countries to date. She performed all her new songs, along with several hits from previous albums, at the Kesselhaus in Munich, and released the album Helene Fischer – Das Konzert aus dem Kesselhaus, showcasing this performance.
In June 2018, she began her second stadium tour, performing in Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Austria. In several locations on this tour, she performed up to five times in a row. Her show was developed in collaboration with 45 Degrees of Cirque du Soleil.[https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/helene-fischer-commissioned-45-degrees-cirque-du-soleils-events-and-special-projects-company-to-design-her-ground-breaking-new-tour-671249394.html NewsWire.com], retrieved 23 November 2018. In October 2018, The New York Times ranked Fischer seventh in terms of the world's biggest touring musical acts of the year. In the 2018 Forbes list of top-earning female artists worldwide, she ranked 8th.[https://www.forbes.com/sites/zackomalleygreenburg/2018/11/19/highest-paid-women-in-music-2018-katy-perry-taylor-swift-beyonce/ The World's Highest-Paid Women In Music 2018.] Forbes.com Retrieved 23 November 2018.{{cite news |last=Grenier |first=Elizabeth |date=22 November 2018 |title=Better paid than Britney Spears: Who is Helene Fischer? |work=Deutsche Welle |url=https://www.dw.com/en/better-paid-than-britney-spears-who-is-helene-fischer/a-46405431 |access-date=8 July 2020}} This also makes her the most successful non-English singer currently.
Fischer performed at the SnowpenAir 2022 Music Festival in Grindelwald Terminal in the Switzerland Alps. There, she sang the protest song Freiheit (song) as her response to the most recent Russian invasion of Ukraine and another instance of forced resettlement by Russia.{{Citation needed|date=September 2023}} Fischer wore a blue and yellow ribbon in solidarity with Ukraine,{{YouTube |rOYUVNaQD9A |Helene Fischer „Luftballon“ (Live am Snowpenair 2022 in Grindelwald Terminal)}} tearfully introducing the song by describing the sorrow experienced by Ukrainian families being resettled and torn apart by the war. She performed the song with blue and yellow highlights on the stage.{{YouTube |-Wd76BBnpC8 |2022-03-27 Intro zu Freiheit ~ Helene Fischer @snowpenair }}
Discography
File:Helene Fischer FFM13 001.jpg
{{Main|Helene Fischer discography}}
- Von hier bis unendlich (2006)
- So nah wie du (2007)
- Zaubermond (2008)
- So wie ich bin (2009)
- Für einen Tag (2011)
- Farbenspiel (2013)
- Weihnachten (2015)
- Helene Fischer (2017)
- Rausch (2021)
- Die schönsten Kinderlieder (2024)
=Guest appearances and duets=
- Eros Ramazzotti: album Vita ce n'è – "Per il resto tutto bene" (2018)
- Andrea Bocelli: album Passione – "When I Fall in Love" (2013)
- Michael Bolton: Various duets, e.g. "Make You Feel My Love", "Vivo Per Lei"
- Robbie Williams: album The Christmas Present – "Santa Baby" (2019)
- "Just Pretend" by Elvis Presley and Helene Fischer, featuring Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
- "Voilà" with young Emma Kok (2023)
Tours
- Mut zum Gefühl – Live 2008
- Zum ersten Mal mit Band und Orchester Live (2011)
- Für einen Tag Live (2012)
- Open Air-Tour 2013
- Farbenspiel Live (2014/2015)
- Helene Fischer Live 2017/2018
- Die Stadion-Tour 2018
- Rausch Live (2023)
- 360° Stadion Tour (2026)
Awards
{{BLP sources section|date=December 2020}}
=Bambi=
- 2013: for Musik national
- 2014: for Entertainment
- 2017: for Musik national
=Echo=
- 2009: for Deutschsprachiger Schlager
- 2009: for DVD Produktion des Jahres (Mut zum Gefühl Live)
- 2010: for DVD Produktion national (Zaubermond Live)
- 2012: for Deutschsprachiger Schlager
- 2013: for DVD Produktion national (Für einen Tag – Live 2012)
- 2013: for Deutschsprachiger Schlager
- 2014: for Album des Jahres
- 2014: for Deutschsprachiger Schlager
- 2015: for Schlager
- 2015: for Album des Jahres
- 2015: for Hit des Jahres
- 2015: for Musik-DVD/Blu-Ray national{{cite web |title=Die Helene-Fischer-Festspiele haben begonnen |trans-title=The Helene Fischer festival has begun |language=de |publisher=Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg |work=RBB online |first=Ula |last=Brunner |date=27 March 2015 |access-date=27 March 2015 |url=http://www.rbb-online.de/kultur/beitrag/2015/03/musikpreis-echo-2015.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20150330121504/http://www.rbb-online.de/kultur/beitrag/2015/03/musikpreis-echo-2015.html |archive-date=30 March 2015 }}
- 2016: for Musik-DVD/Blu-Ray national (Weihnachten), (Farbenspiel Live)
- 2016: for Album des Jahres
- 2016: for Live-Act national
- 2016: for Crossover
- 2018: for Schlager
=Goldene Henne=
- 2007: for Aufsteigerin des Jahres
- 2008: for Musik
- 2010: for Leserpreis Musik
- 2012: for Publikumspreis Musik
- 2014: for Musik
- 2014: Superhenne (Special 20th Anniversary Award)
- 2016: for Musik
- 2020: for Entertainment with Die Helene Fischer Show 2019
=Goldene Kamera=
- 2012: for Beste Musik national
- 2016: for Beliebtester deutscher Musik-Act
=Krone der Volksmusik=
- 2008: for the Erfolg des Jahres 2007
- 2009: for the Erfolg des Jahres 2008
- 2010: as Erfolgreichste Sängerin 2009
- 2012: as Erfolgreichste Sängerin 2011
=Romy=
- 2014: as Beliebteste Moderatorin – Show
=World Music Awards=
- 2014: Best-selling German Artist
Personal life
From May 2008, Fischer was in a relationship with Florian Silbereisen. The two were regarded as the "dream couple of German pop music" and frequently became the subject of speculative tabloid headlines. In December 2018, they announced that they had been separated for some time and had remained friends.[https://www.n-tv.de/leute/Helene-Fischer-und-Florian-Silbereisen-trennen-sich-article20781634.html Helene Fischer und Florian Silbereisen trennen sich.] www.n-tv.de/leute, 19. December 2018; Retrieved August 19, 2024 Fischer later revealed that her new partner was aerial acrobat Thomas Seitel, with whom she collaborates in her stage shows.[https://www.merkur.de/boulevard/helene-fischer-ist-thomas-seitel-ihr-neuer-freund-altes-interview-wirft-fragen-auf-zr-10904360.html Alle wollen mehr über Helene Fischers neuen Freund wissen – doch es gibt ein Problem.] www.merkur.de/boulevard, 20. December 2018; Retrieved August 19, 2024 In December 2021, the couple married and welcomed a daughter. Later that same year, they moved into a house{{Cite web |date=2023-06-12 |title=Helene Fischer & Thomas Seitel: Heimliche Hochzeit! Jetzt kommen alle Details raus |url=https://intouch.wunderweib.de/helene-fischer-und-thomas-seitel-heimliche-hochzeit-118746.html |access-date=2024-08-19 |website=intouch.wunderweib.de |publisher=}} in Inning am Ammersee, where the family has lived ever since.{{Cite web |date=2023-08-07 |title=Tänzerin teilt privates Foto mit Helene Fischer und Thomas Seitel {{!}} MDR.DE |url=https://www.mdr.de/meine-schlagerwelt/seltenheitswert-taenzerin-teilt-privates-foto-mit-helene-fischer-und-thomas-seitel-100.html |access-date=2024-01-14 |website=www.mdr.de/meine-schlagerwelt |publisher= |language=DE}}{{Cite web |date=2021-06-24 |title=Helene Fischer: Haus am Ammersee - So idyllisch wohnt die Sängerin |url=https://intouch.wunderweib.de/wo-wohnt-helene-fischer-ammersee-haus-105626.html |access-date=2024-08-19 |website=intouch.wunderweib.de |language=de}}
Social Engagement and Political Statements
Fischer has generally refrained from making political statements in the past. However, she expressed clear opposition to discrimination, racism, hatred, and violence in an interview with the magazine "Stern." She described these as poisonous to society and called for the defense of democratic values, urging people to stand against extremism by participating in elections and resisting intimidation from antidemocratic forces.{{Cite web |date=2024-02-03 |title=Hasswelle gegen Helene Fischer im Netz – AfD-Fans völlig atemlos |url=https://www.watson.ch/digital/leben/173608329-hasswelle-gegen-helene-fischer-afd-fans-voellig-atemlos |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240207110549/https://www.watson.ch/digital/leben/173608329-hasswelle-gegen-helene-fischer-afd-fans-voellig-atemlos |archive-date=2024-02-07 |access-date=2024-02-11 |website=Watson |language=DE}}
Her remarks sparked controversy among her fans, particularly among suspected supporters of the far-right party AfD in Germany, who subsequently spread hateful messages under her Instagram posts and criticized her. On the other hand, she also received support for her outspoken stance against racism and antidemocratic propaganda. Some users praised her for publicly taking a stand and positioning herself against the far-right, with some declaring themselves new fans because of her opposition to hatred and intolerance. Fischer is not the only celebrity to have spoken out in the "Stern" magazine.
Other well-known personalities such as Udo Lindenberg, Collien Ulmen-Fernandes, Maite Kelly, Roland Kaiser, Mario Barth, Atze Schröder, Florian David Fitz, and Michael "Bully" Herbig have also expressed their opinions on social and political issues.
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category}}
- [https://www.helene-fischer.de Official website] (in German)
- {{allMusic}}
- {{IMDb name|2399261}}
{{Helene Fischer}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fischer, Helene}}
Category:People from Alzey-Worms
Category:German female dancers
Category:German television presenters
Category:Russian and Soviet-German people
Category:Soviet emigrants to Germany
Category:Echo (music award) winners
Category:21st-century German women singers