Mark Forster

Born in 1984 in Kaiserslautern, Germany, Mark Forster (Mark Ćwiertnia) developed an early relationship with the piano and songwriting during a childhood split between Rhineland-Palatinate and stays in Poland. Initially active in local bands, Forster gained recognition as an accompanying musician—most notably working with comedian Kurt Krömer on German television in the early 2010s—and later collaborated with rapper Sido, co-writing several choruses. His first solo album, "Karton" (2012), established a German-language pop centered on voice and straightforward melodies, which he expanded on "Bauch und Kopf" (2014), where influences from hip-hop and singer-songwriter traditions become apparent. The following record, "Tape" (2016), opened his writing to more electronic textures and song structures closer to international pop, while "LIEBE" (2018) continued the blend of modern production and clear verse-chorus formats. At the same time, Forster formed the duo EFF with Felix Jaehn, focusing on electronic, club-oriented pop, and he regularly appears as a juror on German television talent shows, further cementing his presence on the German-language pop scene. With "Musketiere" (2021), he continued to concentrate on German-language songwriting, mixing piano ballads with upbeat tracks designed for stage and radio.