Vanessa Mai

Born in 1992 in Backnang, Baden-Württemberg, Vanessa Mai — full name Vanessa Marija Else Mandekić — began in the German schlager tradition before broadening her scope toward pop. From a family with Croatian roots, she trained in dance and musical theatre before joining the schlager project Wolkenfrei in 2012, with whom the albums Endlos verliebt (2014) and Wachgeküsst (2015) were released. When Wolkenfrei effectively became her solo project, Vanessa Mai adopted her own name from 2016 and built a discography focused on songs in German, anchored in schlager but tinged with electronic pop and dance elements. The Dieter Bohlen‑produced albums Für Dich (2016) and Regenbogen (2017) extended that aesthetic, while Schlager (2018), Für immer (2020), Mai Tai (2021) and Metamorphose (2022) mark a move toward a more hybrid sound incorporating R’n’B, urban and sometimes rap influences through multiple features. Vanessa Mai performs on stages and at festivals across the German‑speaking world, appears in various television formats — including as a judge on Deutschland sucht den Superstar in 2017 — and has developed an artistic universe centered on intimate, relationship‑focused lyrics, with a strong emphasis on image and visual staging in her videos and concerts.