Gregor Meyle

German singer/songwriter Gregor Meyle rose to quick fame on television and proceeded to launch his recording career in 2008 with the hit debut single "Niemand." Born on October 13, 1978, in Backnang, Baden-Württemberg, Meyle is from the town of Jagsthausen, also in Baden-Württemberg. Though he'd been musically active for much of his life — getting his first guitar at age four and playing in cover bands as a teenager, for instance — he didn't experience any fame until he was selected to compete on the television show SSDSDSSWEMUGABRTLAD (i.e., an acronym for Stefan Sucht den Superstar, der Singen Soll, Was Er Möchte, und Gerne Auch bei RTL Auftreten Darf), a casting show similar to American Idol or Pop Idol. He did well on the show, making it all the way to the finals before losing to winner Stefanie Heinzmann in the end. Afterward he was offered a recording contract with Universal Music Group, which immediately released his self-written debut single, "Niemand," an emotional ballad he had performed on the show. The song not only became a Top 30 hit in Germany, but it also charted Top 50 in Switzerland and was covered by former rival Stefanie Heinzmann — who was a quickly rising star in her own right — on her debut EP, My Man Is a Mean Man (2008). Meyle's full-length album debut, So Soll Es Sein (2008), followed a few months later, charting Top Ten in Germany and Top 50 in Austria.