Germany's Kristina Bach has been a popular pop singer in her homeland since releasing the 1984 hit "Heisser Sand." The rest of the '80s were filled with light pop hits, but her 1990 effort "Erst ein Cappuccino" was huge, topping the German charts and making her one of the country's biggest stars. New opportunities soon followed, including a collaboration with Harajuku for a cover of the theme from The Phantom of the Opera, which placed on dance music charts across the world. A year later she began working as a songwriter for other artists. Now with nearly three decades of pop success behind her, Bach has made the usually not so easy transition from light pop singer to serious songwriter. ~ David Jeffries