Today's Pick

There's no Rock 'n' Roll, but Schlager in Germany, Helene Fischer, the Queen of "Schlager," has premiered the official music video for her single "Sweet Surrender," off her just released English debut album. The new voice from Germany with Schlager and Euro-Pop genres. "Sweet surrender, now it's all that I can I feel; Sweet surrender, this time I know it's real; And like in a wonder my heart was born again; I'm not afraid to give you everything; Cause that's what sweet surrender means."
Hailing from the most unlikely of places for a pop star to be from, Fischer was born in Krasnoyarsk in Russian Siberia in August 1984, and spent her early childhood in the Siberian town of Krasnojarsk, before her ethnic German family immigrated to Germany. Fischer went on to study music and theater in Frankfurt Stage & Musical School, where she studied singing and acting, and her star qualities were "discovered" in 2005, not only her golden crystal-clear voice, but also her charismatic personality. Airs and graces are not for her, and she has never been one for advancing her own interests at the expense of others.
Fischer eventually landing a record contract and releasing her first album, Von Hier bis Unendlich (From Here to Infinity), in February 2006. Her second album, "So Nah Wie Du (As Close as You)," was released September 2007. Both albums were released on Electrola. She is the brightest star in the firmament of German song, the Queen of "Schlager" and, quite simply, Germany's most popular female entertainer. Her popularity has been crowned with success; she has won three prestigious "Echo" (German Grammy) awards, the coveted "Goldene Henne" twice, and the "Krone der Volksmusik" prize three times. All her albums and DVDs have achieved multiple gold and double platinum status. Her songs, with their stories of the everyday worries and woes of home-loving folks, are close to what the English speaking world calls "Country."
Her circle of fans extends beyond Germany to Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, the Netherlands and Scandinavia. She has just released her first English album, produced by Jean Frankfurter, one of the most renowned German producers, composers and arrangers of the past 40 years. The album opens new horizons for Fischer: "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."