BIOGRAPHY - Stefanie Heinzmann

In 2005, she started her music career as the leading singer of the rock band Bigfisch. Their first single "Chumm ins Wallis" became a local airplay success and was voted "Biggest Valais Hit of the Year" by local radio station Radio Rottu Oberwallis (RRO) in 2007. In summer 2007, her brother convinced Heinzmann to apply for Stefan Raab's talent contest and got selected as one out of twenty finalists. With interpretations of soul, jazz and funk classics by the likes of Macy Gray, Norah Jones and Joss Stone she reached the final show on January 10, 2008. There she finally defeated the remaining three competitors in the televoting, winning a contract with Universal Music. Her competition song "My Man Is a Mean Man," composed by Swedish producers Gustav Jonsson, Tommy Tysper and Marcus Sepehrmanesh, went on sale the day after the final. The single debuted straight on top of the Swiss Singles Chart and reached the top ten in Austria and Germany, where it became a successful airplay hit during the following months, and established Heinzmann as one of the biggest-selling newcomers of the year. The song was eventually certified gold by the German IFPI. Her debut album Masterplan, primarily produced by Paul NZA and Marek Pompetzki at Berlin Numarek-Studios, was released on March 7, 2008 throughout German speaking Europe. Just as the single, it peaked within the top ten in Austria and Germany, and debuted at number-one on the Swiss Albums Chart, where it was certified platinum for more than 30,000 copies sold. Altogether Masterplan sold more than 300,000 copies Europe-wide, and earned the singer several prizes such as the Prix Walo, the 1LIVE Krone, a Comet, a Swiss Music Award, and the 2009 ECHO Award for Best Female Artist National Rock/Pop. A reissue of the album was released on November 19, 2008 and included the previously unreleased song "The Unforgiven," a Metallica cover which became her second top ten hit in Germany.

In support of the album, Heinzmann embarked on a festival concert tour from May until September 2008, visiting venues throughout Switzerland and Germany. In September 2009, Heinzmann's second album Roots to Grow was released. The singer re-teamed with production duo NZA and Pompetzki to work on the majority of the album, which features songwriting credits by Joss Stone, Rick Nowels, Guy Chambers, Lucie Silvas, SoShy and Bryn Christopher, as well as collaborations with singers such as Gentleman and Ronan Keating. Upon its release, Roots to Grow reached number four on the Swiss Albums Chart and made it to the top twenty in Germany, but was less successful than its predecessor Masterplan(2008). Leading single "No One (Can Ever Change My Mind)" peaked at number twenty seven on the Swiss Singles Chart.

Visit artist website at www.stefanieheinzmann.de/