From Helena Zengel to Felix Jaehn: These are the actors, authors, DJs and artists are getting noticed, and not only in their home country.
German DJ Felix JaehnImage: picture-alliance/dpa/A. Dedert
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Meet the young Germans shaking up the cultural scene
They're some of the brightest young actors, authors, DJs and artists in Germany. Where will their careers take them next?
Image: Bruce W. Talamon/Netflix/Universal Pictures/dpa/picture alliance
Felix Jaehn, born in 1994
DJ Felix Jaehn became a "Wunderkind" at age 20 with his hit track: a remix of Omi's 2015 song "Cheerleader." Since then, the DJ and producer specialized in tropical house music has played at major festivals around the world.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/A. Dedert
Kübra Gümüsay, born in 1988
Kübra Gümüsay is an award-winning activist, journalist and author. Her book "Sprache und Sein" (Language and Being) was a bestseller in Germany for months after it was published in 2020. Her essays on language and identity have also sparked heated debates. Gümüsay was also one of the translators selected to work on the German version of the poem "The Hill We Climb" by Amanda Gorman.
Image: Claudius Pflug/ZDF/dpa/picture alliance
Jakob Nolte, born in 1988
The author and playwright already has three books to his name, including his novel "Schreckliche Gewalten" (Terrible Violence) which was included on the German Book Prize longlist in 2017. He just published his latest novel, called "Kurzes Buch über Tobias" (Short Book about Tobias).
Image: GERT EGGENBERGER/Apa/picture alliance
Volkan Yaman, born in 1997
Better known by his alias, Apache 207, Yaman has become a breakout act on the German rap scene. His first big track was "Roller," released in 2019. Fortunately for the 23-year-old, it was the first of many hits to top the charts. But as it still too often happens in rap, sexist and homophobic cliches also appear in his lyrics.
Image: Rainer Merkel/Jazzarchiv/picture alliance
Helena Zengel, born in 2008
At the young age of 12, actor Helena Zengel has already won a German Film Award and been nominated for a Golden Globe. She even became pals with Tom Hanks when she appeared alongside him in the Netflix film "News of the World."
Image: DW
Deniz Ohde, born in 1988
Ohde is one of the young German writers seeing fame early in life. Her first novel "Streulicht" (Sky Glow) was a 2020 German Book Prize finalist. Not bad for a debut work!
Image: Suhrkamp Verlag
Leon Löwentraut, born in 1998
At age 23, he's already one of Germany's most celebrated painters. The abstract works of German artist Leon Löwentraut sell for tens of thousands of euros and are shown in galleries from New York to Singapore.
Image: WDR
Robin Schulz, born in 1987
Robin Schulz is yet another DJ making waves in Germany. The 34-year-old celebrated his breakout track back in 2014 with a remix of the song "Waves" by Dutch hip-hop artist Mr. Probz. His version of the tune was later nominated for a Grammy for Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards.
Image: Warner Music/benwolf.de
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What are some of the topics young people in Germany feel should be getting more attention? What do they enjoy most?
Answers can be found among the country's young talents in the cultural and literary scene. In recent months, some of these up-and-comers, all of them under 35, have been hogging headlines by setting new trends or sparking debates.
Young people in Germany
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Although she's only 12 years old, Helena Zengel has already garnered more fame than most actors can hope for in a lifetime. She was nominated for a Golden Globe for her role in News of the World, in which she played alongside actor Tom Hanks.
Although the pandemic has brought great career challenges to those working in the culture industry, as the virus has brought Europe to a standstill, it hasn't stopped DJ and producer Felix Jaehn. The 27-year-old has released new tracks in the last months.
Studying in Germany: From finance to fraternities
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Others, like author, activist and journalist Kübra Gümüsay, are seeing success in the literary world. Gümüsay's 2020 book Sprache und Sein ("Language and Being") was a best-seller in Germany. Her texts and essays have led to heated debates within the country. She also worked on the three-person team that translated the poem by US National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman, The Hill We Climb, into German.
You can find more great talents on the young German cultural scene in our picture gallery.
To learn more about some of Germany's brightest talents on the culture scene, scroll through the gallery above, while the one below will introduce you to some of Germany's most successful influencers.
New role models? The rise of the German influencers
With millions of followers on platforms like YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, here are some of Germany's most successful influencers today.
Image: Jens Kalaene/dpa/picture alliance
Bianca 'Bibi' Classen
Bianca Classen a.k.a. "BibisBeautyPalace" has been pretty successful playing the girl-next-door on social media. Her fortune is estimated at around €3 million ($3.6 million). That is her income from her YouTube videos (with almost six million subscribers), Instagram advertising collabs (with almost eight million followers), and her own beauty brand.
Image: Jens Kalaene/dpa/picture alliance
Younes Zarou
Younes Zarou is the most successful TikTok star in Germany. He has about 30 million followers on his two accounts. He uploads colorful videos with accompanying DIY videos on the rapidly growing platform. In March 2020, he entertained his followers live on TikTok around the clock for a month.
Image: Bernd Kammerer/dpa/picture alliance
Pamela Reif
Pamela Reif was tried in 2020 on charges of hidden advertising and lost the case. The court declared that advertising must be marked as such on Instagram — even if it is only a gratuitous recommendation. This did not put a dent in the fitness influencer's popularity though, and her videos boomed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lisa and Lena Mantler started uploading lip-syncing and dance videos when they were 13 years old onto a platform called Musical.ly, which later became TikTok. They were a big hit, but withdrew from the platform in March 2019 due to security concerns — only to return in May 2020, much to the delight of their international fanbase.
Image: Clemens Bilan/Getty Images
Gronkh
Born Erik Range, Gronkh is a veteran of the gaming scene and one of its most successful influencers. He has had a YouTube channel since 2010, and for two years, he had the most subscribers among all German channels. He became known through the "Let's Play" videos, in which he filmed himself playing video games. Gronkh is also successful on the streaming channel Twitch.
Image: Christoph Hardt/Future Image/imago images
Stefanie Giesinger
Fashion, beauty and travel are all topics that go down well with Instagram users — a fact Stefanie Giesinger, who is one of the top German influencers in these areas, is well aware of. Crowned "Germany's Next Topmodel" in 2014, she's only occasionally seen on the catwalk these days. She has also founded her own sustainable fashion label.
Image: Federico Pestellini/PanoramiC/imago images
Rezo
This YouTuber's video, "The destruction of the CDU," which criticizes Angela Merkel's governing party, the CDU, created a stir in Germany in 2019, and was viewed over 18 million times. YouTube said it was the most-viewed video in Germany that year. This shows how relevant YouTubers like Rezo have become. In addition to political videos, Rezo also makes regular entertainment videos.
Image: Privat/dpa/picture alliance
Marie Nasemann
She is one of the most popular influencers who focus on sustainability. Marie Nasemann writes about sustainable fashion in her blog "Fairknall." She is one of the "sense-fluencers" who use their reach to discuss what they consider meaningful, important topics like sustainability, feminism or vegan nutrition.
