LUCA HÄNNI

Luca Hänni (born 8 October 1994) is a Swiss pop singer and television personality. He rose to fame in 2012 after winning the ninth season of Deutschland sucht den Superstar, the German version of the Idol franchise. He was the first non-German to do so and also the youngest ever winner of the show. Hänni’s debut single, “Don’t Think About Me”, topped the singles charts in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. It was followed by the release of his debut album, My Name Is Luca (2012), which debuted atop the Austrian and Swiss Albums Charts and became a gold-seller in both countries. His second studio album, Living the Dream, released in 2013, became his second consecutive number-one album in Switzerland.

Hänni decided to part ways with DSDS management and collaborated with Swiss DJ Christopher S on his third album, Dance Until We Die (2014). Following the termination of the project, he took further creative control for his fourth album When We Wake Up (2015), which saw him shifting to R&B music and became his fourth consecutive top ten album in Switzerland. Hänni’s popularity was further enhanced by his participation in the SRF musical talent show Kampf der Orchester as well as the RTL competitive dancing talent show Dance Dance Dance, both of which he won in 2014 and 2017, respectively. In 2019, Hänni represented Switzerland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 with the song “She Got Me”, finishing in fourth place.

Hänni was born in Bern, Switzerland. During kindergarten he received drumming lessons. At the age of nine he taught himself to play the guitar and piano. After finishing school he began training as a bricklayer, which he later stopped in 2012, two years in, in favour of his music career. Since 2020 he is in a relationship with his Let’s Dance dancing partner Christina Luft.

In 2012, Hänni applied in the ninth season of the RTL singing talent show Deutschland sucht den Superstar, the German adaption of the Idol franchise. On 28 April 2012, he reached the final. There he competed against Daniele Negroni and won the show with 52.85 percent of the audience votes. At that time, Hänni became the only minor, moreover the first non-German DSDS-winner.

 As a prize he received 500,000 Euros and a recording contract with Universal Music Group. Additionally, he and runner up Negroni received a car and driver education courses. Hänni’s debut single and coronation song “Don’t Think About Me” was released on 2 May 2012. An instant success, the single reached gold status in Switzerland within its first four days of release and debuted atop the single charts in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. This made Hänni the first Swiss citizen to reach number one on the German Singles Charts after 52 years. “Don’t Think About Me” sold more than 100,000 copies throughout its chart run.

Hänni’s debut album My Name Is Luca, chiefly produced Deutschland sucht den Superstar judge Dieter Bohlen, was released on 18 May 2012. Comprising a set of previously unreleased recordings as well as cover versions of Ed Sheeran, Justin Bieber and Kings of Leon and several other songs that he had sung on the show, it debuted at number one on the Austrian and Swiss Albums Chart, while reaching number two in Germany. Album cuts “Allein, allein” and “The A Team” moreover entered the Swiss Singles Chart. By August 2012, My Name Is Luca had been certified gold by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) in Austria and Switzerland and spawned a second single, “I Will Die for You”. In June 2012, Swiss trading company Migros engaged Hänni for its men’s underwear brand Nick Tyler as a testimonial. In this context Migros published a series of underwear for men with the name Nick Tyler by Luca, for which Hänni worked as a model.

In August 2012, he opened the auditions to tenth season of Deutschland sucht den Superstar in his native city Bern, for which he was seen in an advertising campaign since July 2012. Hänni’s first concert tour, Luca Hänni & Band – Live on Tour, began in Hoyerswerda on 1 October 2012. It included 32 concerts in Germany, Austria and Switzerland and ended in Dresden on 20 November. Due to high demand in Switzerland additional concerts in Zürich, Uetendorf and Amriswil were recognized. In December 2012, Hänni presented the RTL II program BRAVO The Hits 2012 – The Show. In 2013, Hänni received the Swiss Music Award for Best Breaking Act National as well as the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Award in the category Favorite Star: Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. In addition, he received two nominations for the Prix Walo, winning both, and earned an ECHO Award nomination for Newcomer International.

Hänni collaborated with Swiss DJ Christopher S on his third album Dance Until We Die. Taking his work further into the dance pop genre, it was released on Future Soundz, a division of K-tel International under exclusive license from Hänni’s own Luca Music, following his departure from Universal. The album debuted and peaked at number six in the Swiss Albums Chart, becoming his third consecutive top ten album to do so, and produced the singles “I Can’t Get No Sleep” and “Good Time”, both of which entered the top thirty of the Swiss Singles Chart. The project had several club appearances and toured through Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Promotion on the album was discontinued in August 2014 following a fall out between Hänni and Christopher S, regarding the share-out of Dance Until We Die’s and merchandising profits.

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