Yvonne Catterfeld (born 2 December 1979) is a German singer, actress, and television personality. Born and raised in Erfurt, Thuringia, she later moved to Leipzig to pursue her career in music. In 2000, she participated in the debut season of the singing competition series Stimme 2000, where she came in second place. Catterfeld subsequently signed a recording deal with Hansa Records, which released her debut single “Bum” in 2001. The same year, she was propelled to stardom when she was cast in a main role in the German soap opera Gute Zeiten, schlechte Zeiten. In 2003, Catterfeld made her musical breakthrough when her fifth single, “Für dich”, became an international number-one hit and produced the equally successful album Meine Welt.

Catterfeld continued booking success with follow-up albums Farben meiner Welt (2004) and Unterwegs (2005), which spawned the hit singles “Du hast mein Herz gebrochen” and “Glaub an mich”. Following her departure from GZSZ and a starring role in the short-living telenovela Sophie – Braut wider Willen, she released her fourth album Aura, which was less successful commercially and led to a decline in her musical career. She transitioned to Sony Music, and after an unsuccessful period, returned to the top of music charts with the reissue of her sixth album Lieber so (2013), when she appeared in the second season of Sing meinen Song – Das Tauschkonzert, the German version of the series The Best Singers.

Throughout a career spanning 15 years, Catterfeld has sold nearly one million records as a solo artist, making her one of the best-known German female music artists. Aside from her commercial accomplishments, her work has earned her numerous awards and accolades, including a Bambi Award, a Goldene Stimmgabel, and an ECHO Award. An established actress, she has appeared in several international television and theatrical films, including Keinohrhasen (2007), The Promise (2011), and Beauty and the Beast (2014). From 2016 to 2018, and again in 2020, she was a coach on the German television series The Voice of Germany.

Catterfeld was born and raised in Erfurt, Thuringia, then part of East Germany. Her father, Jürgen Catterfeld, is a foreman; her mother, Annemarie Catterfeld, is a teacher. A former athlete, Catterfeld started playing the piano and the flute at the age of 15, simultaneously taking her first dance and vocal lessons. After her high school graduation from Albert-Schweitzer-Gymnasium in Erfurt, she relocated to Leipzig to study pop and jazz at the Felix Mendelssohn College of Music and Theatre for two years. In 1998, her seven-song debut release, entitled KIV, hit the market but found little to no recognition in the music industry.

After her studies in Leipzig, Catterfeld participated in the second season of the MDR singing competition series Stimme 2000, where she performed under her short-lived pseudonym Vivianne. Her self-written song “Whenever You Need a Friend” appeared on the show’s promotional album Stimme 2000 – Die Finalisten. A critics’ favorite, she finished second in the competition, losing to duo UC, consisting of singers Danny Heims and Kathrin Jantke, both of whom failed to sign a recording deal after the final show. Catterfeld, on the other hand, earned a management and recording contract with BMG sub-label Hansa Music by Stimme 2000 jury member and label boss Thomas Stein.

In 2001, Hansa released Catterfeld’s first single “Bum”, a re-written German uptempo version of British girl group All Saints’s 1998 hit single “Never Ever”, promoting her under her surname only. The song failed to chart however. In support of her musical ambitions, she auditioned for a supporting role in the long-running RTL Television soap opera Gute Zeiten, schlechte Zeiten the same year. Though generally unenthusiastic about an acting career at the time, Catterfeld accepted RTL’s offer to join the cast as character Julia Blum. She first appeared on-screen in episode 2316, broadcast on 20 September 2001.

Two months later, her next single “Komm zurück zu mir”, a pop soul ballad, was released. A significant shift from the EDM-influenced sound of her debut single, it reached number 76 on the German Singles Chart. In 2002, Catterfeld was handpicked by musician Udo Lindenberg to appear on his 33rd album Atlantic Affairs. She recorded vocals for two songs on the album, which was later re-worked into a revue in which Catterfeld co-starred. Two further singles released by Catterfeld, “Niemand sonst” and “Gefühle”, both reached the top forty of the German Singles Chart in 2002.

In March 2003, “Für dich” was released. Composed by Dieter Bohlen and re-written for Catterfeld, the pop ballad was heavily promoted on GZSZ. Upon its release it became an instant success, reaching the top of charts in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. One of the best-selling singles of 2003, it sold 250,000 copies within three days and was certified platinum by the Bundesverband Musikindustrie (BVMI). In May 2003, Catterfeld’s debut album Meine Welt was released. A collection of pop songs and soul ballads with elements of contemporary R&B and dance, it debuted on top of the German Albums Chart and reached the top five in Austria and Switzerland, eventually going platinum. In October 2003, Mariah Carey invited Catterfeld to be the opening act for the German leg of her Charmbracelet World Tour in Hamburg, Berlin, and Munich.