Nena

Nena (born March 24, 1960 in Hagen, North Rhine-Westphalia) is a German singer who became famous with the New German Wave song "99 Luftballons" ("99 Red Balloons" in the English version). Nena is also the name of the ban

Nena (born March 24, 1960 in Hagen, North Rhine-Westphalia) is a German singer who became famous with the New German Wave song "99 Luftballons" ("99 Red Balloons" in the English version). Nena is also the name of the band she played with. With the re-release of her own hits, Nena's career saw a second wind in the year 2002.

Nena was born Gabriele Susanne Kerner in 1960 in Hagen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. She acquired her nickname, "Nena," a Spanish term of endearment for "little girl," during a vacation to Spain at the age of three. In 1977 she left high school prior her graduation to receive training as a goldsmith. Around the same time guitarist Rainer Kitzmann offered her the position of lead singer of his band, The Stripes. The group had a minor hit with the song "Ecstasy" but never managed to achieve broad success, and soon split.