Nena

Nena was a German Neue Deutsche Welle band formed in West Berlin in 1981. In 1983 and 1984, their German-language song "" (and its English version, "99 Red Balloons") reached number one in the singles charts of countries around the world. History Formation and rise The band was formed in 1981 when vocalist Gabriele Kerner (Nena) came to West Berlin with drummer Rolf Brendel, her boyfriend at the time. There they assembled the other members of the band, which took its name from their lead singer's nickname (Catalan for "little girl"), which she had acquired as a toddler during a family holiday to Catalonia, Spain. The band wrote all of their songs themselves, typically working in pairs. They became overnight sensations in Germany when they performed their debut single "Nur geträumt" on German TV in August 1982, Nena herself wearing a distinctive short red miniskirt. The single reached number 2 in the German charts, a position it occupied for 6 weeks, and also climbed high in the Austrian, Belgian, Dutch and Swiss charts. In early 1983 the follow-up single "" spent a further 7 weeks at number 2 before finally reaching the top slot, a position the debut album matched.