Isabell Schmidt

Isabell Schmidt is a German solo pop/rock singer born in 1989 in Greifswald. Schmidt finished in second place on the second season of The Voice of Germany in 2012. Her coach was Nena, whose band Nena is best known for their 1983 German hit “99 Luftballons” (which was re-recorded in English as “99 Red Balloons” and became a hit, here, in 1984). Anyway, on the show, Isabell Schmidt performed songs, in English, like “Twist in My Sobriety” (Tanita Tikaram) and “Losing My Religion” (R.E.M.), as well as her own amazing original “Heimweh” (trans: “Homesick”). But, eventually, Schmidt lost to British singer Nick Howard. A British singer was voted the voice of Germany? I guess so. Anyway, Isabell Schmidt is my latest obsession. Why? Well, first, her voice is amazing, and so perfect for the passionate pop/rock on her debut album Alles hat seine Zeit (2013). Second, she is just so adorable with that lip ring (like Elektra of Fake Number), and that signature hat. But, more importantly, Isabell Schmidt wears Converse, like, religiously. Check out the pics below or the videos. German chicks in Chucks. Need I say more? Her debut album, by the way, is my most played album of, well, this week. But, I’m sure I’ll be returning to it, often.

Alles Hat Seine Zeit (translation: “Everything Has Its Time”) opens with a moody mid-tempo alternative rocker, “Teufelskreis” (trans: “Vicious Circle”). I was hoping that sound would saturate the rest of the album. It doesn’t. Not really. The album is more eclectic, but, surprisingly, I was not disappointed. Not at all. “Heimweh” (trans: “Homesick”), the first single (from The Voice of Germany), is an amazing power ballad, and the second single, “OK”, is an equally amazing tuneful pop/rocker. “Auf Der Flucht” (trans: “On the Run”) begins with a funky groove, and, after the chord rings just before the first verse, I swear she’s going to sing “Roxanne!” Then, “Everything Changes”, another amazing ballad, comes next. She sings the title in English, and those two simple words make me hope that her next album will be all in English. “Im Juli” (trans: “In July”) and “Inmitten Von Millionen” (trans: “Amid Millions”) are two more ballads, of the piano variety. The latter is the better of the two, but both are good. The title track is another moody alt-rocker like “Teufelskreis”, while “Der letzte Sommerregen” (trans: “Last Summer Rain”) is a softer alt-rocker that calls to mind Silbermond‘s softer tracks. “Perfekt” (trans: “Perfect”) and “Kopfkino” (trans: ??) are an electro pop/rockers similar to another excellent female-fronted German (punk) band Jennifer Rostock. And, finally, “Der Letzte Macht Das Licht Aus” (trans: “The Light From the Last Power” ??) is an excellent duet with Nena. This album was released on July 12, 2013 in Germany, which was only 6 short months after her final appearance on The Voice of Germany, and it’s a pretty awesome debut from an amazingly talented (and adorably cute) singer.