Alexander Klaws

Biography

Alexander Klaws (born 3 September 1983) is a German singer, songwriter, actor, and television host. He rose to fame in 2003 after winning the debut season of the television series Deutschland sucht den Superstar, the German Idol series adaptation. His debut single "Take Me Tonight×Take Me Tonight17 March 2003 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Take Me Tonight (radio edit)4:042Take Me Tonight (extended version)5:243Take Me Tonight (instrumental)4:03" topped the German and Swiss Singles Charts and became the third-best-selling single of 2003 in Germany. Klaws's debut studio album, Take Your Chance×Take Your Chance28 April 2003 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 15 tracks1Take Me Tonight4:052I Don’t Wanna Say That3:173From the Heart of an Angel3:384Another Day, Another Heart4:115We Had It All3:366Stay With Me3:567I Need You3:448Anything Is Possible4:069Breakin’ Up Is Hard to Do3:5610I Believe3:3411Anytime You Want Me3:3112Just Tomorrow3:4313Maniac3:5514Even When Your Love Is Gone3:5315If I Can’t Have You Tonight6:25 (2003), also debuted at number one on German Albums Chart. He followed it with his second number-one album Here I Am×Here I Am12 July 2004 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1Sunshine After the Rain (radio mix)3:122Free Like the Wind3:433Here I Am4:024Maybe3:485Another Heart Is Broken3:386Break Free3:087There Is No Good in Goodbye3:528Light of Day4:129Behind the Sun3:5710If I Could Life Forever3:2511Don't Be Cool4:1412You've Got That Look3:3813Why Does It Always Rain on Me3:3414Sunshine After the Rain (Summer Dream mix)4:23 (2004) and has since released four further albums, including his latest effort Auf die Bühne, fertig, los!×Auf die Bühne, fertig, los!16 October 2015 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 15 tracks1Wilde Welt3:452Dieser Sommer3:363Adrenalin3:504Scheißgroße Liebe4:025Jeder braucht jemanden3:546Family & Friends4:257Magnet3:198Nur Liebe3:289Lampenfieberzeit4:1610Liebesmillionäre3:5911Wenn ich verlier3:5812Sonne, Wind und Regen4:0213Take Me Tonight (Big Band version)6:0614Himmel und Hölle (Big Band version)4:4015Nur Liebe (acoustic version)3:39 (2015). Several songs from these albums became hit singles on the pop charts, including the number-one hit "Free Like the Wind×Free Like the Wind27 October 2003 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 5 tracks1Free Like the Wind (radio version)3:472Free Like the Wind (orchestral version)3:463Free Like the Wind (instrumental version)3:454Like a Hero3:385Free Like the Wind (video)" as well as the top ten entries "Behind the Sun×Behind the Sun23 February 2004 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Behind the Sun (radio edit)4:052Behind the Sun (classic mix)4:013Behind the Sun (guitar mix)4:004Behind the Sun (radio instrumental)3:59", "Sunshine After the Rain", and "Stay with Me×Stay With Me10 June 2003 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Stay With Me (radio version)3:312Stay With Me (Retro mix)4:003I'll Love You 'til the Day I Die3:334Stay With Me (instrumental)3:31".
Klaws ventured into acting in the mid-2000s, making his stage debut. Immediately after his study at the "Joop van den Ende Academie" debut at the Berlin Theater des Westens in 2006, playing the role of Alfred in the musical remake of the horror-comedy film Dance of the Vampires. He has since led several productions, having appeared as Tarzan in Tarzan, Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar, Tony in Saturday Night Fever, and Sam in Ghost the Musical. In 2008, he originated the role of Lars Hauschke in the Sat.1 telenovela Anna und die Liebe. In 2013, Klaws hosted the music programme Goldschlager – Die Hits der Stars on Sat.1 Gold; the following year, he won the seventh season of the dance contest Let's Dance.

Early life

Klaws was born in Ahlen and raised in nearby Sendenhorst to Richard and Hildegard Klaws. He has an older sister, Melanie (born 1980). He was an avid football player and still plays soccer on charity teams whenever he finds the time. Klaws's musical gifts became apparent when he was still in elementary school. He made his first television appearance at the age of 10, performing Haddaway's "What Is Love" on a national TV show for children. By the time he was 13, he was taking vocal and piano lessons to strengthen his voice.

2002–2003: Deutschland sucht den Superstar

In 2002, Klaws was encouraged by his family and friends to audition for the debut season of the reality television series Deutschland sucht den Superstar. Although he was considered as one of the more inconspicuous top ten finalists at the very beginning of the show, he was able to boost his popularity constantly with standout performances of Robbie Williams' "Angels" or Michael Sembello's "Maniac". Klaws went on to win the competition on 8 March 2003, earning 70.1% of the votes against runner-up Juliette Schoppmann and without being sent into the bottom three throughout the season.
Immediately after winning DSDS, Klaws was signed to a record deal with Sony BMG, while jury member Dieter Bohlen was consulted to produce his debut album on the company. On 17 March 2003 his debut single, "Take Me Tonight×Take Me Tonight17 March 2003 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Take Me Tonight (radio edit)4:042Take Me Tonight (extended version)5:243Take Me Tonight (instrumental)4:03" was released. The song was performed by Klaws during the season finale of DSDS. The song subsequently debuted at number 1 in Germany and Switzerland. It eventually went on to become the second best-selling single of 2002 behind "We Have a Dream" and was certified quintuple gold by the Bundesverband Musikindustrie (BVMI). In May he followed up with his debut album Take Your Chance×Take Your Chance28 April 2003 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 15 tracks1Take Me Tonight4:052I Don’t Wanna Say That3:173From the Heart of an Angel3:384Another Day, Another Heart4:115We Had It All3:366Stay With Me3:567I Need You3:448Anything Is Possible4:069Breakin’ Up Is Hard to Do3:5610I Believe3:3411Anytime You Want Me3:3112Just Tomorrow3:4313Maniac3:5514Even When Your Love Is Gone3:5315If I Can’t Have You Tonight6:25, which saw similar success and spawned a second single "Stay with Me×Stay With Me10 June 2003 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Stay With Me (radio version)3:312Stay With Me (Retro mix)4:003I'll Love You 'til the Day I Die3:334Stay With Me (instrumental)3:31". At the end of a year he entered the top of the charts again with "Free Like the Wind×Free Like the Wind27 October 2003 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 5 tracks1Free Like the Wind (radio version)3:472Free Like the Wind (orchestral version)3:463Free Like the Wind (instrumental version)3:454Like a Hero3:385Free Like the Wind (video)", the soundtrack to the German TV movie Hero of the Gladiators.
On 25 December 2003, Klaws participated in the television special competition World Idol in London along the inaugural winners of the several Idol television series around the world. He was contractually obligated to participate, and performed Michael Sembello's "Maniac". On 1 January 2004 he finished ninth in the competition.

2004–2006: Career development

Here I Am, Klaws's second album, was released in July 2004. A musical continuation of his commercially successful debut, he worked with a small number of new collaborators on the album apart from Bohlen, including Yak Bondy, Ingo Politz, and Brix. Like its predecessor, the album debuted atop the German Albums Chart and reached the top ten in Austria and Switzerland, but it ultimately failed to live up to the overwhelming success of his debut album. In spite of this, the album managed to snag Klaws another three hit singles, including the top five hits "Behind the Sun×Behind the Sun23 February 2004 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Behind the Sun (radio edit)4:052Behind the Sun (classic mix)4:013Behind the Sun (guitar mix)4:004Behind the Sun (radio instrumental)3:59" and "Sunshine After the Rain" as well as the top 20 entry "Here I Am×Here I Am12 July 2004 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1Sunshine After the Rain (radio mix)3:122Free Like the Wind3:433Here I Am4:024Maybe3:485Another Heart Is Broken3:386Break Free3:087There Is No Good in Goodbye3:528Light of Day4:129Behind the Sun3:5710If I Could Life Forever3:2511Don't Be Cool4:1412You've Got That Look3:3813Why Does It Always Rain on Me3:3414Sunshine After the Rain (Summer Dream mix)4:23". Also in 2004, Klaws was cast in a supporting role in an episode of the German television series Das Traumhotel, filmed in Bali and broadcast the following year.
In March 2005, he recorded and released the duet "All (I Ever Want)", an English version of the 3 Musketiers theme song featuring vocals from German singer Sabrina Weckerlin. The original version of the duet, "Alles" was released to promote the RTL television film Hero of the Gladiators (2003). The English version of the song peaked at number 12 on the German Singles Chart was later included on his third album, Attention!×ATTENTION!10 March 2006 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Beautiful Show3:152Stay3:553Celebrity Queen3:464This is what it feels like4:235Not like you3:466Love at first sight4:097Missing you3:378All3:199My heart is on the run4:1610Love is the one4:0011If I'm not the one4:0712Not enough2:46 (2006). Recorded after a short-living hiatus from recording in which she had studied song and acting at the Joop van den Ende Academie in Hamburg, it marked a departure from Klaws's previous work with Bohlen, who gained no credit on the record. Instead, Klaws consulted a wider range of producers to work with him on the album, including Terri Bjerre, Thorsten Brötzmann, and Ivo Moring, who took his work further into the pop rock genre. Upon its release, Attention! became a top 20 success in Austria and Germany only, prompting Sony BMG not to release another single from the album.

2007–present: Musical theatre

In December 2006, Klaws made his musical theatre debut at the Theater des Westens stage in Berlin in 2006, playing the role of Alfred in the musical remake of Roman Polanski's satirical horror drama Dance of the Vampires (1967). Following the conclusion of his management and recording contract, he signed a new deal with Cruiser Entertainment which released his fourth album Was willst du noch?!×Was willst du noch?!4 April 2008 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Welt3:492Zu spät zu früh3:463Sie liebt Dich4:144Du tust mir gut3:595Vor Dir3:426Schönes Leben3:547Was willst Du noch?3:258Es wird immer Liebe sein3:479Ich könnte, wenn ich wollte4:1110Ich erinner' mich3:2311Wenn Du gehst3:2412Ich war immer bei Dir5:07 through Edel Music in April 2008. His first album to be primarily recorded in German, it peaked at number 28 on the German Albums Chart and produced two singles. In 2010, Klaws took over the role of Tarzan in the Neue Flora Hamburg production of the same-titled musical based on the Walt Disney Animation Studios 1999 film of the same name. Running for five years, it closed in 2013.
Klaws collaborated with frequent collaborators Thorsten Brötzmann and Ivo Moringa on his fifth album Für alle Zeiten×Für alle Zeiten2011 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Zurück im Leben3:272Ich Glaube an Liebe3:293Das ist Leben3:244Du gehst mir unter die Haut3:235Der Sonne entgegen3:186Ohne dich3:407In allen Zeiten3:338Hab keine Angst3:219Zurück zu dir3:4010Träumer3:2811Rette mich3:2712Danke3:18. Released in September 2011, it reached the top fifty of the German Albums Chart and produced several singles, including "Himmel und Hölle". In April 2013, he served as a supporting act throughout the German leg of British singer Leona Lewis's Glassheart Tour. The same year, Klaws played the role of Ranger in the musical version of the German comedy film Der Schuh des Manitu at the Freilichtbühne Tecklenburg. He returned to Tecklenburg the following year, portraying Joseph in a local production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. He followed it with a role at the Theater Dortmund, starring as Jesus in an adaptation of Lloyd Webber's rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar.
Klaws fifth studio album Auf die Bühne, fertig, los!×Auf die Bühne, fertig, los!16 October 2015 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 15 tracks1Wilde Welt3:452Dieser Sommer3:363Adrenalin3:504Scheißgroße Liebe4:025Jeder braucht jemanden3:546Family & Friends4:257Magnet3:198Nur Liebe3:289Lampenfieberzeit4:1610Liebesmillionäre3:5911Wenn ich verlier3:5812Sonne, Wind und Regen4:0213Take Me Tonight (Big Band version)6:0614Himmel und Hölle (Big Band version)4:4015Nur Liebe (acoustic version)3:39 was released in October 2015 and reached the top forty of the German Albums Chart. In 2016, he reprised both of his roles as Jesus and Tarzan at the Theater Basel and at the Metronom Theater in Oberhausen, respectively. Also that year, he starred as Tony Manero in a local production of Saturday Night Fever at the Freilichtbühne Tecklenburg. In summer 2017, he played Old Surehand at the Karl May Festival in Bad Segeberg. In December 2017, he originated the role of Sam in the German version of Ghost the Musical, based on the hit 1990 romantic fantasy thriller film of the same name, for which he returned to the Theater des Westens stage in Berlin.
In 2021, Klaws won the fifth season of The Masked Singer.