Tier 3 · vertical & regional
Ute Lemper
Person · female · Germany · Münster · born 1963 · recording since 1987
German singer and actress (born 1963)
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Also known as 鄔蒂·蘭普
Timeline
26 events▣ Album 18✦ Award 6◦ Birth 1★ Debut release 1
1960s
1980s
· Debut release
Debut release: Life Is a Cabaret
First documented Album in the MusicBrainz discography.
source: musicbrainz
1990s
2000s
2010s
2020s
Biography
English biography586 words · 4 sectionssource: wikipedia-en · licence CC BY-SA 4.0 · revision 1377755994
Biography
Ute Gertrud Lemper (German pronunciation: [ˈuːtə ˈlɛmpɐ] ; born 4 July 1963) is a German singer and actress. Her roles in musicals include playing Sally Bowles in the original Paris production of Cabaret, for which she won the 1987 Molière Award for Best Newcomer, and Velma Kelly in the revival of Chicago in both London and New York, which won her the 1998 Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical.
Biography
Born in Münster, (Germany), Ute Gertrude Lemper was raised in a Roman Catholic family. She joined the jazz-rock music group known as the Panama Drive Band at the age of 16. Later, she graduated from the Dance Academy in Cologne and the Max Reinhardt Seminary Drama School in Vienna.
Her diverse credits include musicals, such as her breakthrough role in the original Viennese cast of Cats, the title role in Peter Pan, a recreation of the Marlene Dietrich-created Lola in The Blue Angel, the original European Sally Bowles in a Paris production of Cabaret, and Velma Kelly in Chicago (Lemper has played the role of Velma Kelly in Chicago in both London and New York, winning the Laurence Olivier Award for her performance in London). She also dubbed the singing voices of Ariel in Disney's The Little Mermaid and Esmeralda in The Hunchback of Notre Dame for German-speaking audiences.
In 1991, Lemper participated in the Sanremo Music Festival with a song named "The Photograph", written by Italian songwriter Enzo Jannacci. A painter in the neoclassical style, Lemper has created paintings that have been showcased in numerous galleries.
Lemper, a mother of four, resides on the Upper West Side section of Manhattan in New York City, and performs worldwide. Her autobiography was published in Berlin in 1995; she has also authored several journal articles.
Film and television work
She starred as Marie Antoinette for L'Autrichienne (1989, directed by Pierre Granier-Deferre), and subsequently appeared in films including Prorva, Bogus, Jean Galmot Prospero's Books, Appetite and Prêt-à-Porter (in the latter appearing in a well-publicised nude scene filmed while she was pregnant, and she received National Board of Review for Ensemble Cast award). She has contributed to the soundtracks of numerous films, including The Voyager, Kissing Jessica Stein and Appetite.
In 2007, Lemper was a juror in Let's Dance, the German version of Dancing with the Stars.
Recording
Lemper, named Billboard's Crossover Artist of the Year for 1993/1994, is a prolific recording artist, appearing on numerous cast recordings and compilation concerts, including Roger Waters' The Wall concert in 1990. As a solo artist, her extensive discography includes ubiquitously well-reviewed interpretations of Kurt Weill's compositions from the late 1980s, in addition to German cabaret songs, which were very political songs sung in underground locations in 1930s Berlin and elsewhere. She recorded Illusions in 1992, devoted to the songs of Marlene Dietrich and Édith Piaf. She has recorded numerous pop albums, variously in English, French, and German. Punishing Kiss (2000) featured songs written especially for her by the likes of Scott Walker, Nick Cave, Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, Philip Glass, and Neil Hannon, the latter of whom performed with her on two of the album's tracks. Lemper is known for wild interpretations on discs like the Sondheim tribute City of Strangers, containing a particularly mannered version of the Elaine Stritch-popularized song "The Ladies Who Lunch". In 1998, a Lemper compilation, All That Jazz: The Best of Ute Lemper
All That Jazz: The Best of Ute LemperSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 21 tracks1All That Jazz4:052Don't Tell Mama3:303Mon légionnaire3:594Whenever We Get Close4:245Careless Love Blues3:426Die Moritat von Mackie Messer (Mack the Knife)3:137Alabama-Song4:408Nannas Lied3:439Bilbao-Song4:3310Surabaya Johnny6:0511Le Grand Lustucru3:1512My Ship3:0013Want to Buy Some Illusions2:5114They Call Me Naughty Lola2:4115L'Accordéoniste4:5616La Vie en rose3:1617Psalm3:4118When the Special Girlfriend2:3919The Smart Set4:2020I Am a Vamp!3:5721The Lavender Song3:00, was released. In 2003 and 2006, Lemper's songwriting talents were shown on her discs from those years as she moved from being an interpretive singer to a singer-songwriter.
Discography & profile
Normalised profile
Percentiles are computed over every artist in the database, so a tier-3 artist can still sit in the 95th percentile on a single axis.
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 33 | 91.9th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 22 | 87.8th |
| Studio albums | 18 | 95.8th |
| Awards recorded | 6 | 97.7th |
| Timeline events | 26 | 95.9th |
| Recording span (years) | 38 | 78th |
| Genres | 5 | 88.3th |
Percentiles are computed at render time; missing values mean the artist has no data on that axis.
Discography (22 release groups · 18 studio albums)
Albums · 18
1987 · studio album
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Tracklist · 11 tracks · 40:11
1Willkommen1:372Mein Herr3:063Maybe This Time3:364Don’t Tell Mama3:285Cabaret3:426Non c’est rien3:357I Dreamed a Dream5:218One Night Only4:199Miss Celie’s Blues (Sister)3:1710Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do)4:3611The Rose3:341989 · studio album
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Tracklist · 11 tracks · 48:51
1Crimes of the Heart6:072You Look Just Like a Girl Again4:193Sabotage4:524Changing With the Years4:055Ruby3:526Und wenn er wiederkommt4:087Wherever the Dream Takes Me4:148That’s the Easy Part4:109The Other Side of Me3:4710Small Touches of You4:2611Envie d’amour4:511992 · studio album
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Tracklist · 14 tracks · 1:03:44
1Want to Buy Some Illusions2:532Ich bin die fesche Lola / They Call Me Naughty Lola2:413Les Feuilles mortes5:184Padam5:375Elle fréquentait la rue Pigalle5:426Ich bin Kopf bis Fuss auf Liebe eingestellt / Falling in Love Again6:107Black Market4:088T'es beau, tu sais4:539Jonny, wenn du Geburtstag hast4:2610L'Accordéoniste4:5411'Round Midnight6:1112La Vie en rose3:1113Non, je ne regrette rien4:2214Want to Buy Some Illusions3:181993 · studio album
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Tracklist · 11 tracks · 45:02
1Parler d'amour (feat. Art Mengo)3:402Quand tu sortiras4:463La malle était fermée3:214Espace indécent3:285La Peur4:306Le Vague à femme3:227Mes deux amants2:488Dors mon étranger7:489Le Petit Prince3:5010Cet enfant que je porte3:0611Il neige sur Venise4:23Ute Lemper Sings Kurt Weill, Volume 2
1993 · studio album
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Tracklist · 14 tracks · 1:00:11
1Bilbao‐Song4:352Surabaya‐Johnny6:023Was die Herren Matrosen sagen6:594Der Song von Mandelay2:155Das Lied vom Branntweinhändler3:466Youkali5:477Les Filles de Bordeaux3:118Le Train du ciel5:499Le Grand Lustucru3:1310Le Roi d’Aquitaine2:3111J’attends un navire4:5612One Life to Live3:1113A Saga of Jenny4:5714My Ship2:591995 · studio album
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Tracklist · 13 tracks · 1:14:01
1Losing My Mind4:592Barbara5:393Allein in einer großen Stadt5:254J'attends le doux veuvage5:455The Ladies Who Lunch6:026Immense and Red10:587Lili Marleen - Death Is a Master From Germany4:568Being Alive4:539Déjeuner du matin4:0210Die Kleptomanin2:4111Embrasse-moi4:1112Der Graben6:0413Immense et rouge8:261996 · studio album
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Tracklist · 18 tracks · 1:13:22
1Alles Schwindel4:142Sex‐Appeal6:083Peter, Peter, komm zu mir zurück!4:414Das Gesellschaftslied4:215Wenn die beste Freundin2:416Ich bin ein Vamp!3:577L’heure bleue3:488Zieh dich aus, Petronella!2:229Raus mit den Männern!2:3810Der Verflossene4:0111Gesetzt den Fall4:2112Ich weiß nicht, zu wem ich gehöre4:1413Das lila Lied3:0414Maskulinum - Femininum1:4815Mir ist heut so nach Tamerlan!4:5816Eine kleine Sehnsucht4:0717Wir wollen alle wieder Kinder sein!3:5218Münchhausen8:07Berlin Cabaret Songs (Sung in English)
1997 · studio album
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Tracklist · 18 tracks · 1:12:15
1It’s All a Swindle4:142Sex Appeal6:153Peter, Peter3:174The Smart Set4:225When the Special Girlfriend2:406I Am a Vamp!4:007L’Heure bleue3:488Take It Off, Petronella!2:299Chuck Out the Men!2:4010The Washed‐up Lover4:0111O Just Suppose4:1612I Don’t Know Who I Belong To4:1013The Lavender Song3:0414Maskulinum – Femininum1:5015A Little Attila4:5616A Little Yearning4:0617Oh, How We Wish That We Were Kids Again3:5318Münchhausen8:141997 · studio album
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Tracklist · 12 tracks · 51:55
1Rêve avec moi3:562Vie aimée4:293Danseur de nuit4:134Gipsies4:575Avec toi4:096Même si la terre explose4:327Tiananmen5:028L'orgie blanche4:589Les fleurs du mal4:0910Trouble Man4:2611Des promesses3:5312Filé comme un collant3:112000 · studio album
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Tracklist · 12 tracks · 57:24
1The Case Continues3:512Tango Ballad5:003Passionate Fight4:144Little Water Song3:585Purple Avenue4:246Streets of Berlin4:027Split3:428Couldn't You Keep That to Yourself2:509Punishing Kiss4:3210You Were Meant for Me5:1511The Part You Throw Away4:4412Scope J.10:522002 · studio album
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Tracklist · 13 tracks · 54:32
1September Song5:112I Surrender5:133Speak Low4:544Lena4:455Ne me quitte pas3:526But One Day5:577Buenos Aires4:318Living Without You3:319Oblivion4:2610Little Face4:0111Amsterdam3:2112Ballad of Marie Sanders2:5813On Brecht — Epilogue1:52Between Yesterday and Tomorrow
2007 · studio album
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Tracklist · 11 tracks · 53:37
1The Greatest Ride4:042Stranger Friend4:503Blood and Feathers5:474Luna3:535Ghosts of Berlin7:116Wings of Desire4:147Nomad6:468Here Is Love5:329Nevada4:5310September Mourn5:3011Epilog0:572012 · studio album
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Tracklist · 13 tracks · 1:13:14
1Elle fréquentait la rue Pigalle4:592L’Accordéoniste6:123Surabaya Johnny & Die Moritat von Mackie Messer9:554Der Graben5:035Über den Selbstmord3:026Ballade vom Wasserrad4:307La última grela7:138Oblivion4:429Yo soy María3:2410Temnaya Noch5:5911Ikh shtey unter a Bokserboym6:4112Stiller Abend6:0513Ne me quitte pas5:29Forever: The Love Poems of Pablo Neruda
2013 · studio album
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Tracklist · 12 tracks · 1:02:50
1La Nuit dans l’île5:392Madrigal escrito en invierno3:473If You Forget Me7:354Tus manos3:575El viento en la isla5:116Alianza / Sonata6:357Siempre3:118Always4:079Ausencia4:0710El sueño3:5711Oda con un lamento7:3612The Saddest Poem / Nr. 207:082016 · studio album
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Tracklist · 12 tracks · 59:56
1The Nine Secrets: No. 1. Beauty4:382The Nine Secrets: No. 2. Love5:393The Nine Secrets: No. 3. Movimento7:074The Story of Accra3:095The Nine Secrets: No. 4. Solitude5:526The Nine Secrets: No. 5. Sex6:277The Nine Secrets: No. 6. Success4:418The Nine Secrets: No. 7. The Word and the Virtue6:559The Nine Secrets: No. 8. Fire5:1710The Nine Secrets: No. 9. Change7:3911Paulo's Story1:2912A Thought1:032020 · studio album
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Tracklist · 20 tracks · 1:14:26
1One for My Baby3:442Lili Marleen3:133They Call Me Naughty Lola3:134Blowing in the Wind4:355Marie Marie3:556Ruins of Berlin3:527Und wenn er wiederkommt3:418When the World Was Young4:579Wenn ich mir was wünschen dürfte3:3710Want to Buy Some Illusions3:4611Que reste‐t‐il de nos amours ?6:4312The Laziest Gal in Town2:4513Where Have All the Flowers Gone4:3414Just a Gigolo3:0415Falling in Love Again3:0316Ich hab’ noch einen Koffer in Berlin2:0617Allein in einer großen Stadt4:5418Déjeuner du matin2:5219Wenn der Sommer wieder einzieht3:0720Sch… Kleines Baby2:452023 · studio album
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Tracklist · 10 tracks · 40:50
1Time Traveler4:062In My Flame4:403Moving On3:594Magical Stone4:365At the Reservoir4:546Little Face – the Sequel4:097Man with No Face3:468Envie d’amour3:249Cry in the Dark3:2910The Gift3:472025 · studio album
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Tracklist · 8 tracks · 41:06
1Mack the Knife4:492Speak Low5:443Surabaya Johnny4:224My Ship4:165Pirate Jenny5:536Le Grand Lustucru5:057Die Ballade vom ertrunkenen Mädchen6:068Salomon Song4:51
Album · 3
| Cover | Year | Title | Notes | First release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Ute Lemper Live (Ihre Großen Tournee-Erfolge...)Search SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 17 tracks · 1:08:03Disc 1 1Willkommen1:36 2Neverland Under (Peter Pan)3:40 3Cabaret3:54 4Clap Your Hands4:47 5Maybe This Time3:45 6Hold Tight4:19 7Non c'est rien3:55 8Sax Intermission0:32 9Miss Celie's Blues (Sister)4:18 10One Night Only4:22 Disc 21Allein4:27 2Ellington Medley9:53 3Surabaya Johnny4:33 4Tschaikowsky1:05 5Mein Herr3:25 6Enough Is Enough8:05 7Neverland Under (reprise)1:27 | Live | 8 July 1991 | |
| 1998 | All That Jazz: The Best of Ute LemperSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 21 tracks · 1:19:301All That Jazz4:05 2Don't Tell Mama3:30 3Mon légionnaire3:59 4Whenever We Get Close4:24 5Careless Love Blues3:42 6Die Moritat von Mackie Messer (Mack the Knife)3:13 7Alabama-Song4:40 8Nannas Lied3:43 9Bilbao-Song4:33 10Surabaya Johnny6:05 11Le Grand Lustucru3:15 12My Ship3:00 13Want to Buy Some Illusions2:51 14They Call Me Naughty Lola2:41 15L'Accordéoniste4:56 16La Vie en rose3:16 17Psalm3:41 18When the Special Girlfriend2:39 19The Smart Set4:20 20I Am a Vamp!3:57 21The Lavender Song3:00 | Compilation | 9 February 1998 | |
| 2005 | Blood & FeathersSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 15 tracks · 1:07:531Pirate Jenny7:32 2Milord6:35 3Blood and Feathers3:08 4The Ladies Who Lunch5:37 5Bilbao Song2:02 6Moon Dance2:19 7Moon Over Bourbon Street3:37 8Moon of Alabama0:53 9Moon at the Window2:53 10It’s Only a Paper Moon2:34 11Grapefruit Moon4:04 12Lili Marlene2:32 13Muenchhausen/The Baron of the Lies8:19 14Accordéoniste10:15 15Cabaret Medley5:33 | Live | 7 June 2005 |
Single · 1
| Cover | Year | Title | Notes | First release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Punishing KissSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 2 tracks · 7:501Little Water Song3:58 2The Case Continues3:52 | 2000 |
Stats & PK
Percentile within all 23,672 published artists.Put Ute Lemper head-to-head →
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 33 | 91.9th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 22 | 87.8th |
| Studio albums | 18 | 95.8th |
| Awards recorded | 6 | 97.7th |
| Timeline events | 26 | 95.9th |
| Recording span (years) | 38 | 78th |
| Genres | 5 | 88.3th |
Awards & honours
| Year | Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical | won | |
| 1998 | Laurence Olivier Awards | won | |
| 1999 | Theatre World Award | won | |
| 2000 | Berliner Bär | won | |
| 2014 | Steiger Award | won | |
| 2017 | German Musical Theatre Prizes | won |
Where this record comes from
portrait—Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0 · retrieved 11 October 2026
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ute_Lemper.jpgaliases/urls—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/65d509a1-7e8c-47c2-ae57-14fdd882b16adiscography—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/65d509a1-7e8c-47c2-ae57-14fdd882b16acore—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q60659genre—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 11 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q60659seed-list—wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ute_Lemperbiography—wikipedia-en · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ute_Lemper
Why this artist is in the database
- List of German musicians
Tier rule: notable long tail (listeners 0, 33 language versions)
Image: Elena Torre from Viareggio, Italia · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Wikidata: Q60659 · MusicBrainz: 65d509a1-7e8c-47c2-ae57-14fdd882b16a
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