* En anglais uniquement
Austrian singer
Simone parlayed an entry in the 1990 Eurovision Song Contest into an enduring career as a schlager singer and occasional actress. After issuing her debut album, Feuer im Vulkan, in 1990, she appeared regularly on the TV variety show Tohuwabohu throughout much of the '90s, and released her fifth LP,
Träume, in 1999. With her popularity holding steady into the next decade,
Simone was a contestant on Dancing Stars in 2006, and she had her first Austrian Top Five hit with 2009's Morgenrot. In 2018,
Wahre Liebe, her third duet album with
Charly Brunner, went all the way to number one.
Born in Vienna and raised in Herzogenburg,
Simone Stelzer took part in the Eurovision Song Contest as a young adult in 1990. Her entry, "Keine Mauern Mehr," launched her career as a schlager singer. She quickly released the debut album Feuer im Vulkan the same year. Entering the song contest again in 1994, she placed fourth in Austria's qualifying round. That year saw the release of her follow-up album, Gute Reise. By that time,
Simone could be seen regularly on TV's Tohuwabohu, continuing through its final season in 1998. In the meantime, she delivered the Top 40 albums Ich Liebe Dich and
Aus Liebe, and had roles in TV movies including 1998's Fröhliche Chaoten. She closed out the '90s with the release of her fifth album,
Träume, in 1999. It landed in the Top 30.
Simone reached the Top 30 again with 2001's
Solang Wir Lieben, which she followed two years later with her seventh album, Ganz Nah. After reaching number 14 on the album chart with 2005's
Schwerelos, she competed on Austrian TV's Dancing Stars in 2006 and served as a jury member for It's Showtime in 2007. Her ninth studio long-player, the
David Brandes-produced Morgenrot, peaked at number five on the Austrian album chart in 2009. She followed with
Mondblind in 2010. It stalled just outside of the Top Ten, but her 2012 set,
Pur, reclaimed upward movement, charting at number three.
After
Pur,
Simone embarked on a series of collaborations with fellow schlager singer
Charly Brunner. They enjoyed Top Ten appearances with both 2013's Das Kleine Große Leben and 2015's Alles Geht! The year 2015 also brought the release of 25 Jahre Simone: Die Ultimative Best Of.
Her third duo album with
Brunner,
Wahre Liebe, topped the Austrian album chart upon its release in 2018. She issued the solo single "Leichtes Spiel" in late 2019. ~ Marcy Donelson & Christian Genzel