Yvonne Catterfeld (born 2 December 1979) is a German singer, actress and television personality. Born and raised in Erfurt, Thuringia, she later moved to Leipzig to pursue her career in music. In 2000, she participated in the debut season of the singing competition series Stimme 2000, where she came in second place. Catterfeld subsequently signed a recording deal with Hansa Records, which released her debut single "Bum" in 2001. The same year, she was propelled to stardom when she was cast in a main role in the German soap opera Gute Zeiten, schlechte Zeiten. In 2003, Catterfeld made her musical breakthrough when her fifth single, "Für dich", became an international number-one hit and produced the equally successful album Meine Welt.
Catterfeld continued booking success with follow-up albums Farben meiner Welt (2004) and Unterwegs (2005), which spawned the hit singles "Du hast mein Herz gebrochen" and "Glaub an mich". Following her departure from GZSZ and a starring role in the short-living telenovela Sophie – Braut wider Willen, she released her fourth album Aura, which was less successful commercially and led to a decline in her musical career. She transitioned to Sony Music, and after an unsuccessful period, returned to the top of music charts with the reissue of her sixth album Lieber so (2013), when she appeared in the second season of Sing meinen Song - Das Tauschkonzert, the German version of the series The Best Singers.
Throughout a career spanning 15 years, Catterfeld has sold nearly one million records as a solo artist, making her one of the best-known German female music artists. Aside from her commercial accomplishments, her work has earned her numerous awards and accolades, including a Bambi Award, a Goldene Stimmgabel, and an ECHO Award. An established actress, she has appeared in several international television and theatrical films, including Keinohrhasen (2007), The Promise (2011), and Beauty and the Beast (2014). In 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, and 2024, she was a coach on the German television series The Voice of Germany.
Early life Catterfeld was born and raised in Erfurt, Thuringia, then part of East Germany. Her father, Jürgen Catterfeld, is a foreman; her mother, Annemarie Catterfeld, is a teacher. A former athlete, Catterfeld started playing the piano and the flute at the age of 15, simultaneously taking her first dance and vocal lessons. After her high school graduation from Albert-Schweitzer-Gymnasium in Erfurt, she relocated to Leipzig to study pop and jazz at the Felix Mendelssohn College of Music and Theatre for two years. In 1998, her seven-song debut release, entitled KIV, hit the market but found little to no recognition in the music industry.
Career 2000–2003 After her studies in Leipzig, Catterfeld participated in the second season of the MDR singing competition series Stimme 2000, where she performed under her short-lived pseudonym Vivianne. Her self-written song "Whenever You Need a Friend" appeared on the show's promotional album Stimme 2000 – Die Finalisten. A critics' favorite, she finished second in the competition, losing to duo UC, consisting of singers Danny Heims and Kathrin Jantke, both of whom failed to sign a recording deal after the final show. Catterfeld, on the other hand, earned a management and recording contract with BMG sub-label Hansa Music by Stimme 2000 jury member and label boss Thomas Stein.
In 2001, Hansa released Catterfeld's first single "Bum", a re-written German uptempo version of British girl group All Saints's 1998 hit single "Never Ever", promoting her under her surname only. The song failed to chart however. In support of her musical ambitions, she auditioned for a supporting role in the long-running RTL Television soap opera Gute Zeiten, schlechte Zeiten the same year. Though generally unenthusiastic about an acting career at the time, Catterfeld accepted RTL's offer to join the cast as character Julia Blum. She first appeared on-screen in episode 2316, broadcast on 20 September 2001. Two months later, her next single "Komm zurück zu mir", a pop soul ballad, was released. A significant shift from the EDM-influenced sound of her debut single, it reached number 76 on the German Singles Chart. In 2002, Catterfeld was handpicked by musician Udo Lindenberg to appear on his 33rd album Atlantic Affairs. She recorded vocals for two songs on the album, which was later re-worked into a revue in which Catterfeld co-starred. Two further singles released by Catterfeld, "Niemand sonst" and "Gefühle", both reached the top forty of the German Singles Chart in 2002.
In March 2003, "Für dich" was released. Composed by Dieter Bohlen and re-written for Catterfeld, the pop ballad was heavily promoted on GZSZ. Upon its release it became an instant success, reaching the top of charts in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. One of the best-selling singles of 2003, it sold 250,000 copies within three days and was certified platinum by the Bundesverband Musikindustrie (BVMI). In May 2003, Catterfeld's debut album Meine Welt was released. A collection of pop songs and soul ballads with elements of contemporary R&B and dance, it debuted on top of the German Albums Chart and reached the top five in Austria and Switzerland, eventually going platinum. In October 2003, Mariah Carey invited Catterfeld to be the opening act for the German leg of her Charmbracelet World Tour in Hamburg, Berlin, and Munich. Also in 2003, Catterfeld hosted the MDR singing competition Lucky Star 2003, and became a regular co-host on the music event series The Dome.
2004–2008 In 2004, Catterfeld voiced angelfish Angie in the German version of DreamWorks' animated comedy film Shark Tale. "Du hast mein Herz gebrochen", the lead single from her second album, was released in January 2004 and became another number-one success for Catterfeld. Parent album Farben meiner Welt, was released two months later and reached the top ten on the charts. While not as commercially successful as its predecessor, it produced two further singles, both of which entered the top twenty and top thirty, respectively. After several breaks from filming, in late 2004, Catterfeld announced that she would permanently leave Gute Zeiten, schlechte Zeiten to concentrate on her music career. Her last appearance was broadcast on 15 February 2005.
In March 2005, Unterwegs, Catterfeld's third album, was released. It debuted at number one the German Albums Chart and produced the top five single "Glaub an mich". Unterwegs was later certified gold by the Bundesverband Musikindustrie (BVMI). Following its release, Catterfeld ended her management contract with longtime mentor Veronika Jarzombek. In November of the same year, she began starring as fictional central character Countess Sophie von Ahlen in the historical telenovela Sophie – Braut wider Willen. Broadcast to uneven ratings on Das Erste, the series was cancelled in March 2006 after 65 episodes only.
In October 2006, the singer released her fourth studio album, Aura. Mousse T., Walter Afanasieff, and Max Herre contributed to the project which took Catterfeld's work further into the R&B genre and introduced an adult contemporary edge to her pop sound. Upon its release, Aura debuted and peaked at number ten on the German Albums Chart, marking her lowest-charting album yet. While lead single "Erinner mich, dich zu vergessen" became her fourth top ten hit, the album's second and final single "Die Zeit ist reif" failed to reach the upper half of the German Singles Chart. In November, Catterfeld filmed the RTL television film , a thriller inspired by English author Daphne du Maurier's 1938 novel Rebecca. The film was not released until 2008.
In 2007, she co-starred with Stephan Luca in the romantic comedy Wenn Liebe doch so einfach wär. The television film garnered strong ratings upon its premiere, but received mixed to negative reviews from critics. The same year, Catterfeld made a cameo appearance as herself in Til Schweiger's Rabbit Without Ears, which became a surprise box-office hit and has since ranked among the most successful German films in Germany since the beginning of the audience census in 1968. In 2008, Catterfeld had a supporting role in comedy film U-900, a big screen parody of Wolfgang Petersen's epic war film Das Boot (1981). The satire was universally panned by critics.
2009–2013 Catterfeld's first project of 2009 was the police thriller Schatten der Gerechtigkeit co-starring Richy Müller. The film was well received by critics. , a two-part disaster film about volcanic caldera lake Laacher See, was broadcast to generally mixed reviews from critics. It was awarded a German Television Award the following year. Engel sucht Liebe, a Christmas comedy film, inspired by Wim Wenders's Wings of Desire (1987), was broadcast to moderate ratings. Also in 2009, Catterfeld had a minor role in Lilly the Witch: The Dragon and the Magic Book, a children's film directed by Stefan Ruzowitzky, and again played herself in Til Schweiger's Rabbit Without Ears 2. Because of her resemblance to actress Romy Schneider, she had also been cast to play the title role in the Warner Bros. film Eine Frau wie Romy. The project was cancelled in July 2009."Catterfeld sagt Projekt ab" , Focus, 27 July 2009
In March 2010, Catterfeld released her fifth album Blau im Blau on Columbia Records. Taking Catterfeld's work further toward an adult audience, it was recorded with smaller group of musicians. A moderate commercial success, Blau im Blau reached number 37 on the German Albums Chart. Its same-title lead single, the only track lifted from the album, failed to peak within the top fifty of the German Singles Chart. Also in 2010, Catterfeld appeared in the Sat.1 television film Die Frau des Schläfers, in which she played a call centre operator, whose son is abducted by his Iran father. The drama was broadcast to strong ratings. Catterfeld portrayed a soap opera actress in Dani Levy's comedy film Life Is Too Long, which received a theatrical release in late 2010. The project garnered largely mixed reviews by critics, who called it "enjoyable and exhausting at once."
In 2011, the compilation album The Best of Yvonne Catterfeld – Von Anfang bis jetzt was released. The same year, Catterfeld had a role in the Channel 4 period mini series The Promise, written and directed by Peter Kosminsky. The serial praised by critics,Christina Patterson, Israel needs its friends more than ever, The Independent, 23 February 2011 and earned nominations for both the British Academy Television Awards 2011 and the Royal Television Society Programme Awards 2011 in the category of best drama serial.Bafta TV awards 2011: nominations in full, The Guardian, 26 April 2011RTS announces shortlist for the Programme Awards 2011 , Royal Television Society, 28 February 2012 Also in 2011, she starred as Lotte Hass alongside Benjamin Sadler in the film about the first dive of Austrian biologist and diving pioneer Hans Hass in 1950. Broadcast in 2011 on ZDF and ORF, it became a rating success and earned Catterfeld favorable reviews for her performance. Catterfeld reunited with Stephan Luca for Am Ende die Hoffnung (2010), a romantic drama revolving around German submarine U-864 in World War II. Filmed in Berlin and Norway, the television film became a mediocre rating success for its network.