Jan Delay

A genre-jumping German artist whose career includes hip-hop hits and reggae albums, Jan Delay was born as Jan Phillip Eißfeldt in Hamburg on August 25, 1976. He began his career as a member of Beginner, a hip-hop group whose 1998 single "Liebes Lied" became a Top 10 hit in Germany. One year later, Jan Delay jumpstarted his solo career with a reggae cover of Nena's mid-'80s pop classic "Irgendwie, irgendwo, irgendwann." The song peaked at Number 2 in Germany and Austria, while also reaching Number 5 in Switzerland and Number 10 on the European Hot 100 Singles chart. Although Beginner continued releasing new material during the 2000s, the group's prolific output slowed significantly, allowing Jan Delay the time to make his full-length solo debut with 2001's Searching for the Jan Soul Rebels. Two years later, Beginner climbed to Number 1 in Germany with the album Blast Action Heroes, which proved to be the group's final release for more than a dozen years. Jan Delay maintained his momentum as a solo artist during the interim, releasing Mercedes Dance in 2006, Searching in 2007, and Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Soul in 2009. A popular performer throughout Europe, he sang "Oh Jonny" and "Klar" at the Eurovision Song Contest grand final in 2011 and continued releasing his own songs during the years that followed. 2021 found him collaborating with other artists, teaming up with rapper Marteria for the song "Eule" and partnering with soul singer Denyo for "Spass."