Luca Hänni

Luca Hänni (born 8 October 1994) is a Swiss singer and television personality. He rose to fame in 2012 after winning the ninth season of Deutschland sucht den Superstar, the German version of the Idol franchise. He was the first non-German to do so and also the youngest ever winner of the show. Hänni's debut single, "Don't Think About Me", topped the singles charts in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. It was followed by the release of his debut album, My Name Is Luca, which debuted atop the Austrian and Swiss Albums Charts and became a gold-seller in both countries. His second studio album, Living the Dream, released in 2013, became his second consecutive number-one album in Switzerland.

Hänni decided to part ways with DSDS management and collaborated with Swiss DJ Christopher S on his third album, Dance Until We Die (2014). Following the termination of the project, he took further creative control for his fourth album When We Wake Up (2015), which saw him shifting to R&B music and became his fourth consecutive top ten album in Switzerland. Hänni's popularity was further enhanced by his participation in the SRF musical talent show Kampf der Orchester as well as the RTL competitive dancing talent show Dance Dance Dance, both of which he won in 2014 and 2017, respectively. In 2019, Hänni represented Switzerland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 with the song "She Got Me", finishing in fourth place.

Personal life Hänni was born in Bern, Switzerland. During kindergarten he received drumming lessons. At the age of nine he taught himself to play the guitar and piano. At that time, Hänni became the only minor, moreover the first non-German DSDS-winner.

Hänni's debut album My Name Is Luca, chiefly produced Deutschland sucht den Superstar judge Dieter Bohlen, was released on 18 May 2012. Comprising a set of previously unreleased recordings as well as cover versions of Ed Sheeran, Justin Bieber and Kings of Leon and several other songs that he had sung on the show, it debuted at number one on the Austrian and Swiss Albums Chart, while reaching number two in Germany. By August 2012, My Name Is Luca had been certified gold by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) in Austria and Switzerland and spawned a second single, "I Will Die for You".

In August 2012, he opened the auditions to tenth season of Deutschland sucht den Superstar in his native city Bern, for which he was seen in an advertising campaign since July 2012. Hänni's first concert tour, Luca Hänni & Band – Live on Tour, began in Hoyerswerda on 1 October 2012. It included 32 concerts in Germany, Austria and Switzerland and ended in Dresden on 20 November. Due to high demand in Switzerland additional concerts in Zürich, Uetendorf and Amriswil were recognized. In December 2012, Hänni presented the RTL II program BRAVO The Hits 2012 – The Show. In 2013, Hänni received the Swiss Music Award for Best Breaking Act National as well as the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award in the category Favorite Star: Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. In addition, he received two nominations for the Prix Walo, winning both, and earned an ECHO Award nomination for Newcomer International.

2014–2016: Dance Until We Die and When We Wake Up Hänni collaborated with Swiss DJ Christopher S on his third album Dance Until We Die. Taking his work further into the dance pop genre, it was released on Future Soundz, a division of K-tel International under exclusive license from Hänni's own Luca Music, following his departure from Universal. The album debuted and peaked at number six in the Swiss Albums Chart, becoming his third consecutive top ten album to do so, and produced the singles "I Can't Get No Sleep" and "Good Time", both of which entered the top thirty of the Swiss Singles Chart. The project had several club appearances and toured through Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Promotion on the album was discontinued in August 2014 following a fall out between Hänni and Christopher S, regarding the share-out of Dance Until We Dies and merchandising profits. The same month, he collaborated with a variety of Swiss musicians, including Noëmi Nadelmann, Pepe Lienhard, Francine Jordi, Sebalter and Melanie Oesch, on Migros's charity Christmas song "Ensemble" which supports the needy in Switzerland. Inspired by charity supergroup Band Aid and their 1984 hit single "Do They Know It's Christmas?", it debuted atop the Swiss Singles Chart and reached platinum status. Also in fall 2014, Hönni participated in the SRF musical talent show Kampf der Orchester, serving as a full-fledged team-member of the Lucerne formation BML Talents. He won the title.

From mid-January to February 2015 Hänni relocated to Los Angeles where he recorded his fourth studio album When We Wake Up along with Swiss music producer Fabian Egger. Songwriters such as Gary Pinto, Andre Merritt, James Fauntleroy, and Tushar Apte contributed to the album, which documented his foray into R&B and electronic music, departing from the predominant pop and dance pop sound established from her previous studio releases. Released by Muve Recordings in September 2015, it debuted at number six on the Swiss Albums Chart, becoming his fourth consecutive top ten album in Switzerland, and produced the top forty single "Set the World on Fire."

2017–present: Eurovision Song Contest, Dance, Dance, Dance and Let's Dance Hänni representing Switzerland with the song "She Got Me" in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 in Tel Aviv. In 2017, Hänni served as Switzerland's voting spokesperson in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 which took place in Kyiv, Ukraine. The same year, he appeared as a contestant on the second season of the RTL competitive dancing talent show Dance Dance Dance, partnered with fellow Deutschland sucht den Superstar winner Prince Damien. Considered one of the show's frontrunners throughout the entire competition, he ultimately placed first in the competition in October 2017. In December 2018, he released the single "Bei mir" which he promoted with a dancing performance at the Helene Fischer Show the same month. The song failed to chart. Selected by Swiss broadcaster SRG SSR through an internal selection process, he performed the song "She Got Me", a dance pop song that combines rhythmic and Middle Eastern elements and was penned together with a team of national and international composers at a Swiss songwriting camp. This marked Switzerland's highest result since Annie Cotton's "Moi, tout simplement" at the Eurovision Song Contest 1993. In February 2020, he won Best Male Act at the 13th Swiss Music Awards. Also that year, he finished third in the thirteenth season of the German talent series Let's Dance. His professional partner was Christina Luft. the lead single from his fifth studio album 110 Karat which was released in October 2020.

Discography

My Name Is Luca (2012) Living the Dream (2013) Dance Until We Die (2014) When We Wake Up (2015) 110 Karat (2020)