Jasmin Wagner

Biography

Jasmin Wagner (pronounced [jasˈmiːn ˈvaːɡnɐ]; born April 20, 1980), better known as Blümchen (pronounced [ˈblyːmçən] ), is a German pop and dance music singer. While she releases her English-language albums under the name Blossom, her German stage name, Blümchen, translates to "floret" or "small flower."

== Early life == Born in Hamburg, West Germany, to a German father and a Croatian mother, she began performing as a cheerleader for the Hamburg Blue Angels, a squad affiliated with the Hamburg Blue Devils American football team.

== Career ==

=== 1995–1996: Career beginnings and Herzfrequenz === In 1995, at the age of 15, she began her musical career under the name Blümchen. She became the most successful German female singer of the 1990s. She also released singles and albums in other German-speaking countries, Scandinavia, and Asia. Her debut studio album, Herzfrequenz, was released in 1996, following the success of the chart hit "Herz an Herz," a cover of a Paso Doble song. This was followed by the singles "Kleiner Satellit (Piep, Piep)", "Boomerang", and "Du und ich," all of which became chart successes. In 1996, Wagner released her first English-language single, a cover of the Queen song "Bicycle Race," which was the only single released under both the names Blümchen and Blossom. This release paved the way for her international career as Blossom, including the studio album Heartbeat, the English counterpart to Herzfrequenz. The album featured English versions of "Herz an Herz" and "Du und ich," released as the singles "Heart to Heart" and "You and Me," respectively. "Bicycle Race" was also included on the Queen tribute compilation album Queen Dance Traxx I, which featured an ensemble cast song credited as Acts United, "We Are the Champions."

=== 1997–1998: Verliebt... and Jasmin === In 1997, Wagner released her second studio album, Verliebt..., along with its English-language counterpart, In Love..., under the name Blossom. Singles from Verliebt... included the Nena cover "Nur geträumt," "Verrückte Jungs," and "Gib mir noch Zeit" (released as "Just a Dream" and "Give Me More Time" as Blossom). Later, the album Verliebt... was reissued under the subtitle "Die Fanedition" with reworked cover art, a bonus medley, and a new song, the single "Sesam-Jam (der, die, das)," which sampled the German version of the Sesame Street theme. In 1998, Wagner released her eponymous third studio album, Jasmin, which featured the singles "Blaue Augen," the Ideal cover "Ich bin wieder hier" (a Rozalla cover), and "Es ist vorbei." The album marked a shift from her earlier happy hardcore style to a more pop and dance-oriented sound. That same year, she contributed to the charity single "Let the Music Heal Your Soul" as part of the supergroup Bravo All Stars.

=== 1999–2000: Live in Berlin and Die Welt gehört dir === In 1999, the album Jasmin was re-released with updated cover art and two additional songs: the singles "Heut' ist mein Tag" and "Tu es mon île," a French-language version of "Du bist die Insel," which had originally appeared on the Verliebt... album. That same year, Wagner released her first and only live album, Live in Berlin, which included a previously unreleased track, the Christmas single "Unter'm Weihnachtsbaum." In 2000, Wagner released her fourth studio album, Die Welt gehört dir, featuring the singles "Ist deine Liebe echt?," "Die Welt gehört mir," and "Ich vermisse dich." The latter served as her farewell single as Blümchen, marking the conclusion of this chapter in her career.

=== 2001–2002: Für immer und ewig and films === Before Wagner retired the Blümchen moniker, the greatest hits compilation album Für immer und ewig was released, featuring a previously unreleased song, the promotional single "Es ist nie vorbei," which included a collaboration with Swedish artist E-Type. Wagner also participated in the 2001 charity single "Die Stadt mit der Nase im Wind" as part of the supergroup Hamburg Allstars. In the same year, she appeared on the Norwegian rock band Turbonegro's tribute album, Alpha Motherfuckers, performing the song "Are You Ready for Some Darkness" alongside Die Ärzte member Bela B. For this project, which marked a significant shift from her electronic sound to an independent rock style, Wagner adopted the stage name Denim Girl for the first and only time. Later that year, Wagner released her first and only promotional single under the mononym Jasmin, a cover of "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town," originally performed by Eddie Cantor. This Christmas song was exclusively available at Tchibo stores. Wagner also ventured into acting, making cameo appearances in several films, most notably as a race car fan in the 2001 movie Driven, starring Sylvester Stallone.

=== 2003–2007: Singles and Die Versuchung ===