German singer/songwriter Gregor Meyle first gained widespread attention through a television competition before entering the studio to issue his initial single, the 2008 chart success “Niemand.” Born October 13, 1978, in Backnang, Baden-Württemberg, he grew up in the nearby community of Jagsthausen, also located in Baden-Württemberg. Although music had occupied him since childhood—he received his first guitar at age four and later performed in cover bands during his teenage years—public recognition arrived only after producers chose him for the casting program SSDSDSSWEMUGABRTLAD, an acronym for Stefan Sucht den Superstar, der Singen Soll, Was Er Möchte, und Gerne Auch bei RTL Auftreten Darf, a format modeled on American Idol and Pop Idol. He advanced through the contest to the final round, where he ultimately finished second behind winner Stefanie Heinzmann. Universal Music Group subsequently signed him and rushed out “Niemand,” the introspective ballad he had showcased on air; the track reached the German Top 30, entered the Swiss Top 50, and received a cover version from Heinzmann herself on her debut EP, My Man Is a Mean Man (2008). His first full album, So Soll Es Sein, appeared several months later and climbed into the German Top Ten while also landing in the Austrian Top 50. Two additional studio sets followed—Meylenweit in 2010 and Meile für Meyle in 2012—before the pivotal 2014 release New York: Stintino. That same year several earlier recordings reentered various European charts, restoring visibility to his catalog. In 2016 Meyle issued his fifth long-player, Die Leichtigkeit des Seins, on the independent imprint Meylemusic that he established himself.
