Joana Zimmer

German pop vocalist Joana Zimmer entered the world in Freiburg and later moved with her relatives to the United States. Enough years spent there allowed her to master unaccented, fluent English prior to her return to Germany, where she launched formal musical training. Early membership in the distinguished Berliner Choir supplied a solid base for the emerging performer. At fifteen she shifted focus to jazz and pop singing, appearing often in well-known jazz venues and hotels while also taking modeling jobs that helped fund her initial demo. That commanding vocal presence and accumulated stage work secured an introduction to Universal Music, which issued her first album, My Innermost, in 2005. Songwriting and production contributions came from Burt Bacharach, Andreas Carlsson (Celine Dion, Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys, etc.), and Gary Barlow, helping the project reach Billboard’s European Top 100 Albums chart; its lead single “I Believe” entered the national Top Ten immediately. The follow-up album enjoyed comparable success. The Voice in Me, which included her next hit “Bringing Down the Moon,” appeared on Billboard’s European Top 100 Albums chart in 2007. Although broader international recognition has not yet arrived, Zimmer regularly draws sizable crowds across Germany.