When your debut single is a big hit, it can be difficult to live up to expectations. There is a lot of pressure on your shoulders. But for Tim Bendzko, that simply has not been a problem. Since grabbing the attention of music fans in 2011 with the track “Nur noch kurz die Welt retten,” he has kept music fans eagerly listening. The German singer-songwriter has stayed true to himself while continually winning over fans with his memorable and likable pop-tinged tracks.

So this month, let’s get to know Tim Bendzko better and learn German with music!

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German hip hop groups and rappers like K.I.Z. and Cro are currently gracing the top of the German language music charts. However, it was bands like Die Fantastischen Vier that paved the way. But one should not talk about the group in the past tense. These guys haven’t hung up their microphones just yet. The four-member group has had big hits that are sure to catch your ear.

Fanta Vier, as they are affectionately called, is a winning combination for German learners. Their delivery is clearly articulated while the lyrics and music videos are often entertaining and very humorous. Let’s get to know Die Fantastischen Vier better with this month’s German music feature.

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German rapper Cro certainly isn’t the first musician to have a gimmick. His just happens to be a panda mask that covers the top half of his face, obscuring his identity. It features an upside-down cross drawn on the mask between the eyes.

Who is Cro, really? While you may ask that about any celebrity or public figure, it is especially relevant when learning about this music star. With no official private identity, we have only the information he provides in song as insight.

But while Cro might be considered a rapper, his music is positively poppy. Since the release of Raop, his debut full-length, in 2012, the young musician has been a star of the German music scene scooping up awards and topping the music charts.

Let’s get to know Cro for this month’s German Music feature!

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If you are reading this post, then you are probably already pretty aware of how challenging it can be to learn a new language. So, as a German learner, you can empathize with and be wildly impressed by the rapper Casper. Raised in America, he moved to Germany at the age of 11 when his parents split up. And despite having a German mother, his German-language knowledge was practically non-existent. Today, Casper is one of Germany’s most popular rappers. Like I said, impressive — right?

Let’s use his journey and his successes as motivation set to a fantastic soundtrack. This month, learn German with the music of Casper!

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In the early 2000s, the German music scene was seeing an exciting new wave of pop music. What makes the music from this time so special — especially for us language learners — is that this movement was dominated by German-language pop music. The female-fronted quartet Juli is one of the most popular of these German pop groups.

What makes Juli so much fun is that their music is easily accessible but with a bit of an alternative twist that is kind of catchy and perfect to sing along to. So this month, let’s get to know Juli while learning German!

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These two gentlemen, known together as Gloria, may look familiar to you. One is a known primarily as a member of the band Wir sind Helden, with whom he made four studio albums. The other is a well-known television moderator known for his talk shows and humorous gags. In 2013, Mark Tavassol (the musician) and Klaas Heufer-Umlauf (the television moderator) released their debut self-titled album as Gloria.

Regardless of what you might expect, given the backgrounds of the two men, the resulting music is extremely successful. They have made carefully constructed pop music with strong, driving melodies into their trademark.

So let’s get to know the duo better and practice your language skills with their music. This month, let’s learn German with Gloria!

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