Round birthday

Superstar from next door Helene Fischer turns 40

Helene Fischer is currently taking a creative break and celebrating her 40th birthday away from the stage.

(Bild: picturedesk.com/Jan Woitas / dpa)

Helene Fischer is what you would call a superstar. She has sold almost 18 million records and even those who don't know much about her music are sure to have heard songs like "Atemlos durch die Nacht" or "Achterbahn". 

Even the German national soccer team celebrated to her music after winning the World Cup title in 2014. A dream career for the pop singer, who turns 40 on Monday (August 5).

Fischer was born in 1984 in Krasnoyarsk in the Siberian region. Back then it was still the Soviet Union, now Russia. The family soon moved to Germany, to Wöllstein in Rhineland-Palatinate. Even then, Helene loved singing and dancing and trained as a musical performer in Frankfurt am Main. Then, at the age of almost 20, she was given a huge opportunity: she made her television debut in 2005 on ARD's "Hochzeitsfest der Volksmusik". At her side: presenter Florian Silbereisen, with whom she sang the very romantic "Komm mit nach Varaždin", about roses, love and happiness.

Helene Fischer is known for her sexy stage outfits.

(Bild: snapshot / SZ-Photo / picturedesk.com)

Ten years as a dream couple
 "I really just held on to him a little bit. I was very happy that he was by my side and that we mastered it together in a playful way," she recalled in the 2021 documentary "15 Jahre im Rausch" on the TV channel Vox. Was there already a sizzle between them back then? A few years later, they were together and were considered the dream couple of the pop world for ten years. She is now in a relationship with acrobat Thomas Seitel and has a daughter.

The fact that Fischer became so famous is not only due to the catchiness of her songs, which quickly become earworms, whether you like it or not. Her personality also plays a major role. On the one hand flawlessly enraptured and perfect, on the other down-to-earth and warm, an ideal projection screen for wishes and desires. Helene, the girl next door you'd like to be friends with.

Helene Fischer with her ex Florian Silbereisen

(Bild: Henning Kaiser/dpa/picturedesk.com)

Helene Fischer floated through the air during the recording of the "Helene Fischer Show" with Thomas Seitel.

(Bild: APA/dpa/Rolf Vennenbernd)

Sorrow, hopes, wishes
She sings about things that almost everyone has already experienced, as Bochum-based pop music researcher Ingo Grabowsky once put it. Love, longing, sorrow, hopes, wishes - the whole range of human sensitivities can be found in her songs. A mixture that appeals to people across all generations. "Helene Fischer always came on stage as innocent as an angel, at least in the beginning, and was someone that men could adore without the woman getting jealous," says Grabowsky.

On a first-name basis with the fans - no problem for Fischer, as she proved at a concert in Vienna in the fall. As can be seen in a video, a child bluntly asks: "How's your baby?". Fischer seems surprised, laughs and doesn't hold back the answer: "The baby is doing great, it's already become a very, very sweet mouse," she says in a friendly manner. And she reveals: "We are very, very happy."

Helene Fischer

(Bild: Hendrik Schmidt / dpa / picturedesk.com)

Helene Fischer

(Bild: Titgemeyer Michael / Action Press / picturedesk.com)

Helene Fischer

(Bild: APA/EVA MANHART)

Artistic performances
But it's not just the human element that makes Fischer so attractive to her fans. It is also the artistic performances that the audience wants to see. Hanging upside down from the ceiling and singing at the same time? No problem for the singer. During her "Rausch" tour in 2023, she worked with artists from Cirque de Soleil and swung through the air on a trapeze or hung from a pole, her microphone firmly in her hand and her body under high tension.

"I'm not reckless," she told the television station RTL. "I'm an artist who likes to take on challenges." That only works with hard training - and a few injuries. Fischer broke a rib during acrobatic rehearsals and in June 2023, she injured her face with a trapeze bar at a concert in Hanover. The concert was canceled, but Fischer resumed her tour just two months later. "I'm doing fantastic," she shouted to her fans.

Insatiable interest in her private life
The downside of her fame: an insatiable interest in her private life. Silbereisen described what this feels like in 2018 when her love break-up became public. "For ten years, the media has been speculating week after week about marriage, children or separation. For years, people haven't even shied away from rummaging through our garbage can to find anything private and construct a story out of it," Silbereisen wrote on social media.

While other celebrities post vacation photos and moments from their lives, Fischer shields her private life. Even where and how she celebrates her birthday is not revealed. The 2013 documentary "Alone in the Light" provided rare insights, but is no longer available. Fischer was accompanied by a camera for months, even away from the limelight.

Creative break until 2026
"Of course, the audience only ever sees the perfect show. Of course I'm an entertainer on stage and in my role, but in private I'm someone who doesn't really need show and glamor," Fischer told the German Press Agency at the time. The public Helene loves make-up, styling, fancy clothes and high heels. "In private, I like it totally pared down: preferably jeans."

The pop star is currently taking a creative break. So fans will have to wait until her next concert series. Her 360-degree stadium tour is not due to start until summer 2026.