Michelle

Pop diva Michelle spent more than a decade in the upper echelons of the German charts. Born Tanja Oberloher in Villingen-Schwenningen on February 15, 1972, she grew up in the Blumberg area, singing in local bands as a teen. Michelle placed second in the 1994 Deutschen Schlager-Festspielen, and three years later she competed in the annual Eurovision Song Contest with "Im Auge des Orkans." Though she did not win the competition, the attention nevertheless vaulted her to stardom, bolstering sales of her third full-length, Wie Flammen im Wind. A scheduled 2007 tour was abruptly canceled in late January due to illness, and in March, Michelle announced her pending retirement. ~ Jason Ankeny