Sebastian Hämer

Blue-eyed soul singer Sebastian Hämer became a household name only after his music was already well-established on the charts. Thanks to a marketing scheme, his breakthrough hit, "Sommer Unseres Lebens," was first credited solely to the mysterious "Fliegende Mann," or "Flying Man." Born March 17, 1979, in Rostock, Hämer first pursued a career in extreme sports, but a 2000 snowboarding accident ended that pursuit. He instead joined the R&B group Turn Up, and after mounting a solo career competed in the ZDF reality showcase Die Deutsche Stimme 2003. Upon teaming with producers Moses Pelham and Martin Hass, Hämer began work on his debut solo effort, but to create interest in the project the producers issued the lead single, "Sommer Unseres Lebens," as a white-label release credited to "Der Fliegende Mann," revealing the singer's true identity only after the record cracked the German Top Ten. The LP, also titled Der Fliegende Mann, followed by year's end. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi