Alexander Klaws (born 3 September 1983) is a German singer, songwriter, actor, and television host. He rose to fame in 2003 after winning the debut season of the television series Deutschland sucht den Superstar, the German Idol series adaptation. His debut single "Take Me Tonight" topped the German and Swiss Singles Charts and became the third-best-selling single of 2003 in Germany. Klaws's debut studio album, Take Your Chance (2003), also debuted at number one on German Albums Chart. He followed it with his second number-one album Here I Am (2004) and has since released four further albums, including his latest effort Auf die Bühne, fertig, los! (2015). Several songs from these albums became hit singles on the pop charts, including the number-one hit "Free Like the Wind" as well as the top ten entries "Behind the Sun", "Sunshine After the Rain", and "Stay with Me".
Klaws ventured into acting in the mid-2000s, making his stage debut.
Immediately after his study at the "Joop van den Ende Academie" debut at the Berlin Theater des Westens in 2006, playing the role of Alfred in the musical remake of the horror-comedy film Dance of the Vampires. He has since led several productions, having appeared as Tarzan in Tarzan, Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar, Tony in Saturday Night Fever, and Sam in Ghost the Musical. In 2008, he originated the role of Lars Hauschke in the Sat.1 telenovela Anna und die Liebe. In 2013, Klaws hosted the music programme Goldschlager – Die Hits der Stars on Sat.1 Gold; the following year, he won the seventh season of the dance contest Let's Dance.
Early life
Klaws was born in Ahlen and raised in nearby Sendenhorst to Richard and Hildegard Klaws. He has an older sister, Melanie (born 1980). He was an avid football player and still plays soccer on charity teams whenever he finds the time. Klaws's musical gifts became apparent when he was still in elementary school. He made his first television appearance at the age of 10, performing Haddaway's "What Is Love" on a national TV show for children. By the time he was 13, he was taking vocal and piano lessons to strengthen his voice.
Career
2002–2003: Deutschland sucht den Superstar
In 2002, Klaws was encouraged by his family and friends to audition for the debut season of the reality television series Deutschland sucht den Superstar. Although he was considered as one of the more inconspicuous top ten finalists at the very beginning of the show, he was able to boost his popularity constantly with standout performances of Robbie Williams' "Angels" or Michael Sembello's "Maniac". Klaws went on to win the competition on 8 March 2003, earning 70.1% of the votes against runner-up Juliette Schoppmann and without being sent into the bottom three throughout the season.
Immediately after winning DSDS, Klaws was signed to a record deal with Sony BMG, while jury member Dieter Bohlen was consulted to produce his debut album on the company. On 17 March 2003 his debut single, "Take Me Tonight" was released. The song was performed by Klaws during the season finale of DSDS. The song subsequently debuted at number 1 in Germany and Switzerland. It eventually went on to become the second best-selling single of 2002 behind "We Have a Dream" and was certified quintuple gold by the Bundesverband Musikindustrie (BVMI). In May he followed up with his debut album Take Your Chance, which saw similar success and spawned a second single "Stay with Me". At the end of a year he entered the top of the charts again with "Free Like the Wind", the soundtrack to the German TV movie .
On 25 December 2003, Klaws participated in the television special competition World Idol in London along the inaugural winners of the several Idol television series around the world. He was contractually obligated to participate, and performed Michael Sembello's "Maniac". On 1 January 2004 he finished ninth in the competition.