Writer(s): Angeline van Otterdijk Composer(s): Ed van Otterdijk Maximilian Nepomuk Mutzke (born May 21, 1981 in Krenkingen, Baden-Württemberg) is a German singer and drummer. Max Mutzke started his career in a funk band called Project Five. He gained public interest in spring 2004 when he won SSDSGPS (Stefan sucht den Super-Grand-Prix-Star), a talent contest hosted in Stefan Raab's Late-Night-Show TV total. Afterwards he released his first single "Can't Wait Until Tonight" (composed by Raab), which entered the German single charts at #1 on March 22, 2004 and eventually met the conditions laid down for Max to be admitted into Germany's pre-selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2004 as a wild-card entry. In the televoting of the final show on March 19, 2004 Max defeated nine other competitors (including established artists like Scooter or Sabrina Setlur). A majority of 92,95% of all votes made him the German entry for the 49th Eurovision Song Contest in Istanbul. Thereupon the singer went back to school and passed his final high school examination, before teaming up with Raab once again to finish his self-titled solo album in summer 2004. The record, a mixture of funk, soul and pop in German and in English language, debuted at #1 on the German album charts and spawned the singles "Schwarz Auf Weiß", "Spür Dein Licht" and "Catch Me If You Can". From May to June 2005 Max then went on a club tour across Germany, Austria and Switzerland, before touring with Katie Melua. His second album Max Mutzke ...aus dem Bauch was released on June 8, 2007. His third album "Max Mutzke ... Black Forest" was released on November 28, 2008. In 2010, he co-wrote the song "I Care For You" for Jennifer Braun, who placed second in the German national final for the Eurovision Song Contest 2010. The song was written and composed by Udo Schild, known also as Leon Delray, the comedian and entertainer Stefan Raab, who previously had written both Guildo Horn's 1998 entry "Guildo hat euch lieb!" and his own "Wadde hadde dudde da?" in 2000. Despite Germany having finished 11th at the 2003 Contest and thus missing the automatic qualification that a top-ten berth would bring, the song was pre-qualified for the final as Germany (along with France, Spain and the United Kingdom) are part of the "Big Four" and guaranteed entry at any Contest. Thus, it was performed eighth on the night (following the Netherlands' Re-Union with "Without You" and preceding Albania's Anjeza Shahini with "The Image of You"). At the close of voting, it had received 93 points, placing 8th in a field of 24. Until the 2009 Contest, it was the last top 10 finish for a "Big Four" country. The song is a ballad, with Max singing about his desire for his lover and telling her that he "can't wait until tonight/for being with you". He goes on to tell her about how he felt the first time he saw her and how much he wants to prove his love. The song was a jazz number, which U.K. commentator Terry Wogan likened to the music of the recent jazz phenomenon, Jamie Cullum. Max appeared dressed casually in a black jumper and trousers. The performance was relatively subdued, however Max performed one chorus in Turkish, which was greeted with considerable applause by the crowd - the Contest being held that year in Istanbul. In an interview after the performance, writer Stefan Raab jokingly told Sertab Erener that he had written the song specifically for her. Max was accompanied by Raab (on the acoutic guitar) and some members of the Heavytones (the band from TV Total) during his gig. Official Web Site: www.eurovision.tv © European Broadcasting Union 2004. All rights reserved.

• published: 21 Oct 2013
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