Formed in West Berlin in 1982, Nena was a new wave/pop quintet fronted by
Gabriele Kerner. The band is best known for the hit “99 Luftballons” (sung in
their native language) and “99 Red Balloons” (sung in English). Nena formed when
Kerner and her then-boyfriend Rolf Brendel (drummer) had left their previous
band, The Stripes. Adding guitarist Carlo Karges, bassist Jürgen Dehmel, and
keyboarist Jörn-Uwe Fahrenkrog-Peterson, the band was named after Kerner’s
nickname since she was a child. Their self-titled debut album was released in
1983. The album featured the massively success...