Raised in a small German town near the Dutch border, songwriter Johannes Oerding became a national star in 2009, when he released his debut album. Erste Wahl proved to be a hit, and Oerding supported its release by touring alongside acts like Simply Red, I + I, and Ina Müller. One year later, he joined the jury at the German Eurovision Song Contest and began working on his second album, Boxer, which appeared in 2011.