ABSTRACT
Introduction In recent years, music talent shows, which emerged in Germany in the 1990s, have become one of the most successful television formats. The most popular examples of this genre in Germany are ‘Popstars’ (since 2000), ‘Deutschland sucht den Superstar’ (Germany is Looking for the Superstar, since 2002), and ‘The Voice of Germany’ (since 2011). This article represents a concise introduction to the German music talent show environment, its history, and the most popular winners of the shows. It also addresses the reception by and effects of music talent on contemporary German popular music studies. By doing so, this article addresses a crucial gap in the literature on music talent shows.
