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{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2021}}
{{lead too long|date=July 2021}}
{{Infobox musical artist
|name = Max Mutzke
|image = Max Mutzke2013PF.jpg
|caption = Mutzke in 2013
|birth_name = Maximilian Nepomuk Mutzke
|alias = 
|birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1981|5|21}}
|birth_place = [[Waldshut-Tiengen]], West Germany
|genre = [[Soul music|Soul]], [[funk]], [[pop music|pop]], [[jazz]]
|occupation = Singer, musician, songwriter
|years_active = 2004–present (solo)
|label = {{hlist|[[Stefan Raab|Raab]]|[[Columbia Records|Columbia]]|[[Sony Music|Sony]]}}
|website ={{url|maxmutzke.de}}
}}
'''Maximilian Nepomuk Mutzke''' (born 21 May 1981) is a German singer, songwriter and television personality.<ref name="mmwl">{{cite news|title=Max Mutzke wegen Lena wieder am ESC interessiert|url=http://www.swp.de/ulm/nachrichten/vermischtes/Max-Mutzke-wegen-Lena-wieder-am-ESC-interessiert;art4304,496994|access-date=14 December 2010|newspaper=Südwest Presse|date=27 May 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120310151210/http://www.swp.de/ulm/nachrichten/vermischtes/Max-Mutzke-wegen-Lena-wieder-am-ESC-interessiert;art4304,496994|archive-date=10 March 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> He gained public interest in early 2004 when he won ''SSDSGPS'', a talent contest hosted in [[Stefan Raab]]'s late-night show ''[[TV total]]''. Mutzke subsequently qualified for and won the national pre-selection for the [[Eurovision Song Contest 2004]], ''[[Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest 2004|Germany 12 Points!]]'', and thus represented [[Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest|Germany]] with his debut single "[[Can't Wait Until Tonight]]" that year, eventually finishing eighth in a field of 24 participants.<ref>{{cite news|title=Max: "Schätzt mich nicht zu weit vorne"|url=http://www.netzeitung.de/entertainment/music/286648.html|access-date=14 December 2010|newspaper=[[Netzeitung]]|date=15 May 2004|language=de}}</ref> Meanwhile, "Can't Wait Until Tonight" debuted atop the [[German singles chart]] and became a top five hit in Austria and Switzerland. His [[Max Mutzke (album)|eponymous debut album]], a mixture of soul and pop songs in German and English language, was released in January 2005 and also reached number one in Germany, where it was certified [[Platinum certification|gold]] by the [[Bundesverband Musikindustrie]] (BVMI).

Mutzke followed this with a series of studios albums, which were released to varying commercial success, including ''[[...aus dem Bauch]]'' (2007), ''[[Black Forest (album)|Black Forest]]'' (2008), ''[[Home Work Soul]]'' (2010), ''[[Durch Einander]]'' (2012), ''[[Max (album)|Max]]'' (2015) and ''[[Colors (Max Mutzke album)|Colors]]'' (2018). In 2014, he represented [[Baden-Württemberg]] at the [[Bundesvision Song Contest 2014]], where he finished seventh with his song "Charlotte". In 2019, Mutzke won the [[The Masked Singer (German season 1)|debut season]] of the German edition of the international music game show ''[[The Masked Singer]]''. For his work as a recording artist, Mutzke has won several high-profile prizes such as the [[1LIVE]] Krone and the [[Goldene Stimmgabel]]. Beyond his music career, he has been featured as a coach on the reality competition television series ''[[KiKa|Dein Song]]''.

== Career ==
[[File:MaxMutzke 3 amk.jpg|thumb|left|Mutzke in 2011]]
Mutzke started his career in a [[funk]] band called ''Project Five''. He gained public interest in spring 2004 when he won ''[[TV total|SSDSGPS]]'' (''Stefan sucht den Super-Grand-Prix-Star''),<ref name=mmwl /> 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 No. 1 on 22 March 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 19 March 2004 Max defeated nine other competitors (including established artists like [[Scooter (band)|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]], where he finished eighth with 93 points.

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 music|soul]] and pop in German and in English language, debuted at No. 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 8 June 2007. His third album "Max Mutzke ... Black Forest" was released on 28 November 2008.

In 2010, he co-wrote the song "[[I Care for You (Jennifer Braun song)|I Care for You]]" for [[Jennifer Braun]], who placed second in the [[Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010|German national final]] for the [[Eurovision Song Contest 2010]].

In 2020, Mutzke represented The Moon in the [[Free European Song Contest 2020]] (which served as a replacement for that year's Eurovision Song Contest due to it being cancelled due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]]) under the name "Der Astronaut" with the song "Back to the Moon". It came in third place with 85 points.

He competed in the {{esccnty|Germany|y=2024|t=German national final}} for the [[Eurovision Song Contest 2024]] with the song "Forever Strong",<ref>{{Cite web |date=19 January 2024 |title=Deutscher ESC-Vorentscheid 2024: Diese Acts sind sicher dabei |trans-title=German ESC preselection 2024: These acts are confirmed to be there |url=https://www.eurovision.de/news/Deutscher-ESC-Vorentscheid-2024-Diese-Acts-sind-sicher-dabei,acts104.html |access-date=19 January 2024 |website=Eurovision.de |publisher=[[ARD (broadcaster)|ARD]] |lang=de}}</ref> ultimately coming second.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Mancheño|first=José Miguel|title=Isaak gana el Das Deutsche Finale y representará a Alemania en el Festival de Eurovisión 2024|trans-title=Isaak wins Das Deutsche Finale and will represent Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024|language=es-ES|url=https://www.escplus.es/eurovision/2024/isaak-gana-el-das-deutsche-finale-y-representara-a-alemania-en-el-festival-de-eurovision-2024/|date=2024-02-17|access-date=2024-02-17|website=ESCplus España}}</ref>

== Discography ==
[[File:Max Mutzke - Leverkusener Jazztage 2016-AL3092.jpg|thumb|Mutzke performing in [[Leverkusen]], November 2016]]

=== Studio albums ===
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" border="1"
! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:15em;"| Title
! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:16em;"| Album details
! scope="col" colspan="3"| Peak positions
! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:14em;"| Certifications
|-
! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"| [[GfK Entertainment charts|GER]]<br /><ref name="ger">{{cite web | url=https://www.offiziellecharts.de/suche | title=Max Mutzke discography | publisher=Hung Medien | work=offiziellecharts.de |access-date=7 May 2017}}</ref>
! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"| [[Ö3 Austria Top 40|AUT]]<br /><ref name="aut">{{cite web | url=https://austriancharts.at/artist/Max_Mutzke| title=Max Mutzke discography | publisher=Hung Medien | work=austriancharts.at |access-date=7 May 2017}}</ref>
! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"| [[Swiss Hitparade|SWI]]<br /><ref name="sui">{{cite web | url=https://hitparade.ch/artist/Max_Mutzke| title==Max Mutzke discography | publisher=Hung Medien | work=hitparade.ch |access-date=7 May 2017}}</ref>
|-
! scope="row"| ''[[Max Mutzke (album)|Max Mutzke]]''
|
* Released: 7 January 2005
* Label: Rare, Warner
* Formats: CD, digital download
| 1 || 18 || 12
|
* [[Bundesverband Musikindustrie|BVMI]]: Gold<ref name="BVMI">{{cite web|url=http://www.musikindustrie.de/no_cache/gold_platin_datenbank/ |title=Gold-/Platin-Datenbank |publisher=[[Bundesverband Musikindustrie]] |access-date=7 May 2017 |format=To access, enter the search parameter "Max Mutzke" and select "Suchen" |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151124171739/http://www.musikindustrie.de/no_cache/gold_platin_datenbank/ |archive-date=24 November 2015 }}</ref>
|-
! scope="row"| ''[[...aus dem Bauch]]''
|
* Released: 8 June 2007
* Label: Rare, Warner
* Formats: CD, digital download
| 11 || 40 || 57
|
|-
! scope="row"| ''[[Black Forest (album)|Black Forest]]''
|
* Released: 28 November 2008
* Label: Warner
* Formats: CD, digital download
| 52 || — || —
|
|-
! scope="row"| ''[[Home Work Soul]]''
|
* Released: 24 September 2010
* Label: Warner
* Formats: CD, digital download
| 50 || — || —
|
|-
! scope="row"| ''[[Durch Einander]]''
|
* Released: 14 September 2012
* Label: [[Columbia Records|Columbia]]
* Formats: CD, digital download
| 28 || 54 || —
|
|-
! scope="row"| ''[[Max (album)|Max]]''
|
* Released: 12 June 2015
* Label: Columbia
* Formats: CD, digital download
| 37 || — || —
|
|-
! scope="row"| ''[[Colors (Max Mutzke album)|Colors]]''
|
* Released: 27 September 2018
* Label: Columbia
* Formats: CD, digital download
| 22 || — || —
|
|-
! scope="row"| ''Wunschlos süchtig''
|
* Released: 17 September 2021
* Label: Columbia
* Formats: CD, digital download
| 24 || — || —
|
|}

=== Singles ===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" border="1"
|+ List of singles, with selected chart positions and certifications, showing year released and album name
! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:18em;"| Title
! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Year
! scope="col" colspan="3"| Peak chart positions
! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:11em;"| [[List of music recording certifications|Certifications]]
! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:16em;"| Album
|- style="font-size:smaller;"
! width="40"| [[Germany|GER]]<br /><ref name="ger" />
! width="40"| [[Austria|AUT]]<br /><ref name="aut" />
! width="40"| [[Switzerland|SWI]]<br /><ref name="sui" />
|-
! scope="row"| "[[Can't Wait Until Tonight]]"
| rowspan="2"| 2004
| {{center| 1}}
| {{center| 2}}
| {{center| 4}}
|
* GER: Platinum<ref name="ger" />
| rowspan="4"| ''Max Mutzke''
|-
! scope="row"| "Schwarz auf Weiß"
| {{center| 18}}
| {{center| 47}}
| {{center| 42}}
|
|-
! scope="row"| "Spür dein Licht"
| rowspan="2"| 2005
| {{center| 79}}
| {{center| —}}
| {{center| —}}
|
|-
! scope="row"| "Catch Me If You Can"
| {{center| —}}
| {{center| —}}
| {{center| —}}
|
|-
! scope="row"| "Mein Automobil"
| rowspan="2"| 2007
| {{center| 28}}
| {{center| 48}}
| {{center| —}}
|
| rowspan="1"| ''...aus dem Bauch''
|-
! scope="row"| "Denn es bist Du"
| {{center| 79}}
| {{center| —}}
| {{center| —}}
|
| rowspan="1"| [[Lissi und der wilde Kaiser|''Lissi und der wilde Kaiser'' OST]]
|-
! scope="row"| "Marie"
| rowspan="2"| 2008
| {{center| 24}}
| {{center| 60}}
| {{center| —}}
|
| rowspan="2"| ''Black Forest''
|-
! scope="row"| "New Day"
| {{center| 40}}
| {{center| —}}
| {{center| —}}
|
|-
! scope="row"| "Let It Happen"
| rowspan="1"| 2010
| {{center| 85}}
| {{center| —}}
| {{center| —}}
|
| rowspan="1"| ''Home Work Soul''
|-
! scope="row"| "Charlotte"
| rowspan="1"| 2014
| {{center| —}}
| {{center| —}}
| {{center| —}}
|
| rowspan="1"| non-album release
|-
! scope="row"| "Welt hinter Glas"
| rowspan="2"| 2015
| {{center| —}}
| {{center| —}}
| {{center| —}}
|
| rowspan="2"| ''Max''
|-
! scope="row"| "Unsere Nacht" <br /><small>(featuring [[Eko Fresh]])</small>
| {{center| —}}
| {{center| —}}
| {{center| —}}
|
|-
! scope="row"| "So viel mehr"
| 2016
| {{center| —}}
| {{center| —}}
| {{center| —}}
|
| ''Experience''
|-
! scope="row"| "Zugabe (Show meines Lebens)"
| 2018
| {{center| —}}
| {{center| —}}
| {{center| —}}
|
| ''Colors''
|-
! scope="row"| "Schwerelos"
| 2019
| {{center| —}}
| {{center| —}}
| {{center| —}}
|
| non-album release
|-
! scope="row"| "Wunschlos süchtig"
| rowspan="3"| 2021
| {{center| —}}
| {{center| —}}
| {{center| —}}
|
| rowspan="3"| ''Wunschlos süchtig''
|-
! scope="row"| "Beste Idee"
| {{center| —}}
| {{center| —}}
| {{center| —}}
|
|-
! scope="row"| "Dieselbe Sonne"
| {{center| —}}
| {{center| —}}
| {{center| —}}
|
|}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}
* [https://www.maxmutzke.de/ Official website] {{in lang|de}}
* [http://www.project-five.de/ Project Five's website]

{{s-start}}
{{succession box
| before=[[Lou (German singer)|Lou]]<br />with ''[[Let's Get Happy]]''
| title=[[Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest]]
| years='''[[Eurovision Song Contest 2004|2004]]'''
| after=[[Gracia Baur|Gracia]]<br />with ''[[Run & Hide (Gracia Baur song)|Run & Hide]]''
}}
{{s-end}}

{{Max Mutzke}}
{{Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest|state=autocollapse}}
{{Eurovision Song Contest 2004|state=autocollapse}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mutzke, Maximilian}}
[[Category:1981 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Waldshut-Tiengen]]
[[Category:21st-century German male singers]]
[[Category:Masked Singer winners]]
[[Category:Eurovision Song Contest entrants]]