Gabriele Susanne Kerner (born 24 March 1960), better known by her stage name
Nena, is a German singer-songwriter, actress, and comedienne who rose to international fame in 1983 with the
New German Wave song "
99 Luftballons". In 1984, she re-recorded this song in English as "99 Red Balloons".
Nena was also the name of the band with whom she released the song. The re-recording of some of her old songs rekindled her career in 2002. In 2007, she co-founded
Neue Schule Hamburg.