Johannes Kalpers was born in Westerwald, Germany in 1966. He started singing with a local choir. After studying music in Karlsruhe, Kalpers sang at the state Opera in Hannover. He released his debut album, "Musik ist Meine Welt", in 2002. It featured German-language covers of songs such as "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore" and "The Winner Takes it All". He also released an album in a more classical vein, interpreting Schubert's versions of Goethe's poems. His second album, "Stimme des Herzens", was released in 2003.