Santiano is a German band from the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, whose songs combine rock, Irish folk, sea shanty, and schlager music. The name Santiano is taken from the Hugues Aufray song of the same name. They topped the German album charts multiple times in the 2010s, also ranking high in Austrian and Swiss charts.
History The idea for the band originated with German producer Hartmut Krech of Flensburg, who owns the Elephant Music label. On 3 February 2012, the band appeared at We Love Music, an event promoted by Universal Music and ProSiebenSat.1 Media. Their first album, titled Bis ans Ende der Welt ("To the end of the World"), was released in 2012. It reached #1 in the German charts. That same year, the group completed a European tour, including a performance at the Wacken Open Air festival. A live CD/DVD of the event was released in November 2012.
In 2013 and 2014, they received an Echo award for best Folk music. Santiano appeared as an opening act for Helene Fischer's 2013 summer tour, and toured Germany from November 2013 to April 2014.
Their second studio album, Mit den Gezeiten ("With the tides"), was released in 2013 and reached #1 in the German charts. This album contains more rock elements than "Bis ans Ende der Welt" but still draws upon themes surrounding the sea and North German myths.
In 2014, they participated in Unser Song für Dänemark, the national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 with the songs Wir werden niemals untergehen and Fiddler on the Deck. They were eliminated in Round 2 of the final.
Their third studio album, Von Liebe, Tod und Freiheit ("On love, death and freedom") was released in May 2015 and provided the band with another #1 album in Germany. As its title suggests, deeper themes are addressed in the lyrics of this album but this is offset by a number of folk-based songs which promote the importance of camaraderie and togetherness when dealing with such themes.
The band appeared for a fourth time at the Wacken Open Air festival in 2015 and continued to tour into 2016.
Discography Albums + List of studio albums, with selected chart positions, sales figures and certifications Year Title Peak chart positions GER AUT SWI 2012 Bis ans Ende der Welt 1 15 25 2013 Mit den Gezeiten 1 31 21 2015 Von Liebe, Tod und Freiheit 1 9 2 2017 Im Auge des Sturms 1 5 5 2019 MTV Unplugged 1 19 55 2021 Wenn die Kälte kommt 1 4 1 2022 Die Sehnsucht ist mein Steuermann – Das Beste aus 10 Jahren 1 10 5 2023 Doggerland 1 3 3 2025 Da braut sich was zusammen 1 7 11
EPs 2021: Sea Shanties – Wellerman
Singles
2012: "Santiano" 2015: "Lieder der Freiheit" 2017: "Sail Away" 2017: "Könnt ihr mich hören" 2017: "Ich bring dich heim" 2018: "Mädchen von Haithabu" 2019: "Wie Zuhause" 2021: "Wellerman" (feat. Nathan Evans) 2021: "Wenn die Kälte kommt" 2022: "Nichts als Horizonte" 2022: "Santiano (English Version)" (feat. Nathan Evans) 2023: "Es klingt nach Freiheit" 2023: "Bully in the Alley" 2023: "Zu alt um jung zu sterben" 2025: "Da braut sich was zusammen" 2025: "Ekke Nekkepenn" 2025: "Dann bin ich weg" 2025: "Tanzen wie die Teufel"
Music videos 2012: Frei wie der Wind 2013: Gott muss ein Seemann sein 2015: Lieder der Freiheit 2015: Weh mir 2017: Könnt ihr mich hören 2017: Ich bring dich heim 2018: Mädchen von Haithabu 2021: Wellerman 2021: Wenn die Kälte kommt 2021: Was du liebst 2021: Wer kann segeln ohne Wind 2022: Wellerman (ft. Nathan Evans) 2022: Durch jeden Sturm 2023: Es klingt nach Freiheit 2023: Zu alt um jung zu sterben 2024: Retter in der Not 2024: Keiner geht verloren 2025: Dann bin ich weg 2025: Tanzen wie die Teufel
References
External links
"Santiano" – Seemanns-Pop frisch von der Förde