Daniel Küblböck

Daniel Dominik Kaiser-Küblböck (born Küblböck; 27 August 1985 – 9 September 2018) was a German singer.

Küblböck rose to stardom in late 2002 when he participated in the first season of German talent show Deutschland sucht den Superstar (DSDS).

He gained the most viewer votes in three of the nine rounds of the competition and received the second-most votes in a further three rounds.

Together with other participants, Daniel recorded the album United which included the number 1 single "We Have a Dream".

He finished the season in third place overall.

After DSDS, Küblböck signed a contract with BMG.

He placed third in the television talent show Deutschland sucht den Superstar in 2003.

In March 2003, he released his debut solo single, "You Drive Me Crazy", which topped the German sales chart.

The follow-up single, "Heartbeat", and Daniel's debut album Positive Energie both reached no. 2 in Germany and achieved major success in Austria and Switzerland.

In September 2003, he launched a perfume line for children in three fragrances under his name.

He also released an autobiography Ich lebe meine Töne.

Küblböck invested the proceeds from his album Positive Energie amounting to around one million euros in a solar plant in Lower Bavaria, which would bring him high monthly profits.

The following year, he released Schrebergarten and a two-disc compilation Best of 2003–2010.

None of these albums managed to enter any sales charts.

In early 2004, he participated in Ich bin ein Star – Holt mich hier raus!, the German version of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!, where he came third.

He then released a cover of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" which reached the top 10 in Germany and the top 40 on the Austrian and Swiss charts.

His next single, the ballad "Teenage Tears", sold 10,000 copies.

In August, Küblböck's biographical musical film Daniel – Der Zauberer was released, in which he played a fictionalized version of himself.

The film was critically panned and bombed at the box office.

At the end of 2004, he released the charity single "Don't Close Your Eyes" with three others DSDS participants under the moniker 4 United, in support of Ärzte ohne Grenzen (Doctors Without Borders).

It was a moderate chart success.

On 24 February 2004, Küblböck was injured when he collided with a truck while driving a car without a licence near Pfarrkirchen.

He was fined 25,000 euros and sentenced to eight hours of community service.

Küblböck's parents were German man Günther and Bianca, a woman of Italian descent.

He had four brothers: Andreas, Michael, Günther and Dennis, and one sister, Jasmin.

While living in Mallorca, he met and befriended German millionaire Kerstin Elisabeth Kaiser who would later officially adopt him.

In 2005, Küblböck launched his own marketing company Positive Energie.

In November 2005, he released his second album, Liebe Nation, recorded in German.

It only reached no. 54 in Germany, and the accompanying single "König von Deutschland" was a moderate chart success.

The next single, country-inspired "Born in Bavaria", was his last ever to chart.

Küblböck's subsequent albums were released independently.

2009 saw the release of the jazz album Jazz Meets Blues... Wenn zwei sich verlieben and his first Christmas CD Leise rieselt der Schnee.

In 2011, he started hosting his own talk show Daniels Bistro.

In 2012, he released the album Diez años Kúblbóck – Ich versteh’ nur Spanisch which included some material recored in Spanish and influenced by Latin pop.

As Daniel Kaiser he submitted the song "Be a Man" to the German national pre-selection for the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest, but it was rejected by the jury.

In spring 2015, he took part in the eighth season of the German dance show Let's Dance, where he finished sixth, together with his dancing partner Otlile Mabuse.

In early 2016, he released his final album, Jesus Is My Lover.

In September 2018, he went missing at sea off Canada while travelling on a cruise ship.

He was declared dead on 10 March 2021.

Shortly before the disappearance, Küblböck stated he wanted to assume a female identity and began using the name Lana Kaiser.