Kim Sanders was born in East Chicago, Indiana in October, 1968, and began singing at the age of three. While living in Gary, Indiana, her grandparents were stationed at a US Army base in Germany in the late 1970’s. At the age of seven Kim traveled to Germany and lived with them during their three year tour. During those years she fell in love with the German culture. In 1989, Kim returned to Germany with her mother who worked as a theater director for the US Army. Kim proudly contributes her talent and eclectic tastes in music to her mother. Before her position as a theater director, her mother worked as a DJ at a country-western radio station in Heinesville, GA, making her the first black female country-western radio DJ in the United States. Kim’s multi-generational talent can also be traced back to her great-grandmother who was a professional singer, dancer and entertainer.
During her high school years Kim took to the stage and sang in musicals. At the age of 15 she decided to pursue a career as a professional singer/songwriter and began writing her own songs. At 17, she took part as a host in the children’s television show “Upbeat” in Savannah, Georgia. Four years later, in 1989, she moved with her mother and siblings to Heidelberg, Germany, where she began to sing with the jazz band, “Yo Yo Haribo.” A year later, she worked as a backup vocalist for Costa Cordalis, Karl Keaton and performed in the Mannheim cover band “Krypton.”
During the early 1990’s, the “Euro Dance Scene” was quickly on the rise in Germany. Although her heart was always anchored in jazz (and has remained so), Kim immersed herself into the Euro Dance scene as a means to continue to live and work in Germany. She also knew that Euro Dance would provide the opportunity necessary for her to break into the German music industry. Kim’s first single, “Show Me” was produced by Torsten Fenslau on the Abfahrt record label in 1993. It remained in the German media control singles chart for nine weeks. In 1994, two more singles followed: “Tell Me That You Want Me” released on Abfahrt records and “Ride” released by Sony Music. “Ride” also entered the German charts. From 1993 to 1996 she sang the lead vocals for Euro Dance projects “Captain Hollywood,” “Loft,” and “Flame”, In 1996, she released another single, “Jealousy” on the Sony Music label. From 1996 to 1998, Kim was the front woman of the Euro Dance group “Culture Beat,” releasing the album “Metamorphosis.” In 2001, Kim’s single, “Food For Thought” was released by Universal Music. That same year Kim was a guest vocalist for the electronic-ambient group “Schiller” – a successful collaboration that lasted over nine years. Kim’s vocals can be heard on several “Schiller” albums and she landed two more chart hits with that group.
In 2003, Universal Music released the single “Something About You” from Kim’s debut solo album “Pretty On Edge.” Despite the widely popular attention the single obtained, “Something About You” did not enter the sales charts due to a bar-coding error by Universal Music. This unfortunate error kept the single from getting any visibility on the charts. However, Kim dedicated the song “Release” on this album to Melanie Thornton, who was fatally injured in a plane crash in 2001. Melanie sang in the Euro Dance project “La Bouche.”
In 2004, Kim collaborated with “Milu and Peter Heppner“ on the song “Aus Gold.” Additionally, she has worked with well-known artists such as Till Brönner, Nicola Conte, Wolfgang Haffner and Aural Float. Her second solo album, “A Closer Look” was produced in 2009 by the production team of Christian Prommer and Roberto di Goia. It was released by the C.A.R.E.. Music Group. In February, 2010, Kim Sanders won the “German Album Critics Award” in the category of “Black Music” for “A Closer Look.”
In December, 2011, Kim was a contestant on the reality talent show, “The Voice of Germany.” During her blind audition all four coaches turned around and Kim chose “Team Nena.” Her performances on the show included cover versions of “All That She Wants,” “Killing Me Softly With His Song,” and “Empire State of Mind.” She also performed one of her own compositions, “Haunted,” which was also released. After making it through the “Battle Rounds” she made it to the very last show where she took second place.
As an accomplished singer, Kim loves to connect with people of other cultures through her music and has a special passion for the philosophy of “New Thought.” In 2000, she completed her pastoral training at the National Interfaith Seminary in the United States, a free church, which allows people of different faiths and backgrounds to have a ceremonial marriage. She is also an ambassador for the “Deutsche Kinderverein e.V.” charity and in 2017, they released the single “Father”. All the proceeds of this single are donated to the charity.
Kim is currently working on her third solo album.