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Early life

Connor is the eldest of six siblings born to Michael Lewe, an advertising writer of American descent, and his wife Soraya Lewe-Tacke (nee Gray), a former fashion model and homemaker of Scottish, Irish and German heritage, in Hamburg. She has four sisters: Anna Maria, Marisa, Sophia-Luisa, and Valentina; and one brother, Robin. Her maternal half-brothers Mick and Lex were born in 2008.

Connor grew up listening to soul music, mostly influenced by her paternal grandfather who was born in New Orleans. A church choir became her first experience in the gospel music field at a very young age. In her teen years Connor tried out and was accepted to a performing arts school. Although all students were required to choose an instrument, Connor was the only one allowed to study voice. She took vocal lessons once a week and worked as a waitress in a hotel to pay for them.

In 1997, Connor was picked to sing with the backing choir during the performance of "Heal the World" at Michael Jackson's HIStory concert tour in Bremen, Germany. Overwhelmed by a personal meeting with Jackson at the end of the show, she signed a contract with her first management the following year, that resulted in her pseudonym Sarah Gray and the recording of a number of demo tapes, including cover versions such as "Silent Night" and "This Christmas" and the local radio success "Ula la Ula." In 1999, she provided the leading vocals for producer Marc van Linden's dance remix of the 1982 record "Last Unicorn," which reached number 86 on the German Singles Chart. Unhappy with her management though, Connor teamed up with manager Carlo Vista, who got her signed as Sarah Connor with producer George Glueck's label X-Cell Records a short time after. As a direct consequence, she decided to quit school and leave home at the age of 19.

2001–2003

Connor fluctuated between Hamburg, Hannover and Berlin to work on her debut album, involving producers such as Bulent Aris, Toni Cottura, Diane Warren, and the production duo Rob Tyger and Kay Denar. Green Eyed Soul, which was eventually released on November 26, 2001 in German-speaking Europe, yielded her first two singles "Let's Get Back to Bed – Boy!," a collaboration with American rapper TQ, and "French Kissing," a song based on BLACKstreet’s “No Diggity.” However, it was the album’s third single “From Sarah with Love” which reached the top position in Germany, Poland, Portugal and Switzerland and raised Connor’s fame all over Europe. The song garnered the singer a Comet and an ECHO Award. Album reviews were generally positive, with laut.de especially praising Connor’s vocal strengths.

Only ten months later, her second album Unbelievable (2002) was released in Europe. Wyclef Jean wrote, produced and rapped on the album’s lead single, “One Nite Stand (of Wolves and Sheep),” which once again entered the top 5. Unbelievable simultaneously achieved gold status in Germany within 48 hours and spawned another three singles, including Diane Warren-penned “Skin on Skin,” “He's Unbelievable” and “Bounce” (which would be released as a single on 3 different occasions and countries including the United States.)

In October 2003, Connor released a live DVD branded Sarah Connor Live – A Night to Remember: Pop Meets Classic, whose performance had been recorded at the Alten Kasselhaus in D?sseldorf on January 24, including indiviudal performances of own songs with a classical orchestra backing her up. In November 2003, in spite of being heavily pregnant with her first child, Connor released her third album called, Key to My Soul. The album’s first single, “Music Is the Key” featuring New York a cappella singers Naturally 7, became her second number-one hit in Germany. “Just One Last Dance”, the album's second and final single, was a re-recorded edition of the album’s original version, including new vocals by Marc Terenzi’s band Natural. The duet once again reached number-one in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland and the top 20 on a composite World Top 40.

The album "Sarah Connor" featured the first single, "Bounce". It was released in many countries. including Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States. In Germany, the single made it to #14 on the charts. In England and Ireland it peaked at number 14 and was certified gold in Australia. In America, the song only managed a #54 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album made it to number 106 and took off in the U.S., selling almost 100.000 copies.

2004–2008

After a lengthy hiatus that saw the birth of her son Tyler, Connor returned to music in fall 2004 with the release of her single "Living to Love You." The ballad reached number-one in Germany and Switzerland, becoming her third consecutive chart-topper, and preceded her fourth album Naughty But Nice (2005). Connor re-teamed with longtime contributors Booya, Kay Denar und Rob Tyger to work on the album, whose release coincided with the broadcast of her ProSieben reality series Sarah & Marc in Love. Her highest-charting effort yet, Naughty But Nice debuted on top of the German Albums Chart and reached the top three in Austria and Switzerland, selling 100,000 copies within the first two days of its release. Critical reaction towards the album was generally mixed, with Allmusic rating it three starts out of five, and laut.de summing it as "underclass music for the disco around the corner." Spawning just one another single, "From Zero to Hero" was picked to be used as the theme song to the computer-animated movie Robots (2005), for which Connor voiced the character of Cappy. The song became her fifth chart-topping single in Germany and the fourth number-one hit single in a row.

In fall 2005, Connor embarked on the Naughty but Nice concert tour. Compiling twenty-three dates in Austria, Germany and Switzerland, the tour concluded a month later. In December 2005, she released a holiday album named Christmas in My Heart. Containing a mix of traditional but contemporary English standards and re-written German songs in English language, both the album and its same-titled lead single reached number four on the charts. Eventually certified platinum by the IFPI, the album was re-released the following year, including the previously unreleased single "The Best Side of Life," another top four success.

Returning from yet another hiatus after the birth of her daughter Summer in 2006, Connor released her sixth studio album Soulicious in March 2007. Mainly made up of 1960's and 70’s Motown covers, but also including two original songs, recording for the entire album took place at the former main building of the Berliner Rundfunk, where Connor was backed by a symphonic orchestra of forty-eight musicians. Upon its release, the album reached the top ten in Austria, Germany and Switzerland, where it each reached gold status. Critics, again, gave Soulicious a mixed response, with CDStarts.de calling it "a sterile soul adaption for The Dome stage." Leading single "The Impossible Dream (The Quest)," which was featured in a publicity campaign for the comeback fight of German boxer Henry Maske, and "Sexual Healing," a duet with American singer Ne-Yo, reached the top ten and top twenty of the singles charts respectivey.

Heading into a new musical direction, Connor intensified work on her next original album with producers such as Remee, Thomas Troelsen and J.R. Rotem. In May 2008, it was announced Connor and her family would once again participate in an eight-part reality show titled Sarah and Marc: Still Crazy in Love" on ProSieben. The special began airing on July 3, 2008, and followed the recording and promotional events for the new album, branded Sexy as Hell. Its first single, "Under My Skin," co-written by Troelsen, was released on August 1, 2008, in German-speaking Europe, with the album following on August 22, 2008. Subsequently, she was nominated for an ECHO.

2009–present

In 2009, Connor contributed to a re-recorded version of Enrique Iglesias' duet "Takin' Back My Love," replacing American singer Ciara's original vocals on the song. Released as the second single from Iglesias' 2008 Greatest Hits album in German-speaking Europe, Poland and the Czech Republic, it reached the top ten of the German Singles Chart.

In April 2010, it was announced that Connor would appear alongside mentor George Glueck and musician Till Bronner as a judge on the debut series of X Factor, aired on the German VOX network. Connor's eighth studio album titled Real Love was released in October 22, 2010, and preceded by the single "Cold as Ice"

Personal life

Connor's romantic relationships have been widely covered in the media. Prior to her music career, Connor started dating singer Martin Scholz, who was a member of the German boy band Touch? and thus, shared the same management with her. Their three-year relationship ended in early 2000.

Amid rumors about affairs with fellow collaborators TQ and Wyclef Jean, Connor met Marc Terenzi, lead singer of American boy band Natural, at the Bravo Happy Holidays festival in Rust, Germany in July 2002. The pair began dating and in June 2003, it was announced they were engaged and exepcting their first child, Tyler Marc Terenzi, who was born on February 2, 2004 in Orlando, Florida. On February 29, 2004 the couple invited their friends to a dinner supposedly to celebrate the birth of their son; however they announced that they in fact had eloped. The couple renewed their vows this time with a wedding ceremony on August 18, 2005 in Altafulla, Tarragones, near Barcelona, Spain. The wedding was the subject of their ProSieben reality show Sarah and Marc in Love. On June 23, 2006, Connor gave birth to their second child, a girl, named Summer Antonia Soraya. In November 2008, Connor announced her separation from Terenzi.

After her separation from Terenzi, Connor was linked with Brazilian footballer Diego Ribas da Cunha, although the couple claimed to be good friends. In April 2010, Connor announced that she is in a relationship with her manager, Florian Fischer, singer of the 1990's pop trio The Boyz.

Impact and controversy

Connor has made an impact in Germany as well as surrounding countries. She is one of the best-selling German artists of all time, holding records for having four consecutive number ones (ending with “From Zero to Hero”), the first artist to accomplish this, and five number ones overall (four of which are ballads); she ties with Modern Talking and Boney M for this latter feat.

Image wise, her image and logo have graced several products. In Germany outside of her own promotional merchandise, she has her own line of jeans, perfume, and her own cakes.

Connor has also been embroiled in a few controversies. In January 2002, she performed on the popular German television show Wetten, dass..? wearing a tight and revealing dress. Rumors swirled she had worn no panties, which created such a controversy that the front pages of popular tabloids (including Bild) ran headlines about it. Connor had actually worn skin colored panties so they would not show. She later auctioned the dress off for charity.

In June 2005, she got into another controversy, when she performed the German national anthem at the opening ceremony of the new stadium in Munich, at the Allianz Arena, singing “Bruh im Lichte dieses Gluckes” (“Scald in the light of this fortune”) instead of “Bluh im Glanze dieses Gluckes” (“Flourish in the blessing of this fortune”). This faux pas was documented in her show 'Sarah and Marc in Love'.

Some of the impact and controversy has also touched her personal life. In 2005, German comedian Oliver Pocher mocked and parodied Connor’s reality show Sarah and Marc in Love on his show Rent a Pocher. Not liking having her family mocked, Connor brought legal action against him. The outcome is unknown but he did eventually apologize.