German cabaret diva
Ina Müller was born in Köhlen in 1965. The product of a large farming family, she was nevertheless drawn to the arts and in 1994 teamed with fellow singer
Edda Schnittgard to found the musical theater duo Queen Bee. The partnership remained a going concern for more than a decade, yielding a series of LPs including 1996's
Die Eine Singt, Die Andere Auch and 2000's Freundinnen.... Concurrently,
Müller mounted a series of solo projects, writing books and songs informed by the traditions of Germany's Plattdeutsche region. When Queen Bee dissolved in December 2005, she launched a one-woman cabaret show, Ina Müller Liest und Singt op Platt. A year later, she issued her first solo LP,
Weiblich Ledig 40. As she pursued a solo career,
Müller also became a frequent presence on German radio and television, hosting a number of chat and variety programs that made her a familiar face in her homeland. While broadcasting kept her busy,
Müller continued to record new material regularly (issuing three studio albums and a live set between 2008 and 2012), with most of her albums rising to gold or platinum sales figures. Released in 2013, 48 --
Müller's age at the time it was released -- was another success, rising to number three on the German sales charts. Following a 2014 concert album, 48 Live, the effervescent effervescent returned in 2016 with Ich Bin Die, a versatile and spirited collection spanning a unique mix of rock, pop, chanson, and country. ~ Jason Ankeny