Corinna May

Early Life and Musical Beginnings

Corinna May (born Corinna Meyer on 6 October 1970) is a German singer from Bremen. She has been blind since birth. Her father’s love of jazz inspired her, and she grew up listening to jazz and soul legends like Aretha Franklin and Barbra Streisand. As a child, she sang in her school choir and later joined a gospel choir, which nurtured her powerful voice. After participating in local talent competitions, May self-produced her first album in 1997, a jazz album. Two years later, she released a second album titled Wie ein Stern (“Like a Star”) in 1999, establishing herself in the German music scene.

Eurovision Journey

Corinna May gained national attention through Germany’s Eurovision Song Contest selections. In 1999, she entered the German Eurovision preselection with the song “Hör den Kindern einfach zu” (“Just Listen to the Children”). She actually won the 1999 national final. However, her victory was annulled because the song was discovered to have been released previously by another artist. Despite this setback, May persisted. In 2000 she entered Germany’s selection again with “I Believe in God,” finishing in second place. These attempts made her a familiar name to German TV audiences and built anticipation for her next try.

In 2002, on her third attempt, Corinna May finally won the German preselection and earned the right to represent Germany at the Eurovision Song Contest. She performed the upbeat song “I Can’t Live Without Music,” composed by Eurovision veteran Ralph Siegel. There were high hopes for her entry. Bookmakers even briefly ranked her among the favorites. However, the Eurovision final did not go as hoped: Corinna May finished in 21st place out of 24 contestants, earning 17 points. 

Post-Eurovision Career

After Eurovision, Corinna May continued her music career. In the early 2000s she released several singles, though they had limited commercial success. Songs like “Endless Miles” and “On My Way to Myself” did not make a major impact on the charts. In 2004, May found a new opportunity by contributing to a Disney film soundtrack. She was chosen as the German voice to sing two songs for the animated movie Home on the Range (German title: Die Kühe sind los). 

In 2006, Corinna May released a new studio album titled Jetzt wie noch nie (“Now More Than Ever”). One of its singles, “Bleib einfach steh’n”, became a hit on German radio, staying on the airplay charts for 11 weeks and reaching as high as number 6. She also made a special guest appearance at the 2006 German Eurovision preselection show, performing “I Can’t Live Without Music” as part of a medley of past Eurovision entries. Despite these highlights, the 2006 album’s sales were underwhelming, and her record label dropped her contract later that year due to poor commercial performance. This marked the end of her mainstream recording career for the time being.

Later Projects and Performances

After 2006, Corinna May shifted focus towards live performances and independent music projects. She returned to her musical roots in jazz, often singing at clubs, corporate events, and private functions. Without a major label, she began releasing songs on her own through an online self-publishing platform. From 2012 to 2014, May was a vocalist with a Bremen-based group called The Green Jukebox Band, performing jazz and pop covers in local venues.

In late 2013, Corinna started a new duo project named OneKiss with her colleague Claus (nicknamed “Claus mit C”), the lead singer of the band Mozhart. This project allowed her to record and perform original songs as a team. OneKiss contributed music to a local open-air festival, Rock den Deich, producing theme songs for the festival in 2014 and 2015. In 2015, Corinna and Claus also recorded a charity Christmas track, a version of “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town”, as part of a benefit CD project in Bremen. In June 2019, for example, she appeared at UNESCON, the first international Eurovision fan convention in Hanover, where she performed some classic Eurovision songs.

Personal Life

Corinna May has never let her blindness define or limit her. She was born completely blind and has faced the challenges that come with it since infancy. Before her music career took off, she completed training as a massage therapist and even worked briefly in that field. However, music was always her true calling. She often emphasizes that her singing talent should stand on its own, without special treatment due to her disability. 

In her personal life, Corinna is described as optimistic and determined. She married her long-time partner Claus (her OneKiss collaborator) in June 2019. The couple shares both a personal and musical bond, and they continue to live and make music in the Bremen area. Corinna’s journey has been an inspiration to many in the disability community.

Advocacy and Disability Rights

Outside of music, Corinna May has become an advocate for disability rights, especially for the blind and visually impaired. She has been active for years in pushing for better inclusion and equal opportunities for people with disabilities in Germany. In particular, she has campaigned for the full implementation of the German Disability Equalization Act (Behindertengleichstellungsgesetz) and improvements in accessibility.

One notable instance of her advocacy was in 2019, when she challenged the voting system for blind citizens. Corinna encountered difficulties casting her vote privately in a local Bremen election (she was not allowed to bring her husband into the booth as an assistant) which effectively prevented her from voting. She filed a legal complaint arguing that the voting process was not fully accessible to the blind. The case went through an electoral review board and eventually to the state constitutional court. Unfortunately for May, the courts rejected her appeal, claiming that adequate provisions (such as Braille ballots or postal voting) were available even if they were not ideal. Despite losing the case, her fight drew public attention to the barriers faced by visually impaired voters and sparked discussions about introducing more accessible voting methods in the future.

Corinna May also supports blindness-related charities and events. In 2006, as her album came out, she released a double single in cooperation with Pro Retina, a German self-help organization for the visually impaired, to raise awareness and funds for retinal research. Through her OneKiss project, she has been involved with the Rock den Deich festival and its associated charity, helping to promote community music programs that include people with disabilities.