来自埃尔福特(Erfurt)的28岁小伙子托马斯•西普纳(Thomas Hübner)(又称“克鲁索”)，同时是一位歌手、写歌人以及出品商。在出版了四张专辑、并在各种俱乐部和音乐节上举办过无数次音乐会之后，他以自身不懈的激情、韧劲和对完美的追求，博得了不少粉丝对其独特风格的认同。2008年，他更是夺取了德国音乐电视大赛(Bundesvision Song Contest)的第二名。在他异常成功的、登上单曲榜单第15名的单曲《一厘米都不到》(Keinen Zentimeter)之后，他的专辑《情难自已》(So sehr dabei)更是在甫一推出即登上了专辑排行榜的第三位。2008年，德国最大的青年音乐电台“一现场”(Eins Live)将克鲁索选为年度最佳歌手。2009年，克鲁索更是在德国最重要的音乐大奖“回声音乐奖”中一举夺得“最佳国内现场表现奖”。

by Jason Ankeny
Clueso was the first rap star to emerge from central Germany, disproving the theory that the nation's western region is the sole breeding ground for successful hip-hop MCs and DJs. Born Thomas Hübner in Erfurt on April 9, 1980, he originally studied to become a hairdresser but at 15 abandoned hair for hip-hop, making his recorded debut that same year on the compilation Erfurt Projekt 1996. Drawing his alias from Peter Sellers' famed The Pink Panther character Inspector Clouseau, he signed with manager Andreas Welskop in 1998 and soon after issued the first Clueso solo release, the BMG-issued "Clüsolo." Upon signing to the Four Music imprint, Clueso issued his first full-length release, Text und Ton, in 2001. A brief relocation to the Köln area followed, although he returned to Erfurt to begin work on his sophomore effort, 2004's Gute Musik, which featured a shift away from rap toward more conventional vocals and reggae-inspired rhythms. A year later Clueso represented his native Thuringia region in the annual Bundesvision Song Contest with the track "Kein Bock zu Geh'n." His third LP, Weit Weg, hit retail a year later.