Biography
Klaus Nomi (Klaus Nomi, real name: Klaus Sperber, 1944 – 1983) was a German singer and songwriter, known for his vocal range as well as his eccentric appearance on stage.
He was born on January 24, 1944 in Immenstadt, Germany and grew up with his mother. He never met his father who was a soldier and had a casual relationship with his mother. When he was a child, he moved with his mother to the city of Essen and later to West Berlin where he worked as an usher at the German Opera. There he used to sing for his colleagues after the audience had left. Unable to find work as an opera singer, he immigrated to America and settled in Manhattan's East Village. He worked for a while in the kitchen of a cafe that was a hangout for celebrities and also started a business supplying restaurants with the sweets he made. In 1978 he began appearing with other unconventional artists in New Wave Vaudeville, in a series of quirky acts. Klaus changed his last name to Nomi and started to appear with his hair parted into three "pins", his face painted in the style of Japanese kabuki theater, and wearing wacky futuristic outfits in his performances.
At that time he met Christian Hoffman, who became his conductor and wrote many songs for him such as "The Nomi Song", "Total Eclipse", "After The Fall" "Simple Man". Their musical group appeared in various Manhattan clubs and was very successful in the field of avant-garde music.
In late 1979, he met David Bowie who chose him as the second voice for his appearance on "Saturday Night Live". His look was extremely provocative at the show, especially for state television.
Soon after, Nomi signed a record deal with RCA France. His debut album, simply titled 'Klaus Nomi', was released in Europe in 1981 - a second album, 'A Simple Man', was released the following year. His music combined opera, haunting melodies, disco beats, German-accented counter-tenor vocals and undeniable grandeur.
Nomi returned to New York in late 1982, excited about his prospects but he had contracted AIDS. He became the first recorded victim of he artistic world who died from the AIDS on August 6 1983. He died all alone, as the ignorance of the time and the fear of the disease had kept all his friends and relatives away.