Nico Santos has returned to The Voice of Germany for its 16th season, taking one of the show’s red chairs for the fourth time. The singer and songwriter previously appeared as a coach in 2020, 2021 and 2025, and now comes back as the reigning winner after guiding Anne Mosters to victory last year.
The new season began airing on September 11 on SAT.1 and ProSieben. Santos is once again searching for singers who can take the title, competing against Shirin David, Rea Garvey and Michi and Smudo of Die Fantastischen Vier. Before his win with Mosters, his artists had reached third place twice and second place once.
Santos was born Nico Wellenbrink in Bremen on January 7, 1993. His father is actor Egon Wellenbrink, who became widely recognized in Germany as the “Melitta-Man” in 1990s advertising. The family later moved to Mallorca, where Santos grew up. His stage name reflects that Spanish connection, and he speaks Spanish and Catalan in addition to German.
Music was part of his life from an early age. He studied piano, dance and singing before returning to Germany after completing school and studying sound engineering in Cologne. He initially built his career behind the scenes, writing and producing songs across genres including rap, pop, schlager and electronic music.
His songwriting credits include work for Helene Fischer, Sido, Bushido, Mark Forster and Lena Meyer-Landrut. He later moved more prominently into performing himself, releasing his debut album, Streets of Gold, in 2018. The record included the songs “Rooftop” and “Safe,” followed by the albums Nico Santos in 2020 and Ride in 2023. His catalog also features “Unforgettable,” “Play With Fire,” “Like I Love You” and “Better,” his collaboration with Meyer-Landrut. In 2025, he released Santos, his first album in German.
Some of Santos’ music draws on personal experiences. The song “Walk In Your Shoes” addresses the death of his best friend in an accident at the age of 15. Michael Jackson is among his musical influences, and Santos once surprised The Voice talent Gugu Zulu with an impromptu performance of “Man in the Mirror.”
Away from The Voice, Santos has appeared on Sing meinen Song and, in 2026, on Wer stiehlt mir die Show? He married his longtime partner Aileen in 2022. They announced they were expecting a child in 2023, and their son was born in 2024. Santos keeps his family life private, though he has described fatherhood and the family’s sleep routine as relaxed. His latest The Voice journey airs Fridays on SAT.1, Saturdays on ProSieben and via Joyn.
