Christian Anders – born Antonio Schinzel-Tenicolo on January 15, 1945, in Bruck an der Mur, Austria – is a singer, songwriter, actor, and author. He is best known for his 1960s and 1970s teen idol pop recordings, although his career took a decidedly different turn in the 2000s. Christian Anders grew up in Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy, but his family moved to Germany when he was 10 years old. He began to pursue a career as an electrician, but his plans changed when he formed a band – Christian Anders & the Tonics – while still in his teens. Signing a record deal, he and his band released Tanzparty Mit den Tonics, Vol. 1. By the time he released the album Geh' Nicht Vorbei (1970), he had left the Tonics behind and became a successful pop artist and teen idol. The album sold over a million copies and led to many more albums and hit singles, some of which were released on his label Chranders, which he established in 1972. During this period, he also acted in several films and wrote a handful of novels. By the late 1980s, he had become dissatisfied with his music career, sold his publishing, and relocated to Los Angeles, California. Reinventing himself as Lanoo, he wrote a series of conspiracy theory-based books. In 1991, he released his first album as Lanoo, the new age influenced Lanoo: Live in America. By the mid 1990s, he had returned to Germany and continued his music career, albeit with far less success than in his heyday in the ‘70s and ‘80s.
