Roland Meyer de Voltaire was born in Bonn, Germany on September 8, 1978. The singer, songwriter and musician is best-known as the leader of indie rock band Voltaire, who released a series of EPs and albums between 2003 and 2011, when the band split up. Since then, he has reinvented himself and now performs under the name Schwarz. Reinvention and change is a common theme for Meyer de Voltaire, since he grew up in Bonn, Dublin, Moscow, and Beijing. Leaving the comforts of his band Voltaire behind, his 2016 transformation into Schwarz has allowed him to work in different genres and collaborate with a variety of musicians including Enno Bunger, Shiller, Megaloh, and others. His recordings as Schwarz are more electronic and experimental than his previous band. Often referred to as ‘soundtracks without films’, Schwarz has released a series of singles and EPs including “Home”, “In Your Eyes”, “The Others”, and “Empty Space”. The first Schwarz album, White Room, was released in 2019. An expanded edition of the album was released in 2020 and titled The Complete White Room. It features bonus material including the “Avalanche 2020” single.
