Die Jungen Tenöre were formed in 1997 in Germany by singers Bernhard Hirtreiter, Hans Hitzeroth, and Thomas Kiessling, who were selected after a televised audition to record the title track "Love is waiting" for the TV programme Herzblatt. The trio, initially named Hearts and Roses, shifted focus to a blend of classical training with pop and classical repertoire, later adopting the name Die Jungen Tenöre after a renaming during rehearsals for the 1998 Eurovision national selection with "Du bist ein Teil von mir". Their debut album Die jungen Tenöre (1998) entered the German charts, achieving gold status, and was followed by Vergiss die Liebe nicht (1999) and Stimmen (2000). In 2001 the group performed Ein Platz an der Sonne for the ARD lottery and released Cara Mia – Ihre größten Erfolge (2001) and Schlagergold (2002). After Thomas Kiessling departed in 2003 and was replaced by Hubert Schmid, the lineup issued Viva Italia (2004), Söhne des Amor (2005), and Beswingliche Weihnacht (2005). In 2007 the album Die Liebe siegt marked a new phase, followed by Festliche Abendmusik (2007), Pop Classics (2009), and Schön wie der Tag (2012). The original trio dissolved in 2017, after which Ilja Martin, Carlos Sanchez, and Matthias Eger continued as Die 3 Jungen Tenöre, later reverting to Die Jungen Tenöre following a management change, and released Best of on 4 October 2024.
