Tobias Regner

Career

Regner auditioned for the third installment of Deutschland sucht den Superstar after graduating from the University of Salzburg. He was one of 14,000 entrants, and the judges Dieter Bohlen, Heinz Henn, and Sylvia Kollek were impressed by his voice and unconventional style. After advancing through recalls and weekly performances, he reached the Top 10 finalists and eventually the final two contestants. On 18 March 2006, he won the competition with 54.6% of the audience vote over Mike Leon Grosch, becoming the first rock artist to win the show before Thomas Godoj in 2008.

His winner's song "I Still Burn", a rock-ballad by Peter Wright and Jess Cates, was released as a single on 14 March 2006 via Sony BMG Domestic. It entered the charts at number one in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland, and was the biggest-selling single since 2004 in its first week. The IFPI certified it platinum for over 300,000 copies sold. Regner's debut album Straight was released on 28 April 2006, with consultation from American producers Max Martin and Desmond Child.

It debuted at number one on the German Media Control 100 and reached the Top 5 in Austria and Top 20 in Switzerland. The IFPI certified it gold for over 100,000 copies sold. Reviews were generally favorable, with LAUT's critic Dani Fromm praising Regner's music as "versatile, powerful-voiced and likeable", while others called it "unidirectional" but "positive", comparing it to Jon Bon Jovi. Subsequent singles "She's So" and the Open Season theme song "Cool Without You" failed to chart or sell noticeably, and Regner was eventually dropped from his record label.