Smudo

Smudo was born Michael Bernd Schmidt on March 6, 1968 in Offenbach am Main. Also known as S.M.U.D.O. or microphone professor Smudo. He is a German lyricist and rapper for the hip-hop group The Fantastic Four and also works as a dubbing artist and actor.

Life

He has been married to the actress and author Esther Kim since 1990. The two form a strong team and support each other in their professional and private projects. Smudo repeatedly emphasizes how important the balance between career and family is to him. He attaches great importance to spending time with his wife and three daughters (* 2007, * 2010 and * 2017) and cultivating shared interests.

Career

After completing his studies, he went to university together with Thomas D to the United States for three and a half months. Smudo’s musical career began in 1986, when he started working with And.Ypsilon (Andreas Rieke) founded the Terminal Team. At the same time, he started programming on the C64; some of his programs were released on INPUT 64.

In 1989, Michael Beck and Thomas D joined the “Terminal Team” and from then on they called themselves Die Fantastischen Vier. The stage name “Smudo” comes from his school days in Gerlingen. Back then, he had the habit of getting up just before the start of lessons and then not bothering with his appearance. Based on his surname, he was therefore given the nickname “Schmuddel”, which developed into “Smudo” over the years.

TV

Smudo on The Voice of Germany

The casting show “The Voice of Germany” was hosted by Smudo and Michael Beck on The Voice of Germany from 2014 to 2018 following the departure of The BossHoss and Nena.

Following the departure of The BossHoss and Nena, the casting show “The Voice of Germany” was hosted from 2014 to 2018 by Michi Beck and Smudo. In addition to artists such as Rea Garvey, Stefanie Kloß from Silbermond, Samu Haber, Andreas Bourani, Yvonne Catterfeld and Mark Forster, Michael Patrick from The Kelly Family was also part of the top-class line-up.

Smudo on The Voice Kids

In 2021, 2022 and 2023, Smudo and Michi Beck from the Fantastischen Vier formed the jury of “The Voice Kids” together with other music artists. “The Voice Kids” . Álvaro Soler and Lena Meyer-Landrut sat on the jury alongside Michi and Smudo, among others. Artists such as Rea Garvey, Silbermond’s Stefanie Kloß, Samu Haber and Wincent Weiss were also part of this high-caliber panel.

Smudo on the jury of The Masked Singer

Smudo already has plenty of experience as a judge. So it’s no wonder that ProSieben also invited him to be a judge on the singing show “The Masked Singer”. He first appeared in the fourth season of the show in spring 2021. And in 2022, at the start of the seventh season, he will once again be a guest on the guessing team alongside presenters Ruth Moschner and Linda Zervakis, diligently guessing which celebrities are hiding under the masks. In order to solve Germany’s biggest TV riddle, the musician wants to put his singing talent to the test.

Smudo at Inas Nacht

For entertaining evenings in Hamburg’s oldest sailor’s pub “Zum Schellfischposten” was provided by Smudo as a talk guest in Ina Müller’s cult show “Ina’s Night” . The unforgettable appearances took place in both 2010 and 2018. From his beginnings with the Fantastischen Vier to his solo activities and other exciting projects, Smudo chatted with Ina Müller about his varied career in a cozy atmosphere.