GOTTHARD have a new singer. The successor to Steve Lee, who was killed in a tragic accident last year, is Nic Maeder and he was born in Switzerland. So the most successful Swiss rock band stays homegrown and will now continue with a fellow countryman. The new recruit to the Gotthard family was born in 1971 in Lausanne and is one of the many singers who applied to become a member of the band. Nic Maeder is a real stroke of luck for Gotthard.

“Nic not only has a great voice and is a fantastic musician, but we also have a great person in our midst,” says Leo Leoni.

So a turbulent and moving time is coming to an end for Gotthard. During the months after the decision to carry on was taken, the rockers received more than 400 applications from all over the world, listen to them and invited the likely candidates to try out. Gotthard took a lot of time to find the best possible choice.

This was a choice that was far from easy for the four musicians Leo Leoni (guitar), Marc Lynn (bass), Freddy Scherer (guitar) and Hena Habegger (drums). It was clear that the successor to Steve Lee would have to bring a lot of potential, not only as a singer but also as a human being. Seldom in the history of music has the search for a singer produced so many talented candidates as in the case of Gotthard. Among the international applicants were several famous names as well as new and unknown voices.

“The individuality which each candidate presented made the decision far from easy. It has been a long and difficult road up to this point,” said Hena Habegger.

The final decision for Nic Maeder was unanimous.

Freddy Scherer said: “We noticed straight away that the chemistry, both musically and personally, was right. For us he is the new member of the family.”

Gotthard has in Nic Maeder an addition to the international character which their music has had since the beginning. At the age of two, Nic moved with his family to Melbourne, Australia and grew up as a cosmopolitan between Switzerland and Oz and has a particular connection to the language of rock and roll.

“Music has been my companion all my life and always was an important part of it. It is a great feeling to be able to share in the birth of a song and to see how it keeps growing. I can experience that with Gotthard and it makes me happy. I am making music with friends,” says Nic Maeder.

Before he joined Gotthard, Nic played in several projects and had success with the band MAEDER.

Of course you can write a lot about a new singer, but in the end there is nothing better than seeing and hearing him sing. So Gotthard has decided to produce a song with video, which can be downloaded free of charge by all the people who didn’t lose their belief in Gotthard and is dedicated to those who have supported the band during the past months.

From today this will be the first Gotthard song, 'Remember It's Me', with Nic Maeder, streaming at Gotthard.com - the video can be viewed below.

“We were privileged to read many personal and moving mails and could also get to know many singers with great voices,” said Marc Lynn. “With Nic, we have taken the right decision for Gotthard. A lot of courage is needed to step into the footsteps of such a great singer. Nic has earned our respect.”

The band is working with renewed energy and enthusiasm in the studio at the moment on songs for a new album, which will be released in the spring of 2012.

Finally, the band would like to thank all those who applied and wishes them lots of luck and success in the future!

'Remember It’s Me' can be downloaded free at Gotthard.com.