Christiane Kempers, known professionally as Chris Kempers, was born on January 7, 1965, in Mönchengladbach, Germany. She began her music career as a singer, initially gaining experience with local bands before transitioning to studio work and backing vocals. During this period, she collaborated with notable figures in pop and schlager music such as Howard Carpendale, Roy Black, and Bernhard Brink. In 1988, Kempers was part of the group Rendez-Vous, which participated in the German selection for the Eurovision Song Contest but did not succeed. Later that year, she appeared on the television show Donnerlippchen, imitating Jennifer Rush. In 1990, Ralph Siegel formed a duo with Chris Kempers and Daniel Kovac to compete in the German Eurovision selection. Their song "Frei zu leben", composed by Siegel and written by Michael Kunze, won the contest on March 29 at the Deutsches Theater München. Despite controversy surrounding the win, including vocal criticisms of Kovac's performance and the simplicity of the lyrics, Chris Kempers and Daniel Kovac represented Germany at the Eurovision Song Contest 1990, securing a 9th place finish. After the contest, Kempers ended her collaboration with Kovac. In 1991 and 1992, she performed with the rock group Palatinate.