Biography

On December 4th 1979, Maite Star Kelly saw the light of day in Berlin as the 11th of twelve children.
The following year her siblings earned their first success in the Netherlands and Germany as "The Kelly Family" with the single "Who'll Come With Me".
In 1981 the family moved back to Spain after their mother Barbara Ann succumbed to Cancer.
In her early childhood, excited by the music of her siblings, Maite wanted to be on stage with them. She accompanied the band with simple instruments, sang in the background, and even performed some verses on her own. During the following years "The Kelly Family" toured through Europe and the USA.
In the early '90s the family settled down and moved with their houseboat to Cologne, touring Germany and the neighbouring countries.
In 1993 Maite released her first self-written song on the Kelly Family album "WOW" - "Say Na Na".
The success of the singing family kept growing, and in 1994 "The Kelly Family" were filling entire concert halls. "Over the Hump" sold 4.5 million copies in Europe and remains the most sold album in Germany today. Maite's lovesong "Roses of Red" was released as a single.
In 1995 the family won nearly every award in Germany, including the prestigious "Bambi," "Echo," "Goldene Löwe" and various "Bravo Ottos."
1996 brought a stadium tour and bigger audiences than ever. Their "Almost Heaven" album reinforced their popularity, containing many hit singles, including "Every Baby" from Maite.
After many years of success and further albums ("Growing Up" and "From Their Hearts") with her siblings, Maite decided to apply herself to her own private growth. She went to the US in 2000 and graduated from high school.

In 2001 "The Kelly Family" released "La Patata", on which a completely new style was presented. Maite's song "I Wanna Be Loved" was mellow and contemplative. The siblings toured through Europe again to support the album, where they continued to reach a huge audience.
Over the years a strong faith grew in Maite Kelly's life. She went on pilgrimages to Fatima, where she gained her conversion, then to Medjugorje and Lourdes, and she occupied herself with the life of saints like St. Katharina of Sienna and St. Padre Pio.In 2002 her father Daniel Jerome died after a long and severe illness.
Maite devoted herself to her faith and to the bid of charity. She studied the troubles of poorer countries, and in 2003 she dedicated herself to help establish a university parish in Togo, building a place for education and for meeting with God and like-minded people.
In November of 2004 Maite lived with a guest family in Togo for half a year, working closely with the project. She engaged herself as a governess in a kindergarten/preschool and spent her spare time with the students. Bit by bit, Maite's faith deepened as she lived together with the St. Jeans Community, enjoying lasting impressions of life and the country. She didn't just spend that half year with the project and the people; it was also time to live in the nearness of God.
In the same year "The Kelly Family" released the album "Homerun".
The next great event waited for Maite as she returned back home. After her engagement to Florent Raimond at the beginning of the year, the time to plan a wedding was upon them. On August the 27th they said their vows and entered into the holy bond of marriage.
At the end of the year, "The Kelly Family" toured Germany with the Roncalli Circus.
Maite was invited back to Togo in Feburary 2006 for the dedication of the new community church. After her return she continued to share the stage with her siblings on the Roncalli tour.
On June 30th, Maite and Florent were blessed with their first child, Agnes Therese Barbara.
After a recovery during winter 2006/2007 she was on the road with her family again. It was a church tour this time, and they offered a completely new live atmosphere to the delighted audiences.

In the beginning of 2007 she took her first steps toward a career as a solo artist, recording her first solo album.
In May 2007 Maite celebrated two great Gala events with nearly 700 members of her Community. The receipts benefited the Togo project.
On January the 22th 2008, Maite gave birth to her second daughter, Josephine Catherine Francoise.
Also in 2008 she gave another party for the benefit of the Togo project. During two evenings she and her husband Florent performed with a choir of Togolese students, who she knew from her stay in Togo, and together they delighted the audience with amazing gospels and Maite's own songs.
In 2009 Maite continued with her solo projects. She toured many towns with her band, elating the public with her fresh, easy nature and her spirited but also emotional music.
Furthermore, her “Inofficial Album” was released with a selection of new songs. She detached herself from the Sound of the Kelly Family and found her own style between pop, rock and reggae.

The new Disney DVD "Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure" was released in 2009, with Maite singing all songs on the German version. As the mother of two small daughters she took the fairy to her heart and was thrilled to sing the music of this magical story. For the first time Maite sang in German, but she gave the songs her own personal touch through her Irish roots. Pick up the soundtrack to hear the wonderful melodies of this new pixie adventure.
Even German Television took notice of Maite as she appeared on diverse TV shows. After a long casting process, Maite became the pledge to be part of a new daily talk show at VOX – “Frauenzimmer,” where she will discuss the latest topics with other women.

"Hairspray" chose Maite to play the teenage dream of Tracy Turnblad for the German premiere on 6.12.2009 in the Musical Dome in Cologne. She shared the stage with a sensational all-star cast, including Uwe Ochsenknecht as mother Edna.
She made her dream come true when she won " Let's dance 2011"