Alpena native Breanna Burrone to compete on ‘The Voice of Germany’
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ALPENA - Ten years after leaving northern Michigan on an exchange scholarship, Alpena native Breanna Burrone is stepping onto one of Europe's biggest musical stages.
Burrone, a current German citizen who was born and raised in Alpena, will compete on the upcoming season of “The Voice of Germany.” The reality competition show's season premiere is scheduled for Sept. 11.
While the season kicks off later this month, fans back home should note that the show will not be broadcast or available for direct streaming in the United States.
Though Burrone is unsure of the exact date her episode will air, she plans to bridge the distance for her hometown supporters by sharing as much video content and updates as possible across social media so viewers in Michigan can watch her blind audition.
For Burrone, taking the stage in Berlin felt like a natural next step in her journey.
”I chose ‘The Voice of Germany’ because I have lived in Germany for 10 years now,” Burrone said. “It's been a dream of mine for a long time to finally do something big with my music and this seemed like the perfect opportunity. ‘The Voice’ altogether has a great reputation and is well known all over the world.”
Burrone's path to the TV stage began when two friends in Germany submitted an application on her behalf while she was experimenting with independent music projects.
”After that we all sat down together and wrote the application,” Burrone said. “I always told myself I didn't want to do this kind of thing, but deep down I know it's something I needed to do.”
The selection process proved to be a marathon. After submitting materials in May 2025 for the 2026 season, Burrone advanced through three online casting rounds in December 2025. An online interview followed in February, leading to an in-person audition in Berlin in March, where she performed three songs for producers. Two weeks later, she received the official call inviting her to the show's televised blind auditions.
Throughout the intense process, Burrone relied on support from her hometown, where her parents were sworn to secrecy until official announcements could be made.
”Even though my entire family lives in Alpena, they've all found their way of being supportive somehow,” Burrone said, adding that her mother flew to Berlin to sit in the audience during the blind audition. “That meant the world to me, literally. Growing up in an extremely musically gifted family has been a blessing, and I know how proud everyone is of me, even from afar.”
Burrone's connection to Germany began in northern Michigan classrooms. She began studying the language in eighth grade at Thunder Bay Junior High School and continued through Alpena High School. In 2016, she earned a Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange scholarship to study abroad. After returning to Alpena briefly in 2017, she moved back to Germany full-time in 2018.
Over the last decade, Burrone built a life and career in Germany while perfecting her language skills. She worked in a cafe before completing an orthodontic apprenticeship six months early, earning her specialized orthodontic assistant degree in 2024. Today, she works as a biomedical technology supervisor for an American company based in Germany.
When production began in Berlin, the physical environment presented an unexpected challenge during an intense summer heatwave.
”In my hotel room, I had a fan, and it was during the longest European heatwave ever,” Burrone said. “It was 89 degrees at night and 105 during the day. In some parts of the studio there was air conditioning but not every part, and with all that makeup on, you were melting. Most of us had little portable fans on a necklace.”
On audition day, contestants were kept in a holding area without knowing their exact performance order. When her turn arrived, Burrone walked out under the lights to perform a well-known rock song by a band she loved as a child.
”There is a talent-only area where we were sitting and being interviewed and filmed nonstop,” Burrone said. “The stress of not knowing when it's your turn ate me alive, but when it was finally my turn, I was taken backstage, cameras on me all the time, a quick briefing of what was about to happen, and then boom, those curtains opened."
"Seven hundred people watching you in complete silence as you walk to the designated dot on the stage, where you're in the dead center," she added.
Despite the high-stakes environment, the Northern Michigan native felt grounded as the live band prepared to play.
”The time between me walking out and the live band starting to play felt like an eternity, even though it might have been five seconds,” Burrone said. “When I got out there, I said to myself in my head, ‘this is exactly where you're supposed to be.'”
Though she has grown accustomed to singing with specialized in-ear monitors in front of hundreds of studio audience members, Burrone still holds a deep appreciation for her musical roots back home.
”Performing in Alpena during the summer when I come to town has its charm and I think that it is a great way to get yourself known,” Burrone said. “It's especially nice to always see familiar faces and drink a lemonade without sparkling water in it.”
As the premiere date approaches, Burrone expressed gratitude for the community supporting her from across the Atlantic.
”To everyone back home in Northern Michigan who has been cheering me on, thank you,” Burrone said. “It means more to me than I could ever put into words. Even though I'm an ocean away, knowing that people from my hometown are watching, supporting me, and rooting for me makes this whole experience feel a little less far from home."
"I'm so proud to be able to represent a little piece of Northern Michigan all the way over here in Germany," Burrone added.