Nena is the stage name of German singer and actress Gabriele Susanne Kerner (born 24 March 1960 in Hagen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany). Nena was also the name of the band with whom she released the 1984 English recording of her most well-known song "99 Red Balloons" (orginally released in Germany in 1983 as "99 Luftballons") Nena acquired her nickname, which means "baby girl" in Spanish, at the age of 3 during a vacation to Spain. Her first band was called The Stripes (1979).