Frank Mertens (born Frank Sorgatz; 26 October 1961) is a German musician. He is a former member of the German synth-pop group Alphaville.[1]
| Frank Mertens | |
| Birth Name: | Frank Sorgatz |
| Alias: | Maelstrom |
| Birth Date: | 26 October 1961 |
| Birth Place: | Enger, West Germany |
| Years Active: | 1982–1987, 1996 |
| Associated Acts: | Alphaville, Lonely Boys |
Mertens is a shy and quiet person who doesn't like to talk.[2] Shortly after the success of their debut album, he left the band in December 1984, because he found public attention stressful.[3]
After he left, he founded the group Lonely Boys with his girlfriend at the time Matine Lille (née Richter) and Felix Lille (né Schulte). Mertens disbanded the group in 1987 to study economics.[4]
In 1991, Mertens moved to Paris to study art. In 1996 he moved back to Cologne, to work as a plastic artist.[5]
During the same year, he started but never completed a musical project called Maelstrom, which was a combination of ambient-style music, impressionistic and colorful art in the form of paintings, sculptures, and etheric poetry.[6]