Thieves steal passports and equipment from singer Vanessa Mai's car in Berlin

Overnight break-in in Berlin

German pop singer Vanessa Mai had her vehicle broken into and ransacked overnight in Berlin while travelling on her "Traumfabrik Tour 2026". Mai, a 34-year-old artist from Backnang in Baden-Württemberg and a former juror on the casting show "Deutschland sucht den Superstar", recounted the theft on the podcast "Schön laut", which she co-hosts with 30-year-old television presenter Lola Weippert. The podcast format frequently covers personal experiences and everyday difficulties. Mai explained that she strictly avoids leaving personal belongings in vehicles overnight under normal circumstances. On this occasion, however, she left multiple bags inside because she was exhausted and wanted to save time before setting off the next morning.

Now I just think how stupid it was to just leave these things in there.

Stolen equipment and personal keepsakes

The perpetrators took nearly everything inside the car, resulting in material losses estimated at several thousand euros. The missing items included credit cards, passports, handbags, jackets, shoes, jewellery, a make-up kit, and in-ear monitoring headphones necessary for live stage performances. Source accounts differed on the status of her concert wardrobe: some initial reports stated that tour costumes were among the stolen luggage, while German press agency reports indicated that her stage outfits were the sole items left behind in the vehicle. Mai also noted the loss of her birth control pills, which created immediate practical complications during travel.

I really do not want to skip the pill and have my entire hormone balance thrown into chaos.

Beyond material property, the thieves took irreplaceable personal mementos stored inside Mai's wallet, including private family photographs and lucky clovers. Mai described acute emotional distress at the realization that unknown individuals were looking through her personal items.

It feels so disgusting that people like that have these things and rummage through them.

Husband salvages critical data

Mai noted that the situation could have been significantly worse had her husband, Andreas Ferber, not retrieved a laptop from the car the evening prior to the burglary. Mai stated that the device stored vital working data, remarking that losing it would have caused complete catastrophe. Ferber took charge of replacing passports and securing banking cards, allowing Mai to concentrate on tour operations. Neither Mai nor her crew were present during the theft, leading the singer to note that nobody suffered physical harm.

Fortunately, nothing happened to us.

Tour logistics and schedule

The loss of travel documentation created immediate administrative complications for an upcoming tour date across the border in Switzerland. The "Traumfabrik Tour 2026" had already visited Berlin and Dresden before the theft occurred. Further tour dates across Germany in October include planned appearances in Nuremberg, Freiburg, Lindau, Frankfurt, and Hamburg. The burglary follows a similar high-profile theft in Berlin reported weeks earlier by comedian Felix Lobrecht, whose Kreuzberg apartment was entered by individuals dressed as construction workers.