No Angels are an all-female pop group from Germany, formed in 2000. Originally a quintet, consisting of band members Nadja Benaissa, Lucy Diakovska, Sandy Mölling, Vanessa Petruo, and Jessica Wahls, they originated on the debut season of the German adaptation of the talent series Popstars and were one of the first television-cast acts to achieve sustainable success throughout Central Europe in the early 2000s. Following a major success with record-breaking single "Daylight in Your Eyes" and debut album Elle'ments in 2001, a series of hit records established their position as one of the most successful female band vocalists to emerge in the early decade. With four number-one hits, four number-one albums and record sales of more than 5.0 million, they became one of the most successful acts in German music history, winning three ECHOs, a World Music Award, a NRJ Music Award, two Comets, a Bambi and a Goldene Kamera.
Monrose was a German pop girl group, first established in November 2006. Formed on the fifth installment of the German adaption of the international television talent show Popstars, the trio consisted of singers Mandy Capristo, Senna Gammour, and Bahar Kızıl. They were signed to Starwatch Music and released their debut album Temptation in December 2006. It achieved major success throughout Central Europe, selling more than a 600,000 copies combined and produced two singles, including number-one breakthrough hit "Shame" and "Even Heaven Cries".
Vanessa Anneliese Petruo-Zink is a German former singer, songwriter, actress and television personality. Born and raised in Berlin within a family of actors, she had minor roles in television and as a voice actress before she rose to fame as one of the members of the girl group No Angels, which were formed in 2000 on the German television talent show Popstars, becoming one of the best-selling girl groups of European origin of all time. Throughout her musical career, Petruo scored four number-one hits, including "Something About Us", which she co-wrote, and sold over five million albums and singles worldwide.
Nadja Benaissa is a German singer and television personality. She rose to fame in late 2000 when she auditioned for the German adaption of the reality television show Popstars and became a member of the girl group No Angels, one of the best-selling girl groups of European origin of all time. During their hiatus, Benaissa released her solo album, Schritt für Schritt (2007), which produced the single "Ich hab dich", and represented Hesse in the Bundesvision Song Contest 2006 with the song, finishing in fourth place.
Sandy Mölling is a German singer, songwriter, actress and television personality. She rose to fame as one of the members of the girl group No Angels, which were formed in 2000 on the German television talent show Popstars, becoming one of the best-selling girl groups of European origin of all time. During their hiatus, Mölling released a solo album, Unexpected (2004), which produced the top ten singles "Unnatural Blonde" and "Tell Me", and became a judge on the fourth season of Popstars.
Ludmilla "Lucy" Diakovska is a Bulgarian-born German singer and television personality who rose to fame as one of the founding members of the successful all-female pop band No Angels, the "biggest-selling German girlband to date", according to the German media.
The Preluders were a pop girl group from Germany. The original group comprised singers Tertia Botha, Miriam Cani, Anh-Thu Doan, Rebecca Miro, and Anne Ross. Created through the ProSieben talent show Popstars – Das Duell (2003), in which male and female pop groups competed against each other, Preluders lost out to boy band Overground in a public vote. Despite their defeat, the group achieved commercial success with their first single "Everyday Girl", which became a number-one hit in Germany, while their full-length debut album Girls in the House (2003) reached the top five in Germany and Switzerland.
"Sound of the Underground" is the debut single of British-Irish pop group Girls Aloud, later featured on their debut album of the same name. The song was written by Miranda Cooper, Brian Higgins, and Niara Scarlett, and produced by Higgins and his production team Xenomania. Following Girls Aloud's formation on the ITV1 reality television show Popstars: The Rivals, "Sound of the Underground" was released just sixteen days later on 16 December 2002. Commercially, the song was an immediate success. It became the year's Christmas number one in the UK, spending four consecutive weeks atop of the charts in total. The song also reached number one in Ireland and peaked within the top forty in Australia, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland.
"Daylight in Your Eyes" is the debut single by German girl group No Angels. It was written by Tony Bruno and Tommy Byrnes and initially recorded by American rock band New Life Crisis. A Tony Moran-produced remix of their version appeared on the MTV Party to Go Remixed compilation album (2001), but as their record company, Tommy Boy Entertainment, folded soon after, the group's original recording failed to receive a wider release, and the song was eventually sold separately abroad. There, "Daylight in Your Eyes" was purchased by Epic Records and re-recorded by Colombian singer Victoria Faiella for her debut album with the label.
"Shame" is a song by all-female German pop group Monrose, recorded for the band's debut studio album, Temptation (2006). It was written by Christian Ballard, Tim Hawes, Pete Kirtley and Andrew Murray, while joint production was helmed by British production teams Jiant and Snowflakers. Set against a heavy drum pattern and computerized synths sounds, "Shame" is a piano ballad arranged as a mid-tempo with pop and R&B influences. The song's lyrics are about the breakdown of a relationship with a man, with the protagonist blaming her own mistakes, including her ongoing call for independence, for their separation.
"Even Heaven Cries" is a pop ballad recorded by German pop trio Monrose. It was penned by Robbie Nevil, Lauren Evans, Philip Denker, Jonas Jeberg, and Jens Lumholt for the group's debut studio album, Temptation (2006). Produced by Jeberg, the song was released as the album's second single on March 2, 2007 in German-speaking Europe.
Destiny is the fourth regular studio album by all-female German pop group No Angels, released by Polydor Records and Universal Music Domestic on 13 April 2007 in German-speaking Europe. A comeback release, it marked the return of No Angels after the group had went into hiatus in the fall of 2003, which allowed each member to launch solo careers. Primarily produced by production duo Twin, with additional contribution from Jiant, Max Martin, Adrian Newman, and Thorsten Brötzmann as well as several new producers, it was the first album to feature No Angels's third lineup, excluding original band member Vanessa Petruo.
Popstars is a German reality television series that began its first installment on the RTL II network on 14 November 2000. Part of the international Popstars franchise, it originated from the New Zealand reality programme of the same name.
Peter Edward Kirtley is an English songwriter, and record producer. He has produced over 150 records worldwide with sales exceeding 12 million, including seven number-one hit singles worldwide, tracks on seven number-one albums, eight UK top-ten hits and thirty-five top-forty hits in Europe. He has written and/or produced for artists such as the Sugababes, Hear'Say, Armin Van Buuren, Tiësto, Kim Wilde, Mutya Buena, Boyzone, Newton Faulkner, Alexander O'Neal, Peter Andre, Lee Ryan, Heather Small and Ray Lewis of The Drifters. His production collaborations include Ryan Tedder, Guy Chambers and Stargate.
Queensberry was an all-female German pop group founded in late 2008. Formed during the seventh season of the television talent show Popstars, Popstars – Just 4 Girls, the original line-up consisted of singers Leonore Bartsch (Leo), Gabriella De Almeida Rinne (Gabby), Antonella Trapani (Anto), and Victoria Ulbrich (Vici). In July 2010, it was announced that both Antonella and Victoria had left the group, to be replaced by new members, Selina Herrero and Ronja Hilbig.
Some & Any was a German pop duo, formed during the eighth season of the German television talent show Popstars. The group consisted of then-18-year-old Vanessa Meisinger and 20-year-old half-Brazilian, half-Swiss Leonardo Ritzmann. The season finale aired on 10 December 2009.
"Last Man Standing" is the debut single of the German pop duo Some & Any. It was written by Lina Eriksson and Marti Dodson and released on 11 December 2009. The song was recorded by all finalist duos in the talent show Popstars: Du & Ich and therefore the CD included all three different versions of the song. The version by Some & Any was released on its own as a digital download.
Ladylike is the fourth and final studio album by German pop trio Monrose. It was released by Starwatch Music in association with Cheyenne Records and the Warner Music Group on 11 June 2010 in German-speaking Europe. Conceived during a hiatus which allowed each member to launch solo projects, production of the album began in mid-2009. Unlike their previous material, recording of Ladylike was not rushed, with sessions also taking place in New York City. Monrose reteamed with frequent collaborators Pete Kirtley, Tim Hawes, and Obi Mhondera to work on the album, while upcoming producers such as Tuneverse and Alexander Geringas were also consulted.
Popstars: Du & Ich is the eight season of Popstars, in which young aspiring singers compete in order to claim their spots to become the duo "Some & Any". This is the format for the second season of the Popstars series, focusing mostly on dancers/singers, looking for fame in the music industry. It premiered on 20 August 2009. The final combination which genders the band consisted of was open until the finals. The candidates applied alone or together, but if they applied together it was unsure if both would survive the elimination. The judge panel changed. Michelle Leonard and Alex Christensen, who was already a member of the jury, joined the judge panel. The castings through big cities ran for four episodes. The contestants took a seat in a big hall and had to step forward to the judges in groups of 4 and sing one song in front of them. They learn from the judges decision directly after their performance. One day later, the winners of the first day prepared two songs and got to the judges alone and perform both songs without forgetting any lines of the lyrics. The few contestants that got through this round continued their journey at a big decision-show in Stuttgart where they qualified for the workshop. The Workshop-Phase in Las Vegas lasted five weeks. Then the next weeks until the big Live-Finale back in Germany in December 2009, in which they finally announce the new Popstars, the contestants are in the Band-House in New York City. The Final on 10 December was won by 18-year-old Vanessa Meisinger and the Brazilian 20-year-old Leonardo "Leo" Ritzmann. They were the new Popstars duo Some & Any.
Popstars 2015 was the eleventh and final season of the German reality TV series Popstars, in which aspiring female singers aged 16 or older competed for a place in a new band. The show returned to its original broadcaster RTL II, which aired seasons 1 and 2 of the show. With the previous bands lacking success, the production intended to return to the show's roots and focus more on the singing and the search for different types of singers. The show aired on Mondays at 8:15 pm. Due to very low ratings, it was moved to 9:15 pm. However, ratings continued to drop and the show was kicked off the prime-time and moved to a slot airing Saturdays at 6:00 pm.
