Nadja Benaissa
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Nadja Benaissa | ||
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 Benaissa on Schritt Für Schritt (2006)
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| Background information | ||
| Birth name | Nadja Benaissa | |
| Born | April 26, 1982 | |
| Origin | Frankfurt am Main, Hesse, Germany | |
| Genre(s) | German Soul / Pop | |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, Songwriter | |
| Years active | 2000-present (group) 2005-present (solo) |
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| Label(s) | Universal Urban | |
| Associated acts |
No Angels Sisters Keepers |
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| Website | Official site | |
Nadja Benaissa (born April 26, 1982 in Frankfurt am Main, Hesse) is a German singer, songwriter and occasional actress, who rose to fame as one of the founding members of the girl group No Angels. In 2005 she launched a career as a solo artist.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
Benaissa was the second child born to an African-Moroccan father, Muhamed Benaissa, and a half Serbian-German mother, Sabina. She and her older brother Amin were primarily raised in Dreieich near Frankfurt am Main, Hesse. At the age of nine Nadja discovered first early interest in music when she started playing the piano and the flute. Later she followed-up with the formation of own rock bands and the participation in local stage contests in her teenage years.
In October 1999, at the age of 17, Nadja gave birth to the her only child, a daughter, Leila Jamila. Though Benaissa and her then-boyfriend ended their relationship and simultaneously broke contact, the single mother continued to attend evening classes.
[edit] 2000—2003: Breakthrough with the No Angels
In 2000 Benaissa decided to audition for the debut of the German reality television program Popstars. She entered the competition with thousands of other women, and the judges Simone Angel, Rainer Moslener and Mario M. Mendryzcki were impressed with her performance of Mariah Carey's hit single "Hero". She earned a position in the top thirty finalists and immediately travelled to Mallorca, Spain to join her competitors for a workshop there. Though struggling with dancing choreographies, Benaissa made it to the final ten on the show, and during a special episode in November 2000, jury member Angel disclosed that Nadja was chosen to become part of the final girl group, later called No Angels.
With the final five members of the band in place, Popstars continued tracking the development and struggles of the No Angels. However, it took another four months until the band released "Daylight (In Your Eyes)", a partial cover of Victoria Faiella's unreleased 2000 single, which would subsequently appear on the band's debut album Elle'ments. Both the single and the album became an unexpected but major success, beating new records, when both peaked at #1 on the German, Austrian, and Swiss singles, airplay and albums charts - all at the same time.
In the following years the band released another two #1 studio albums (Now ... Us! and Pure), a Live album and a successful Swing album (When The Angels Swing). Altogether the albums spawned twelve singles - including four number 1 singles and six Top 10 hits -, making the No Angels the most successful European girl group of their era with a final amount of more than 5 million sold copies. On September 5, 2003 the four resting members (now without Jessica) announced that they would no longer be performing together after three years of continual touring and increasing cases of illness. The release of The Best of No Angels in November of the same year marked the end of the band, whose members each went their separate ways. While some pursued solo careers in music and television, Benaissa (who had suffered from sleep deprivation and the distance to her daughter) decided to focus on motherhood.
[edit] 2005—2006: Launching a solo career
In 2004 Nadja Benaissa signed a solo deal with Universal Records. Encouraged to perform soul, and R&B music with lyrics in German language after a 2001 participation in the Sisters Keepers project's single "Liebe & Verstand" (released by an all-star cast of female Afro-German musicians), Benaissa decided to focus on writing German lyrics only. As a result she released her first solo single, "Es Ist Liebe", produced by Tino Oac, in September 2005. The Motown inspired song received a positive reception from music critics, but failed to chart on the German Top 50.
In fall 2005 Benaissa went on tour as supporting act for Simply Red. Afterwards she prepared the release of her second single "Ich Hab Dich", which was chosen to represent Hesse on the 2nd Bundesvision Song Contest. Nadja eventually finished fourth with 104 points, while the single entered a moderate #36 on the German singles chart. Two weeks later Schritt Für Schritt saw its minor succeeded release. In June 2006 Nadja participated into another non-profit-making aid project, when she provided vocals for a Fury in the Slaughterhouse cover, "Won't Forget These Days", released over the course of the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
[edit] 2007—present: Reformation of the band
Though Benaissa was originally finishing touches on her sophomore studio album with producers DJ Release, Audiotreats and Monroe, the singer decided to shelve upcoming plans for her solo career in favour of a reunion of the No Angels in early 2007. However, all band members have affirmed that they will continue to pursue individual careers as solo artists at suitable opportunities.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
- Schritt Für Schritt (2006) (GER: #71)
[edit] Singles
| Year | Title | Chart Positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GER Singles | AT Singles | CH Singles | |||
| 2005 | "Es Ist Liebe" | #64 | - | - | Schritt Für Schritt |
| 2006 | "Ich Hab Dich" | #36 | - | - | Schritt Für Schritt |
[edit] Guest Vocals
- 2001: "Liebe & Verstand" (with Sisters Keepers; from Lightkultur)
- 2006: "Won't Forget These Days" (with Music Team Germany; Charity Single)
