MIA.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| MIA. | |
|---|---|
 MIA. (2006); left to right: Penn, Spies, Katz, Schütze, Puls
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Germany |
| Genre(s) | German rock, Pop |
| Years active | 1997-present |
| Label(s) | R.O.T. (production), Columbia (distribution) |
| Website | Official site |
| Members | |
| Mieze Katz (lead singer) Gunnar Spies (drums) Robert "Bob" Schütze (bass) Andy Penn (guitar) Ingo Puls (guitar) |
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| Former members | |
| Hannes Schulze | |
MIA. (alternate spelling: Mia.) is a German rock/pop band.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
MIA. originally formed in 1997 when TV host Sarah Kuttner introduced schoolmates Mieze and Andreas Ross (who later changed his name to Andy Penn) to Robert Schütze and Ingo Puls. They took on Hannes Schulze as drummer and one year later the band, then called Me in Affairs signed a contract with independent music label R.O.T. - Respect or Tolerate. They soon abbreviated their band name to MIA., but now claim the letters do no longer stand just for Me in Affairs, but also for things like "Musik ist Alles" ("Music is everything") and that there is no such thing as a "correct" translation of their name.
In 1999 the band released its first single "Sugar My Skin" on major label BMG, but due to artistic differences the members soon asked to be released from that contract. In 2001 they followed up with their second single "Factory City". At the same time Gunnar Spies replaced Hannes Schulze, who had left the group due to private reasons. Afterwards MIA. released their debut album Hieb & StichFEST via Sony Music, which had moderate success in Germany.
2003 saw the band being heavily criticized for their song "Was es ist" ("What it is"), released on an EP of the same title. The lyrics featured romantic references to Germany and the colors of the German flag, topics that due to Germany's difficult history, especially the 'Third Reich'-era, many political leftists and especially Anti-Germans consider forbidden territory. MIA. claim the song was meant to provoke a discussion about Germany as a home and as a place to change and design. Furthermore, they consider themselves politically on the left.
In 2004 the band went on with its second album Stille Post. The longplayer spawned three singles, including "Hungriges Herz" ("Hungry Heart"), which was chosen for the German pre-selection of the Eurovision Song Contest and reached #24 on the official Singles Chart. The album simultaneously peaked at #13 on the Album 100 and was eventually certified with gold.
Their third album Zirkus was released on July 21, 2006. It entered and peaked the German album charts at #2, making it a surprise hit for the band and MIA.'s most successful album so far. The first single from the album, "Tanz der Moleküle" had previously entered the charts at #19, making it the group's most successful single.
In early 2007 MIA. competed in the Bundesvision Song Contest with their single "Zirkus" and came in fourth place.
On 7 July, 2007 MIA. performed at the German leg of Live Earth in Hamburg.
During a live appearance in Bonn on 19 April, 2008 the band introduced their new song "Mein Freund" ("My Friend"). It is planned to become the first single from a fourth album tentatively called Willkommen im Klub (Welcome to the Club) to be released in summer.[1]
[edit] Trivia
- Guitarist Andy Penn also has a solo career playing electronic music under the synonym TimTim. He released an album called "Let's Pretend We're Going" in 2003 and remixed songs for bands he or MIA. are friends with (such as Wir sind Helden, Virginia Jetzt! or Delbo).
- Were the first band to perform at both the German pre-selection of the Eurovision Song Contest and the Bundesvision Song Contest, even though solo artist Lukas Hilbert who performed at the 2005 Bundesvision was part of the band ROH, that played back-up to Lotto King Karl at the 2000 Eurovision pre-selection.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
- Hieb & StichFEST (2002)
- Stille Post (2004, rereleased later that year as a limited special edition with remixes and a DVD)
- Zirkus (2006, rereleased in 2007 as a special edition with videos and bonus features in an enhanced CD part)
- Willkommen im Klub (2008; announced, spelling unconfirmed - might yet change to Willkommen im Club)
[edit] Singles
| Year | Title | Chart Positions | Album | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GER | ||||
| 1999 | "Sugar My Skin" | - | (Non-album release) | |
| 2000 | "Factory City" | - | (Non-album release) | A remix was later included on Hieb & StichFEST |
| 2002 | "Alles neu" | #78 | Hieb & StichFEST | |
| 2002 | "Verrückt" | - | Hieb & StichFEST | |
| 2003 | "Kreisel" | - | Hieb & StichFEST | |
| 2003 | "Was es ist" | #50 | (Non-album EP) | The song "Was es ist" and a remix of another song were later included on Stille Post |
| 2004 | "Hungriges Herz" | #24 | Stille Post | |
| 2004 | "Ökostrom" | #71 | Stille Post | |
| 2004 | "Sonne" | #84 | Stille Post | |
| 2006 | "Tanz der Moleküle" | #19 | Zirkus | Remained in the German Top 100 for a total of 33 weeks. |
| 2006 | "Uhlala (Damit du fühlst)" | #86 | Zirkus | |
| 2007 | "Zirkus" | #55 | Zirkus | |
| 2007 | "Engel" | #76 | Zirkus | The fans voted for this song over "Floß" to be released as a single. |
| 2008 | "Mein Freund" | - | Willkommen im Klub | announced |
[edit] External links
- Official site (in German)
- MIA. at the Internet Movie Database
