One Life (No Angels song)
Encyclopedia
"One Life" is a song by German pop band No Angels
. It was written by American
musicians Nasri Atweh
, Hakim Bell, Adam Messinger
, Akene "The Champ" Dunkley, and group members Nadja Benaissa
, Lucy Diakovska, Sandy Mölling
, and Jessica Wahls
for their fifth regular studio album Welcome to the Dance
(2009). Produced by Bell and Dunkley, featuring additional production by Atweh and Messinger, the anthem
ic, self-manifesto
song was created as a request to celebrate life, featuring autobiographic
al elements lyrically.
Musically, "One Life" introduced a change in sound for the quartet, as the track took the band's work further into the contemporary dance-pop
and electropop genre predominantly associated with the introduction of the Welcome to the Dance album (2009). Well-received by critics, who acclaimed the development of the No Angels, it was premiered live at a concert in St. Pölten, Austria on July 3, 2009 and released as the album's first and only single on CD single and as digital download
on August 21, 2009.
"One Life" debuted at number fifteen on the German Singles Chart, making it the band's fifteenth top twenty entry there, and number twenty-nine on the Ö3 Austria Top 40
. While it completely failed to chart in Switzerland, the song became the band's first leading single to miss the German top five on the national chart.
album. Conceived during a creative session in Berlin, Germany in September 2009, the band began to work on melodic ideas for the song over an instrumental track by New Jersey
hip-hop producers Hakim "Prince Hakim" Bell, son of Robert Bell, and Akene "The Champ" Dunkley, both of them having previously worked with the group's management mates Kool & The Gang
. In an interview with NWZ
, Lucy Diakovska said that the team developed the concept of the song through mutual discussions. When asked about the meaning of the lyrics, she explained: "Well, we've never done anything hoping that it would materialize later. Now is now. Now is the moment, you exist. Later? What is later? Just live the moment and make the best of it." Nadja Benaissa
added: "The song is about having only one life, never knowing what future brings next [...] and that's why you should live your life and enjoy it, even when you're in trouble."
On May 14, 2009, Bell announced via Twitter that the first single from the album would be "One Life," his only contribution to Welcome to the Dance. On their decision to release the track as the leading single, Diakovska further explained: "The song was done and we immediately knew: That's the track. That's the first single. That's the song that represents the album best [...] and everyone will love it, not just because it's positive but it radiates everything great in life."
Choreographed by Marco da Silva, a former backing dancer of the group, it features the four members of the band in individual shots, with Sandy Mölling
performing in a narrow passage with glove-wearing hands caressing her from every direction, and Nadja Benaissa
laying on top of neon lights stake, that she noted an ironic remark on her April 2009 arrest and the subsequent media scandal. Lucy Diakovska
and Jessica Wahls
each are seen performing individual dance routines with male dancers, dressed in either black overalls or pink light bulbs. During the chorus' the quartet can be seen wearing two-color ski suit
s, dancing in a highly stylized manner.
No Angels
The No Angels are an all-female pop trio from Germany, consisting of band members Lucy Diakovska, Sandy Mölling, and Jessica Wahls. Critically acclaimed, the band has won dozen of awards and prizes since their establishment in the early 2000s, including three ECHOs, a World Music Awards, a NRJ...
. It was written by American
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
musicians Nasri Atweh
Nasri
Nasri meaning support or victory is an Arabic male given name, which also appears as a surname.-Given name:* Nasri Tony Atweh, Canadian singer-songwriter and producer* Nasri Maalouf , Lebanese politician...
, Hakim Bell, Adam Messinger
Adam Messinger
Adam "Messy" Messinger is a Canadian songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist currently based in Los Angeles, California. Besides his solo work, he is part of the writing and production duo "The Messengers" along with Nasri Atweh.-Career:...
, Akene "The Champ" Dunkley, and group members Nadja Benaissa
Nadja Benaissa
Nadja Benaissa is a German singer, songwriter and occasional actress, 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.After a series of commercially successful releases...
, Lucy Diakovska, Sandy Mölling
Sandy Mölling
Sandy Mölling , known professionally as Sandy, is a German singer-songwriter, dancer, television presenter and occasional actress, 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...
, and Jessica Wahls
Jessica Wahls
Jessica Martina Wahls , also known under her nickname Jess, is a German pop singer, songwriter and television host, 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.-Early...
for their fifth regular studio album Welcome to the Dance
Welcome to the Dance
Welcome to the Dance is the fifth regular studio album by all-female German pop group No Angels, released by Polydor and Universal Music Domestic throughout German-speaking Europe on September 11, 2009...
(2009). Produced by Bell and Dunkley, featuring additional production by Atweh and Messinger, the anthem
Anthem
The term anthem means either a specific form of Anglican church music , or more generally, a song of celebration, usually acting as a symbol for a distinct group of people, as in the term "national anthem" or "sports anthem".-Etymology:The word is derived from the Greek via Old English , a word...
ic, self-manifesto
Manifesto
A manifesto is a public declaration of principles and intentions, often political in nature. Manifestos relating to religious belief are generally referred to as creeds. Manifestos may also be life stance-related.-Etymology:...
song was created as a request to celebrate life, featuring autobiographic
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
al elements lyrically.
Musically, "One Life" introduced a change in sound for the quartet, as the track took the band's work further into the contemporary dance-pop
Dance-pop
Dance-pop is dance-oriented pop music that originated in the early 1980s. Developing from post-disco, it is generally up-tempo music intended for clubs with the intention of being danceable or merely dancey...
and electropop genre predominantly associated with the introduction of the Welcome to the Dance album (2009). Well-received by critics, who acclaimed the development of the No Angels, it was premiered live at a concert in St. Pölten, Austria on July 3, 2009 and released as the album's first and only single on CD single and as digital download
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
on August 21, 2009.
"One Life" debuted at number fifteen on the German Singles Chart, making it the band's fifteenth top twenty entry there, and number twenty-nine on the Ö3 Austria Top 40
Ö3 Austria Top 40
Ö3 Austria Top 40 is the name of the official Austrian singles chart, as well as the radio show which presents it, aired Fridays on Hitradio Ö3. The show presents the Austrian singles, ringtones and downloads chart. It premiered on 26 November 1968 as Disc Parade and was presented by Ernst Grissemann...
. While it completely failed to chart in Switzerland, the song became the band's first leading single to miss the German top five on the national chart.
Background
One of the first songs ever all four band members jointly started writing lyrics for, "One Life" was written during the second out of five separate studio sessions for the Welcome to the DanceWelcome to the Dance
Welcome to the Dance is the fifth regular studio album by all-female German pop group No Angels, released by Polydor and Universal Music Domestic throughout German-speaking Europe on September 11, 2009...
album. Conceived during a creative session in Berlin, Germany in September 2009, the band began to work on melodic ideas for the song over an instrumental track by New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
hip-hop producers Hakim "Prince Hakim" Bell, son of Robert Bell, and Akene "The Champ" Dunkley, both of them having previously worked with the group's management mates Kool & The Gang
Kool & the Gang
Kool & the Gang are an American jazz, R&B, soul, and funk group, originally formed as the Jazziacs in Jersey City, New Jersey in 1964.They went through several musical phases during the course of their recording career, starting out with a purist jazz sound, then becoming practitioners of R&B and...
. In an interview with NWZ
Television channel
A television channel is a physical or virtual channel over which a television station or television network is distributed. For example, in North America, "channel 2" refers to the broadcast or cable band of 54 to 60 MHz, with carrier frequencies of 55.25 MHz for NTSC analog video and...
, Lucy Diakovska said that the team developed the concept of the song through mutual discussions. When asked about the meaning of the lyrics, she explained: "Well, we've never done anything hoping that it would materialize later. Now is now. Now is the moment, you exist. Later? What is later? Just live the moment and make the best of it." Nadja Benaissa
Nadja Benaissa
Nadja Benaissa is a German singer, songwriter and occasional actress, 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.After a series of commercially successful releases...
added: "The song is about having only one life, never knowing what future brings next [...] and that's why you should live your life and enjoy it, even when you're in trouble."
On May 14, 2009, Bell announced via Twitter that the first single from the album would be "One Life," his only contribution to Welcome to the Dance. On their decision to release the track as the leading single, Diakovska further explained: "The song was done and we immediately knew: That's the track. That's the first single. That's the song that represents the album best [...] and everyone will love it, not just because it's positive but it radiates everything great in life."
Music video
An accompanying music video for "One Life" was filmed in Berlin on July 8, 2009, and directed by Ole Ziesemann. It was fully premiered on German music television network VIVA on July 31, 2009.Choreographed by Marco da Silva, a former backing dancer of the group, it features the four members of the band in individual shots, with Sandy Mölling
Sandy Mölling
Sandy Mölling , known professionally as Sandy, is a German singer-songwriter, dancer, television presenter and occasional actress, 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...
performing in a narrow passage with glove-wearing hands caressing her from every direction, and Nadja Benaissa
Nadja Benaissa
Nadja Benaissa is a German singer, songwriter and occasional actress, 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.After a series of commercially successful releases...
laying on top of neon lights stake, that she noted an ironic remark on her April 2009 arrest and the subsequent media scandal. Lucy Diakovska
Ludmilla Diakovska
Ludmilla "Lucy" Diakovska is a Bulgarian singer-songwriter, music producer, dancer, stage actress 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...
and Jessica Wahls
Jessica Wahls
Jessica Martina Wahls , also known under her nickname Jess, is a German pop singer, songwriter and television host, 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.-Early...
each are seen performing individual dance routines with male dancers, dressed in either black overalls or pink light bulbs. During the chorus' the quartet can be seen wearing two-color ski suit
Ski suit
A ski suit is a suit made to be worn over the rest of the clothes when skiing. A ski suit made for more casual winter wear outdoors may also be called a snowsuit....
s, dancing in a highly stylized manner.
Formats and track listings
These are the formats and track listings of major single-releases of "One Life."Credits and personnel
- VocalsHuman voiceThe human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal folds for talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, etc. Its frequency ranges from about 60 to 7000 Hz. The human voice is specifically that part of human sound production in which the vocal folds are the primary...
: N. BenaissaNadja BenaissaNadja Benaissa is a German singer, songwriter and occasional actress, 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.After a series of commercially successful releases...
, L. Diakovska, S. MöllingSandy MöllingSandy Mölling , known professionally as Sandy, is a German singer-songwriter, dancer, television presenter and occasional actress, 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...
, J. WahlsJessica WahlsJessica Martina Wahls , also known under her nickname Jess, is a German pop singer, songwriter and television host, 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.-Early... - Produced by: Hakim Bell and Akene "The Champ" Dunkley
- Co-produced by: Nasri & the Messinger
- Executive producerExecutive producerAn executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
: Koolmanagement GmbH, Khalid Schröder - Instrumentation and programming: A. Dunkley and H. Bell
- Recorded at: Monarch Music and Inner Court Studio, New Jersey, United States, CI Music Studios, Berlin, Germany
- MixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
: Adam Messinger - Mastering: Götz-Michael Rieth
Live performances
The band has performed the track live at the following events:- Sankt Pölten Stadtfest – July 3, 2009 (world premiere)
- Sat.1-Frühstücksfernsehen – August 21, 2009 (accoutic version)
- The DomeThe Dome (television program)The Dome is a German television program and music event, produced and broadcast by RTL 2. Roughly every three months, a new show is recorded in an event hall in different cities in Germany and Austria. In each episode, several national, but also international bands and musicians perform their...
– August 21, 2009 (broadcasted on September 5, 2009) - ZDF Fernsehgarten – August 23, 2009
- KI.KA LiveKI.KAKI.KA is a public non-commercial free television channel based in Erfurt, Germany. It is a joint venture of national public television channels ARD, and ARD's constituent broadcasting institutions – BR, HR, MDR, NDR, Radio Bremen, RBB, Saarländischer Rundfunk, SWR, WDR and ZDF, and is targeted at...
– September 3, 2009 - Stars for Free – September 5, 2009
- TV Total Stockcar Challenge QualifyingTV totalTV total is a German late-night television comedy talk show that has run since 8 March 1999 on ProSieben, and is currently aired at around 23:15 from Monday to Thursday....
– October 9, 2009 - Die Neue Hitparade - October 10, 2009 (broadcasted on November 7, 2009)
- Austria's Next TopmodelAustria's Next TopmodelAustria's Next Topmodel is an Austrian reality documentary based on Tyra Banks America's Next Top Model that pits contestants against each other in a variety of competitions to determine who will win title of Austria's Next Topmodel, with prizes including the cover of a magazine, a contract with a...
- November 25, 2009
Charts
| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| German Singles Chart | 15 |
| Ö3 Austria Top 40 Ö3 Austria Top 40 Ö3 Austria Top 40 is the name of the official Austrian singles chart, as well as the radio show which presents it, aired Fridays on Hitradio Ö3. The show presents the Austrian singles, ringtones and downloads chart. It premiered on 26 November 1968 as Disc Parade and was presented by Ernst Grissemann... |
29 |
Release history
| Format | Date |
|---|---|
| internet leak Internet leak An Internet leak occurs when a party's confidential information is released to the public on the Internet. Various types of information and data can be, and have been, "leaked" to the Internet, the most common being personal information, computer software and source code, and artistic works such... |
July 16, 2009 |
| mainstream radio Contemporary hit radio Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts... |
July 17, 2009 |
| CD single, digital download Music download A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment... |
August 21, 2009 |
External links
- NoAngels-Music.de – official site