Sandra Cretu
Encyclopedia
Sandra Ann Lauer, stage name
Sandra (born 18 May 1962) is a German
pop singer
, who dominated European charts with eighteen top 20 hits during the 1980s and early 1990s, with the help of her then-husband and musical partner, Michael Cretu
. During a brief height of popularity, she even outsold Madonna
in a number of countries around the world. At the start of her career, from 1979 to 1984, she was the lead singer of the female disco/dance trio Arabesque
, which had a massive following in Japan
and Russia
. Subsequently a solo performer, she had her first international #1 hit-single "(I'll Never Be) Maria Magdalena" in 1985, followed by "In the Heat of the Night
". In 1986 it was "Hi! Hi! Hi!
", then "Everlasting Love" in 1987, "Heaven Can Wait" in 1988 and "Hiroshima
" in 1990. Her top-rated albums are 1988's Into a Secret Land
and 1992's Close to Seven
. Between 1990 and 2001, she provided vocals on album releases of the very successful group Enigma
, which had top 10 hits in America and Britain. With a unique high-pitched singing style, she has topped the charts from as far afield as Egypt
, South Africa
, Israel
, Japan
and Brazil
, as well as closer to home in Sweden
and France
. A cult star with a devoted fan base, she remains one of the most popular singers of the 1980s in Continental Europe
. With sales in excess of 30 million records worldwide, Sandra has established her position as the most successful German pop female vocalist.
, close to the French border. Her father, Robert, who owned a wine store in Saarbrücken, is French and her mother, Karin, who worked in a shoe store, is German. Sandra also had an older brother, Gaston, a paraplegic who died in 1995. Sandra showed an early interest in music and dancing. She started to learn classical ballet
at the age of 5 and had continued lessons for ten years. When she was 10 years old, she received a guitar and took lessons from a school teacher.
In 1975, at the age of thirteen, Sandra went with her mother to see "Young Star Festival", a Saarbrücken talent competition, which sought to discover new performers for the music industry. Although she was not a contestant, but simply a member of the audience, when all the participants finished performing and the jury was discussing the results, she told her mother that she needed to go the ladies' room, then stood up, walked onto the stage, persuaded the DJ to put on the German cover version of a song made famous by Olivia Newton-John
, grabbed the microphone and started singing. The recognition gained by the impromptu performance enabled her to gain a professional release for the children's song about a pet dog, "Andy Mein Freund
". The single, however, performed poorly on charts dominated by disco
mania and she received no other recording offers.
In 1979, now seventeen, Sandra joined Arabesque
, a disco group consisting of Michaela Rose and Jasmine Vetter. Soon after that they recorded their second album with Sandra on lead vocals at Europasound Studios in Offenbach. The studio was owned by famous producer Frank Farian
, the creator of Boney M
, and later Milli Vanilli
. One of the musicians there was a keyboardist named Michael Cretu
. Sandra and Michael found that they shared the same birthday, albeit five years apart, and became good friends.
With Arabesque a new period in Sandra’s life began. For the first time, she was away from her family, appearing on stage and TV in foreign countries, giving interviews, photo shoots and singing at concerts. Arabesque became successful, and by Sandra's nineteenth birthday she was a star. Arabesque were particularly popular in Japan, dominating the charts, and their outrageous, sometimes daring costumes, dance routines and cheerful music suggested a fun alternative to ABBA
and Boney M. They enjoyed success in several other countries and scored a Top 10 hit in Germany with "Marigot Bay" in 1981. After nine albums, differences in musical interests and the end of disco's popularity signalled the group's final break-up.
Sandra and Michael Cretu, romantically involved, moved to Munich
, where Michael soon created his own studio, Data-Alpha, named after a song from his solo album Legionäre
. Their first single together was 1984's "Japan ist weit", a German cover of the Alphaville
song "Big in Japan
", an appropriate way to describe Sandra's fame up to that point. However, the song failed to enter any of the charts and only 125 copies of the single were sold.
(1985), reached number 12 in her home country of Germany. It remained in the German Top 20 for 16 weeks, while in Sweden "Maria Magdalena" spent four weeks at number one. The follow-up single "In the Heat of the Night
" continued her success all over Europe and internationally, reaching number two in Germany and the Top 5 in France. At that time Sandra was acclaimed the "pop princess". The song also earned Sandra second place at the Tokyo Music Festival
in Japan, later in 1986. "Little Girl
" became the third single with the music video being filmed in Venice
.
Shortly after the release of The Long Play, Sandra moved to London for six months. Helena Shelen, a singing instructor, who had previously worked with artists like George Michael
and Paul Young
, took Sandra under her wings. Sandra also joined the London Berlitz School for Languages, where she improved her English abilities and took drumming lessons to get a better feeling for rhythm and timing
. Over weekends she went back to Munich to work on her new album.
Sandra's second studio album Mirrors
(released in October 1986) reflected the continuous musical development of Michael Cretu. On this album, he used more of the writing and singing talents of Hubert Kemmler (who was already a popular singer in Germany under the name Hubert Kah). "Don't Cry (The Breakup of the World)" was a non-single track on the album, written in reaction to the Chernobyl disaster
in 1986. "Innocent Love
" was the first of four successful singles from the album, entering the Top 10 in France whereas the second single "Hi! Hi! Hi!
" was another Top 10 hit in her native country of Germany. The ballad "Loreen" was the third single released from the album, while the electro-pop "Midnight Man"
(with Michael Cretu singing in the chorus and appearing in the music video) became the fourth and final single from the album. The second album continued the same success all over Europe.
Two years after her spectacular debut, in 1987, Sandra released the greatest hits compilation Ten on One, a testimony to her quick rise to stardom. Accompanied with it was the video collection of the album giving fans a glimpse inside her private life and day-to-day routine. Her version of "Everlasting Love
", a favorite song since her childhood, went to number five on German charts, becoming one of her biggest hits. The music video showed Sandra and a male model depicting scenes of various lovers through the ages, with Adam and Eve
, Bonnie and Clyde
, Cleopatra and Mark Antony
, and a colorful 1980s punk
couple, amongst others. The second single from the album, "Stop for a Minute", became another German Top 10 hit and was written especially for the German TV crime series Tatort
, where she is found singing the song during a club scene in one of the episodes.
On 7 January 1988, Sandra married Michael Cretu and relocated from Munich to the Spanish island of Ibiza
. In the same year they worked on Sandra's new material.
In 1988 Sandra and Michael released Into a Secret Land
, moving away somewhat from electro-pop to a more mysterious and seductive sound. Four hit singles were delivered from this album. The first single "Heaven Can Wait" became another Top 10 smash hit in France and number 12 hit in Germany, accompanied by a video featuring Sandra dancing and singing on a Mediterranean beach. The title track, "Secret Land
", a cover version of the track "Trenchcoat Man" by the short-lived German synth pop project Fabrique, became the second single, entering the German Top 10. The third single "We'll Be Together
" was another German Top 10 hit. ("We'll Be Together" along with "When the Rain Doesn't Come" (from 1992's Close to Seven
album) are the only songs written or co-written by Sandra prior to the release of her album The Wheel of Time in 2002.) "Around My Heart
", the fourth single released, peaked at number 11 in Germany.
The British team Stock Aitken Waterman
tried to cash in on the success of "Everlasting Love" by releasing a remix of the song in 1988 for the British market. The remixed version was a moderate hit on the UK charts (reaching #45), but did well in Sweden, The Philippines and South Africa. With animal rights
and nature conservation high on her personal agenda, she took part in the project Artists United for Nature in 1989. The song "Yes We Can" featured, amongst others, the vocals of Brian May
, Harold Faltermeyer
and Chaka Khan
.
Sandra ended the 1980s as one of the most popular female performers in Europe. At that stage she was also already known as the European queen of pop and rivaled Madonna in terms of her popularity and Top 10 hits.
Sandra's album Paintings in Yellow
(released in March 1990) gave her another Top 10 hit with a surprising cover version of Wishful Thinking's "Hiroshima
". Elements of the five-part album track "The Journey" foreshadowed the Enigma
sound, which was particularly evident on some of the album's tracks. Frank Peterson
, who was the co-producer (alias F. Gregorian) on the Enigma project, took up the role of writing and producing some of the tracks with Michael Cretu. His influence was clearly audible.
In the same year, Enigma's song "Sadeness
" became a huge hit in many countries all over the world. At first nobody knew who was hiding behind the alias Enigma, but Sandra fans quickly identified her voice. When the song became a Top 10 hit in the United States, it marked Sandra's first successful venture into the US market. Sandra performed the second single off her solo album "(Life May Be) A Big Insanity
" at the World Music Awards
in Monte Carlo
when she accepted the prize for Best Selling German Artist at the end of 1990. "One More Night
" was the third and final single released from Paintings in Yellow.
Because of the overwhelming success of Enigma, and an almost two-year break after Paintings in Yellow, there was a gap in Sandra's career, which was finally closed, with the album Close to Seven
. The album continued a development towards a more meditative, less dance-oriented musical style. Sandra wanted to get rid of her teen idol image and perform for a more mature audience. This was her first album produced almost completely by Michael Cretu. Close to Seven became another German Top 10 album. The male vocals were sung by Andy Jonas, also known as Andy "Angel" Hart.
Although the first single "Don't Be Aggressive
" (with the music video being directed by Howard Greenhalgh) entered the European Top 20, subsequent singles failed to achieve the same success. The second single "I Need Love" was the first single after "Japan ist weit" for Sandra to flop and to not reach any of the charts. Nevertheless, Sandra and Michael were recognized as the most successful married couple and were awarded with the Golden Europe Award in 1992.
In the fall of 1992 a new compilation was released, entitled 18 Greatest Hits. Sandra recorded a new version of the song "Johnny Wanna Live
", which was previously released on her Paintings in Yellow album. The song, co-written by Frank Peterson and later redone by his then-girlfriend Sarah Brightman
for her album Dive
, was an anthem against cruelty towards animals. The music video was once again directed by Howard Greenhalgh and showed shocking scenes of cruelty to animals. In an interview in Sweden, Sandra explained the origins of the song citing her disapproval of people wearing fur coats. The compilation reached the Top 10 in both Germany and France and was awarded gold. The release of 18 Greatest Hits marked the end of Sandra's most successful period of her solo career.
version of "Maria Magdalena" with a futuristic music video, which wasn't a success. However, it reached number 8 on the charts in Finland.
In 1995, while pregnant with twins, Sandra recorded and released Fading Shades
. The album saw a new writer/producer Jens Gad
working alongside Michael Cretu. The album featured a cover version
of "Nights in White Satin" by The Moody Blues
. The song went to number one in Israel and entered the Top 20 in Finland and Australia. The music video showed only close-ups of Sandra's face as she was heavily pregnant at the time. She even had to sit during the recording sessions of the album. Again, Andy "Angel" Hart performed all male vocals on the album. The second single release was "Won't Run Away", which made no impact on the music charts.
On 6 July 1995, she gave birth to twin sons Nikita and Sebastian in a Munich hospital through Caesarean section
. Sandra decided to put her career on hold to raise her children.
1999 saw the release of a double disc album. As the trend began with artists like Modern Talking
remix
ing old material, My Favourites
was released featuring remixes of her hits by long-time band companion Peter Ries
, featuring also some of Sandra's personal favourite ballads. It quickly made its way into the Top 20 of the German album charts. "Secret Land '99
" was taken as the single and showed Sandra sporting a short hairstyle in the music video. In 2000, Sandra did background vocals on Andru Donalds
' single release "Precious Little Diamond".
Sandra's first studio album in seven years came with The Wheel of Time
in 2002, reaching number eight on the German album charts. The first single "Forever
", released in 2001, had a moderate success and showed a new, mature, more natural-looking Sandra, still sporting short hair. Although some criticised The Wheel of Time for containing no less than five cover versions of 1980s songs, including the second single release "Such a Shame" (originally performed by Talk Talk
), the album was well received by her fans. Prior to this album's release, Sandra had only done three cover versions in English: "Everlasting Love" (1987), "Hiroshima
" (1990), and "Nights in White Satin" (1995). Michael Cretu even convinced Sandra to cover "Freelove
", a Depeche Mode
song, which she did in just one take. The third single to be released was the ballad "I Close My Eyes
". "Forgive Me" was also issued, but only as a promo single. In 2003, the DVD The Complete History was released, featuring all of her music videos.
Sandra's public appearances were few and far between when word got out in 2005 that the Swiss star DJ BoBo
was planning a duet with her. She met DJ BoBo during the World Music Awards
in Monte Carlo in 2002, when her husband accepted the prize for best-selling German artist. That meeting led to the single "Secrets of Love
" in 2006. The dance anthem reached number five in Switzerland and number 13 in Germany. The music video was shot at Disneyland Park
in Paris, with Sandra and DJ Bobo being the only artists ever allowed to film inside the Cinderella castle. During this time Sandra took up performing live again and signs of her retro 1980s look, with the signature long hair, were seen again.
Virgin Records
suggested that vocal recordings of Sandra's biggest hits be sent to different teams of producers/remixers so that they could produce entirely new music. Sandra hesitated at first because she had already put out a remix collection in 1999 and did not want to promote all of her former hits once again. She had already finished her eighth studio album and wished to move forward in a new musical direction. Nevertheless, Christian Geller, Schallbau, Felix J. Gauder, Matthias Menck
, Ivo Moring and Mirko von Schlieffen delivered a successful result. In late 2006, Reflections was issued. Sandra's 1987 dance hit "Everlasting Love" even got a new vocal and was redone as a powerful ballad and distributed to the radio stations in Germany as a promotional single. Although the album reached the Top 10 of many online stores worldwide, no commercial single was released and not much more was done to promote this album. However, the radio single "Around My Heart 2006" became a huge hit in Poland, where the record company decided to promote it on the radio stations. In 2007 Virgin Music France decided to release a special version of Reflections, containing three new remixes made by French DJs. "In the Heat of the Night
" was released online as a digital single containing four new versions of the song.
, was released in February 2007, entering the 16th position on the German charts. For the first time, Michael Cretu
did not work as a producer for the album, as he was reportedly busy producing his new Enigma
album A Posteriori
. Sandra's management first tried to find producers from the United Kingdom, but Sandra didn't like the idea of leaving her family for a long period of time. Finally, Sandra contacted Michael Cretu's "right hand", Jens Gad
, who produced the entire album. Sandra, for the first time during her career, now participated actively in composing and writing the album. Therefore, the lyrics of the songs are more personal, with Sandra revisiting her childhood and all her sad experiences in them. She worked at Gad's studio at nights, returning home to prepare breakfast for her twins, and then sleeping until they would come home from school. Also, for the first time, Sandra revealed her new, sexier
look in the promotional pictures shot in New York by Bärbel Miebach.
The first single taken from the album, "The Way I Am
", was released in January 2007, and it gained the 50th chart position in Germany, hardly having any promotion. The second single, "What Is It About Me", was released in May 2007 but failed to chart. The album also included a duet with DJ BoBo
, with Sandra's sons, Nikita and Sebastian, singing choirs in three songs. EMI Music in Poland
decided to release her cover version of The Hooters
' "All You Zombies
" as a radio single instead of "What Is It About Me", and it became a big hit in Poland. Fans were campaigning to get the song released as a commercial single, while Sandra revealed in an interview that "Put Your Arms Around Me" (written by Sinéad O'Connor
) was planned as a single, with an unreleased duet with DJ BoBo as a B-side. However, in a subsequent interview Sandra said that there would be no more singles released from the album.
In November 2007 it was announced that Sandra and Michael were divorced, citing "personal and professional differences". During all of 2007 and early 2008 Sandra had been busy touring around Eastern Europe and Germany. She decided to return to the busy schedule of concerts from the past, and even gave a performance in the spectacular Kremlin Palace in Moscow, Russia. Sandra also visited countries such as Kazakhstan, Ukraine and Lithuania for the very first time. On 23 July 2008, she performed in Athens, Greece. On 24 August 2008, Sandra performed in Poland during a concert dedicated to 1980s music, together with Kim Wilde
, Samantha Fox
, Sabrina
, Thomas Anders
(ex-Modern Talking
), Limahl
and Shakin' Stevens
. The concert was a part of Sopot International Song Festival
2008 and was broadcast live on Polish channel TVN
. Sandra performed three songs: "(I'll Never Be) Maria Magdalena", "In the Heat of the Night
" and "Hiroshima
".
A new Sandra album, entitled Back to Life
, was released on 27 March 2009. Sandra revealed it was going to be an up-tempo, pop album, with influences of Latin pop, dance and R&B. The first single, "In a Heartbeat
", was released on 6 March 2009. The album was recorded in New York with the help of Jens Gad
, and his brother Toby Gad
(famous for his work with Beyoncé Knowles
and Fergie). The second single, released on 8 May 2009, was "The Night Is Still Young", a duet with Thomas Anders
, former member of Modern Talking
. Also included on the album is the duet "I Want You", sung by Sandra and her husband-to-be, Olaf Menges. Another standout track is "Tête à tête", written and composed by Sandra and sung in the French language.
On 1 August 2009, Sandra was one of the main acts on the DJ BoBo & Friends festival, held in Engelberg, Switzerland. Sandra rocked fans with a superb live performance featuring her own band, an onstage DJ, plus completely new interpretations of her songs.
On 6 November 2009, a three-disc greatest hits
compilation album
entitled The Platinum Collection
was released, the first two discs featuring 40 songs including all of her hit singles from "(I'll Never Be) Maria Magdalena" to "The Night Is Still Young", as well as some non-released tracks from her albums Into a Secret Land
, Paintings in Yellow
, Close to Seven
, The Art of Love
and Back to Life
. The third disc includes eleven extended versions of her greatest hits.
and nature protection.
She is writing songs, actively recording new material and in late 2010, Sandra took part in the rock-anthem project, "Rock for Your Children", the Charity-Song-Initiative of Conny Conrad. The sales of the CD and the downloads will enable the funding of defined projects against child poverty. Sandra's official website has confirmed 2 album releases scheduled for release in 2011, both in different musical styles. Sandra has meanwhile recorded a new version of the Arabesque song "Ecstasy", written and produced by Michael Cretu in 1986.
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
Sandra (born 18 May 1962) is a German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
pop singer
Pop Singer
"Pop Singer" is the début single from London-based glam rockers Rachel Stamp. It was released in February, 1996 through WEA. The single was released as a 2 track CD Single and limited edition pink 7" vinyl of 1000 copies...
, who dominated European charts with eighteen top 20 hits during the 1980s and early 1990s, with the help of her then-husband and musical partner, Michael Cretu
Michael Cretu
Michael Cretu is a Romanian musician. He is known also as Curly, MC or Curly M.C. because of his fair curled hair . His peak musical activity was with the Enigma project, which was mainly based in Germany....
. During a brief height of popularity, she even outsold Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
in a number of countries around the world. At the start of her career, from 1979 to 1984, she was the lead singer of the female disco/dance trio Arabesque
Arabesque (group)
Arabesque started as an all-girl trio at the height of the european disco era in 1977 in Frankfurt, Germany.After the first album, the band lineup was changed by keeping only the original member Michaela Rose and replacing the two other girls with new members Jasmin Vetter and Sandra Lauer...
, which had a massive following in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. Subsequently a solo performer, she had her first international #1 hit-single "(I'll Never Be) Maria Magdalena" in 1985, followed by "In the Heat of the Night
In the Heat of the Night (Sandra song)
"In the Heat of the Night" is a pop song by German singer Sandra. The song was released in November 1985 as the second single from the album The Long Play, where it charted at #1 in Switzerland and Israel, #2 in Germany, and #8 in South Africa .The song was covered by Hong Kong pop singer Anita Mui...
". In 1986 it was "Hi! Hi! Hi!
Hi! Hi! Hi!
"Hi! Hi! Hi!" is a pop–dance song written and produced by Michael Cretu, Hubert Klemmer and Amand Volker for Sandra's second album Mirrors . It was released in the fall of 1986...
", then "Everlasting Love" in 1987, "Heaven Can Wait" in 1988 and "Hiroshima
Hiroshima (song)
"Hiroshima" is a pop song written by David Morgan and first recorded by Wishful Thinking in 1969. In 1978 their single entered the German Top 20 with peak at #8 and stayed there for several months....
" in 1990. Her top-rated albums are 1988's Into a Secret Land
Into a Secret Land
Into a Secret Land is the third studio album from German singer Sandra, released in 1988.This album was produced by Michael Cretu. It reached #14 in Germany, #18 in Norway, #22 in Sweden, #13 in Austria and #9 in Switzerland.-Singles:...
and 1992's Close to Seven
Close to Seven
Close to Seven is the fifth studio album from German singer Sandra, released in 1992.Because of the overwhelming success of Enigma, and an almost two-year break after Paintings in Yellow, there was a gap in Sandra's career, which was finally closed, with this album. The album continued a...
. Between 1990 and 2001, she provided vocals on album releases of the very successful group Enigma
Enigma (musical project)
Enigma is an electronic musical project founded in Germany by Michael Cretu, David Fairstein and Frank Peterson in 1990. The Romanian-born Cretu conceived the Enigma project while working in Germany, but has based his recording studio A.R.T. Studios in Ibiza, Spain, since the early 1990s until May...
, which had top 10 hits in America and Britain. With a unique high-pitched singing style, she has topped the charts from as far afield as Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, as well as closer to home in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. A cult star with a devoted fan base, she remains one of the most popular singers of the 1980s in Continental Europe
Continental Europe
Continental Europe, also referred to as mainland Europe or simply the Continent, is the continent of Europe, explicitly excluding European islands....
. With sales in excess of 30 million records worldwide, Sandra has established her position as the most successful German pop female vocalist.
Early life and Arabesque (1962–1984)
Sandra Ann Lauer was born in the German town of SaarbrückenSaarbrücken
Saarbrücken is the capital of the state of Saarland in Germany. The city is situated at the heart of a metropolitan area that borders on the west on Dillingen and to the north-east on Neunkirchen, where most of the people of the Saarland live....
, close to the French border. Her father, Robert, who owned a wine store in Saarbrücken, is French and her mother, Karin, who worked in a shoe store, is German. Sandra also had an older brother, Gaston, a paraplegic who died in 1995. Sandra showed an early interest in music and dancing. She started to learn classical ballet
Classical ballet
Classical Ballet is the most formal of the ballet styles, it adheres to traditional ballet technique. There are variations relating to area of origin, such as Russian ballet, French ballet, British ballet and Italian ballet...
at the age of 5 and had continued lessons for ten years. When she was 10 years old, she received a guitar and took lessons from a school teacher.
In 1975, at the age of thirteen, Sandra went with her mother to see "Young Star Festival", a Saarbrücken talent competition, which sought to discover new performers for the music industry. Although she was not a contestant, but simply a member of the audience, when all the participants finished performing and the jury was discussing the results, she told her mother that she needed to go the ladies' room, then stood up, walked onto the stage, persuaded the DJ to put on the German cover version of a song made famous by Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John AO, OBE is a singer and actress. She is a four-time Grammy award winner who has amassed five No. 1 and ten other Top Ten Billboard Hot 100 singles and two No. 1 Billboard 200 solo albums. Eleven of her singles and 14 of her albums have been certified gold by the RIAA...
, grabbed the microphone and started singing. The recognition gained by the impromptu performance enabled her to gain a professional release for the children's song about a pet dog, "Andy Mein Freund
Andy Mein Freund
"Andy mein Freund" is the debut single by German singer Sandra. It was released in 1976 as a non-album single in Germany only. The single, however, performed poorly on the charts dominated by disco mania, leaving Sandra to withdraw from the music scene for a few years.The title translates "Andy My...
". The single, however, performed poorly on charts dominated by disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
mania and she received no other recording offers.
In 1979, now seventeen, Sandra joined Arabesque
Arabesque (group)
Arabesque started as an all-girl trio at the height of the european disco era in 1977 in Frankfurt, Germany.After the first album, the band lineup was changed by keeping only the original member Michaela Rose and replacing the two other girls with new members Jasmin Vetter and Sandra Lauer...
, a disco group consisting of Michaela Rose and Jasmine Vetter. Soon after that they recorded their second album with Sandra on lead vocals at Europasound Studios in Offenbach. The studio was owned by famous producer Frank Farian
Frank Farian
Frank Farian , is a German record producer and songwriter. He started out as a trained cook before moving into the music industry...
, the creator of Boney M
Boney M
Boney M. is a Eurodisco group created by German record producer Frank Farian. Originally based in Germany, the four original members of the group's official line-up were Jamaicans Liz Mitchell and Marcia Barrett, Maizie Williams from Montserrat and Bobby Farrell from Aruba...
, and later Milli Vanilli
Milli Vanilli
Milli Vanilli was a pop/dance music project formed by Frank Farian in Germany in 1988, visually fronted by Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus. The group's debut album achieved international success and earned them a Grammy Award for Best New Artist on Feb. 21, 1990. Milli Vanilli became one of the most...
. One of the musicians there was a keyboardist named Michael Cretu
Michael Cretu
Michael Cretu is a Romanian musician. He is known also as Curly, MC or Curly M.C. because of his fair curled hair . His peak musical activity was with the Enigma project, which was mainly based in Germany....
. Sandra and Michael found that they shared the same birthday, albeit five years apart, and became good friends.
With Arabesque a new period in Sandra’s life began. For the first time, she was away from her family, appearing on stage and TV in foreign countries, giving interviews, photo shoots and singing at concerts. Arabesque became successful, and by Sandra's nineteenth birthday she was a star. Arabesque were particularly popular in Japan, dominating the charts, and their outrageous, sometimes daring costumes, dance routines and cheerful music suggested a fun alternative to ABBA
ABBA
ABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1970 which consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog...
and Boney M. They enjoyed success in several other countries and scored a Top 10 hit in Germany with "Marigot Bay" in 1981. After nine albums, differences in musical interests and the end of disco's popularity signalled the group's final break-up.
Sandra and Michael Cretu, romantically involved, moved to Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, where Michael soon created his own studio, Data-Alpha, named after a song from his solo album Legionäre
Legionäre
Michael Cretu's second solo album, Legionäre, was released in 1983. This album had German lyrics and was sung by Michael. It was co-produced and supervised by Harald Steinhauer and mastered by Armand Volker.-Track listing:#Legionäre - 1:40#Total Normal - 3:55...
. Their first single together was 1984's "Japan ist weit", a German cover of the Alphaville
Alphaville (band)
Alphaville is a German synthpop group which gained popularity in the 1980s. The founding members were Marian Gold , Bernhard Lloyd , and Frank Mertens Alphaville is a German synthpop group which gained popularity in the 1980s. The founding members were Marian Gold (real name Hartwig Schierbaum,...
song "Big in Japan
Big in Japan (song)
"Big in Japan" is the debut single of the band Alphaville. It is from their 1984 album Forever Young. The title comes from a phrase Big in Japan, which was used to describe Western bands who are popular with Japanese audiences while garnering little attention in their home country.The single was a...
", an appropriate way to describe Sandra's fame up to that point. However, the song failed to enter any of the charts and only 125 copies of the single were sold.
Peak of international career (1985–1992)
Sandra achieved a palpable international success in 1985, owing to her chart-hitting single "(I'll Never Be) Maria Magdalena". This song topped the charts in 21 countries worldwide, and reached the Top 10 in a further five countries. Her first album, The Long PlayThe Long Play
The Long Play is the debut studio album from German singer Sandra, released on 9 December 1985.-Recording:Shortly after the album's release, where it reached the top 20 in her home country of Germany, Sandra moved to London for six months. Helena Shenel, a singing therapist who had worked with such...
(1985), reached number 12 in her home country of Germany. It remained in the German Top 20 for 16 weeks, while in Sweden "Maria Magdalena" spent four weeks at number one. The follow-up single "In the Heat of the Night
In the Heat of the Night (Sandra song)
"In the Heat of the Night" is a pop song by German singer Sandra. The song was released in November 1985 as the second single from the album The Long Play, where it charted at #1 in Switzerland and Israel, #2 in Germany, and #8 in South Africa .The song was covered by Hong Kong pop singer Anita Mui...
" continued her success all over Europe and internationally, reaching number two in Germany and the Top 5 in France. At that time Sandra was acclaimed the "pop princess". The song also earned Sandra second place at the Tokyo Music Festival
Tokyo Music Festival
The Tokyo Music Festival was an international music contest that ran from 1972 to 1991. It was organised by the Tokyo Music Festival Association...
in Japan, later in 1986. "Little Girl
Little Girl (Sandra song)
"Little Girl" is a pop song written by Hubert Kemmler , Markus Lohr and Michael Cretu for Sandra's debut album The Long Play . It was produced by Michael Cretu, and received a mixed reception from music critics...
" became the third single with the music video being filmed in Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
.
Shortly after the release of The Long Play, Sandra moved to London for six months. Helena Shelen, a singing instructor, who had previously worked with artists like George Michael
George Michael
George Michael is a British musician, singer, songwriter and record producer who rose to fame in the 1980s when he formed the pop duo Wham! with his school friend, Andrew Ridgeley...
and Paul Young
Paul Young (singer and guitarist)
Paul Antony Young is an English pop musician. Formerly the frontman of the short-lived bands Kat Kool & The Kool Cats, Streetband and Q-Tips, his following solo success as a solo recording artist turned him into a 1980s teenage pop idol...
, took Sandra under her wings. Sandra also joined the London Berlitz School for Languages, where she improved her English abilities and took drumming lessons to get a better feeling for rhythm and timing
Timing (music)
Timing in music refers to the ability to "keep time" accurately and to synchronise to an ensemble as well as "expressive timing" - subtle adjustment of tempo, note or beat duration for aesthetic effect....
. Over weekends she went back to Munich to work on her new album.
Sandra's second studio album Mirrors
Mirrors (Sandra album)
Mirrors is the second studio album from German singer Sandra, released in 1986.-Writing and chart performances:The album was produced by Michael Cretu and Armand Volker. It reached #16 in Germany, #14 in Norway, #40 in Sweden and #13 in Switzerland...
(released in October 1986) reflected the continuous musical development of Michael Cretu. On this album, he used more of the writing and singing talents of Hubert Kemmler (who was already a popular singer in Germany under the name Hubert Kah). "Don't Cry (The Breakup of the World)" was a non-single track on the album, written in reaction to the Chernobyl disaster
Chernobyl disaster
The Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine , which was under the direct jurisdiction of the central authorities in Moscow...
in 1986. "Innocent Love
Innocent Love
"Innocent Love" was the fourth international single released from singer Sandra in time for the summer of 1986. It appeared in 1986 on her second studio album and later in a remixed version on her 2006 remix album Reflections - Reproduced Hits. The song was released as a lead single from her second...
" was the first of four successful singles from the album, entering the Top 10 in France whereas the second single "Hi! Hi! Hi!
Hi! Hi! Hi!
"Hi! Hi! Hi!" is a pop–dance song written and produced by Michael Cretu, Hubert Klemmer and Amand Volker for Sandra's second album Mirrors . It was released in the fall of 1986...
" was another Top 10 hit in her native country of Germany. The ballad "Loreen" was the third single released from the album, while the electro-pop "Midnight Man"
Midnight Man (Sandra song)
"Midnight Man" is a pop song by German singer Sandra. It was released in February 1987 as her second album's fourth and final single. The song's B-side "Mirror of Love" also appeared on the Mirrors album.-Formats and track listings:7" single...
(with Michael Cretu singing in the chorus and appearing in the music video) became the fourth and final single from the album. The second album continued the same success all over Europe.
Two years after her spectacular debut, in 1987, Sandra released the greatest hits compilation Ten on One, a testimony to her quick rise to stardom. Accompanied with it was the video collection of the album giving fans a glimpse inside her private life and day-to-day routine. Her version of "Everlasting Love
Everlasting Love
"Everlasting Love" is a song written by Buzz Cason and Mac Gayden that has been a hit for various artists, including Robert Knight, Carl Carlton, Love Affair, and Gloria Estefan.- Overview :...
", a favorite song since her childhood, went to number five on German charts, becoming one of her biggest hits. The music video showed Sandra and a male model depicting scenes of various lovers through the ages, with Adam and Eve
Adam and Eve
Adam and Eve were, according to the Genesis creation narratives, the first human couple to inhabit Earth, created by YHWH, the God of the ancient Hebrews...
, Bonnie and Clyde
Bonnie and Clyde
Bonnie Elizabeth Parker and Clyde Chestnut Barrow were well-known outlaws, robbers, and criminals who traveled the Central United States with their gang during the Great Depression. Their exploits captured the attention of the American public during the "public enemy era" between 1931 and 1934...
, Cleopatra and Mark Antony
Mark Antony
Marcus Antonius , known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general. As a military commander and administrator, he was an important supporter and loyal friend of his mother's cousin Julius Caesar...
, and a colorful 1980s punk
Punk fashion
Punk fashion is the clothing, hairstyles, cosmetics, jewelry, and body modifications of the punk subculture. Punk fashion varies widely, ranging from Vivienne Westwood designs to styles modeled on bands like The Exploited. The distinct social dress of other subcultures and art movements, including...
couple, amongst others. The second single from the album, "Stop for a Minute", became another German Top 10 hit and was written especially for the German TV crime series Tatort
Tatort
Tatort is a long-running German/Austrian/Swiss , crime television series set in various parts of these countries. The show is broadcast on the channels of ARD in Germany, ORF 2 in Austria and SF1 in Switzerland...
, where she is found singing the song during a club scene in one of the episodes.
On 7 January 1988, Sandra married Michael Cretu and relocated from Munich to the Spanish island of Ibiza
Ibiza
Ibiza or Eivissa is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea 79 km off the coast of the city of Valencia in Spain. It is the third largest of the Balearic Islands, an autonomous community of Spain. With Formentera, it is one of the two Pine Islands or Pityuses. Its largest cities are Ibiza...
. In the same year they worked on Sandra's new material.
In 1988 Sandra and Michael released Into a Secret Land
Into a Secret Land
Into a Secret Land is the third studio album from German singer Sandra, released in 1988.This album was produced by Michael Cretu. It reached #14 in Germany, #18 in Norway, #22 in Sweden, #13 in Austria and #9 in Switzerland.-Singles:...
, moving away somewhat from electro-pop to a more mysterious and seductive sound. Four hit singles were delivered from this album. The first single "Heaven Can Wait" became another Top 10 smash hit in France and number 12 hit in Germany, accompanied by a video featuring Sandra dancing and singing on a Mediterranean beach. The title track, "Secret Land
Secret Land
"Secret Land" is a pop song by German singer Sandra. It was released in September 1988 as the second single from her third album Into a Secret Land...
", a cover version of the track "Trenchcoat Man" by the short-lived German synth pop project Fabrique, became the second single, entering the German Top 10. The third single "We'll Be Together
We'll Be Together (Sandra song)
"We'll Be Together" is a pop song by German singer Sandra. It was released in November 1988 as the third single from her album Into a Secret Land. This song reached #9 in Germany...
" was another German Top 10 hit. ("We'll Be Together" along with "When the Rain Doesn't Come" (from 1992's Close to Seven
Close to Seven
Close to Seven is the fifth studio album from German singer Sandra, released in 1992.Because of the overwhelming success of Enigma, and an almost two-year break after Paintings in Yellow, there was a gap in Sandra's career, which was finally closed, with this album. The album continued a...
album) are the only songs written or co-written by Sandra prior to the release of her album The Wheel of Time in 2002.) "Around My Heart
Around My Heart
"Around My Heart" is a pop song by German singer Sandra. It was written by Hubert Kemmler, Markus Lohr, Sor Otto's, Frank Peterson, Klaus Hirschburger and produced by Michael Cretu. The song was released in April 1989 as the fourth single from Sandra's third studio album "Into a Secret Land"...
", the fourth single released, peaked at number 11 in Germany.
The British team Stock Aitken Waterman
Stock Aitken Waterman
Stock Aitken Waterman, sometimes known as SAW, were a UK songwriting and record producing trio consisting of Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman. They had great success during the mid to late 1980s and early 1990s...
tried to cash in on the success of "Everlasting Love" by releasing a remix of the song in 1988 for the British market. The remixed version was a moderate hit on the UK charts (reaching #45), but did well in Sweden, The Philippines and South Africa. With animal rights
Animal rights
Animal rights, also known as animal liberation, is the idea that the most basic interests of non-human animals should be afforded the same consideration as the similar interests of human beings...
and nature conservation high on her personal agenda, she took part in the project Artists United for Nature in 1989. The song "Yes We Can" featured, amongst others, the vocals of Brian May
Brian May
Brian Harold May, CBE is an English musician and astrophysicist most widely known as the guitarist and a songwriter of the rock band Queen...
, Harold Faltermeyer
Harold Faltermeyer
Harold Faltermeyer is a German musician, keyboardist, composer and record producer.He is recognized as one of the composers/producers who best captured the zeitgeist of 1980s synth-pop in film scores...
and Chaka Khan
Chaka Khan
Chaka Khan , frequently known as the Queen of Funk, is a 10-time Grammy Award winning American singer-songwriter who gained fame in the 1970s as the frontwoman and focal point of the funk band Rufus. While still a member of the group in 1978, Khan embarked on a successful solo career...
.
Sandra ended the 1980s as one of the most popular female performers in Europe. At that stage she was also already known as the European queen of pop and rivaled Madonna in terms of her popularity and Top 10 hits.
Sandra's album Paintings in Yellow
Paintings in Yellow
Paintings in Yellow is the fourth studio album from German singer Sandra, released in 1990.The five-part track "The Journey" foreshadowed the Enigma sound. Frank Peterson, who was the co-producer on the Enigma project, took up the role of writing and producing some of the tracks with Michael...
(released in March 1990) gave her another Top 10 hit with a surprising cover version of Wishful Thinking's "Hiroshima
Hiroshima (song)
"Hiroshima" is a pop song written by David Morgan and first recorded by Wishful Thinking in 1969. In 1978 their single entered the German Top 20 with peak at #8 and stayed there for several months....
". Elements of the five-part album track "The Journey" foreshadowed the Enigma
Enigma (musical project)
Enigma is an electronic musical project founded in Germany by Michael Cretu, David Fairstein and Frank Peterson in 1990. The Romanian-born Cretu conceived the Enigma project while working in Germany, but has based his recording studio A.R.T. Studios in Ibiza, Spain, since the early 1990s until May...
sound, which was particularly evident on some of the album's tracks. Frank Peterson
Frank Peterson
Frank Peterson is a German music producer known for his work with Enigma and artists such as Sarah Brightman, Ofra Haza, Gregorian, Princessa and Andrea Bocelli on his first international album Romanza in 1997....
, who was the co-producer (alias F. Gregorian) on the Enigma project, took up the role of writing and producing some of the tracks with Michael Cretu. His influence was clearly audible.
In the same year, Enigma's song "Sadeness
Sadeness (Part I)
"Sadeness " is a 1990 single created by the musical project Enigma. The song was the first of four singles from the project's first album MCMXC a.D. and upon release became an international smash hit, reaching number one in 24 countries and the top ten in four others including the United States...
" became a huge hit in many countries all over the world. At first nobody knew who was hiding behind the alias Enigma, but Sandra fans quickly identified her voice. When the song became a Top 10 hit in the United States, it marked Sandra's first successful venture into the US market. Sandra performed the second single off her solo album "(Life May Be) A Big Insanity
(Life May Be) A Big Insanity
" A Big Insanity" is a pop song by German singer Sandra. The song was written by Michael Cretu and Klaus Hirschburger. It was released in April 1990 as the album's second single. The song's B-side, "The Skin I'm in", appeared on Sandra's fourth studio album Paintings in Yellow...
" at the World Music Awards
World Music Awards
The World Music Awards is an international awards show founded in 1989 that annually honors recording artists based on worldwide sales figures provided by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry . John Martinotti is an executive producer and co-founder of the show...
in Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo is an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco....
when she accepted the prize for Best Selling German Artist at the end of 1990. "One More Night
One More Night (Sandra song)
"One More Night" is a pop song by German singer Sandra. The song was written by Michael Cretu, Klaus Hirschburger and Frank Peterson. It was released in September 1990 as the album's third and final single...
" was the third and final single released from Paintings in Yellow.
Because of the overwhelming success of Enigma, and an almost two-year break after Paintings in Yellow, there was a gap in Sandra's career, which was finally closed, with the album Close to Seven
Close to Seven
Close to Seven is the fifth studio album from German singer Sandra, released in 1992.Because of the overwhelming success of Enigma, and an almost two-year break after Paintings in Yellow, there was a gap in Sandra's career, which was finally closed, with this album. The album continued a...
. The album continued a development towards a more meditative, less dance-oriented musical style. Sandra wanted to get rid of her teen idol image and perform for a more mature audience. This was her first album produced almost completely by Michael Cretu. Close to Seven became another German Top 10 album. The male vocals were sung by Andy Jonas, also known as Andy "Angel" Hart.
Although the first single "Don't Be Aggressive
Don't Be Aggressive
"Don't Be Aggressive" is a pop song by German singer Sandra. The song was written by Michael Cretu and Klaus Hirschburger. It was released in January 1992 as the lead single from her fifth studio album Close to Seven. The song's B-side, "Seal It Forever", appeared on Sandra's fifth studio album...
" (with the music video being directed by Howard Greenhalgh) entered the European Top 20, subsequent singles failed to achieve the same success. The second single "I Need Love" was the first single after "Japan ist weit" for Sandra to flop and to not reach any of the charts. Nevertheless, Sandra and Michael were recognized as the most successful married couple and were awarded with the Golden Europe Award in 1992.
In the fall of 1992 a new compilation was released, entitled 18 Greatest Hits. Sandra recorded a new version of the song "Johnny Wanna Live
Johnny Wanna Live
"Johnny Wanna Live" is a pop song by German singer Sandra.The song originally was an album track on Sandra's fourth studio album Paintings in Yellow. It was remixed and released in June 1992 to promote her second greatest hits compilation album 18 Greatest Hits...
", which was previously released on her Paintings in Yellow album. The song, co-written by Frank Peterson and later redone by his then-girlfriend Sarah Brightman
Sarah Brightman
Sarah Brightman is an English classical crossover soprano, actress, songwriter and dancer. She is famous for possessing a vocal range of over 3 octaves and singing in the whistle register...
for her album Dive
Dive (Sarah Brightman album)
Dive is a concept album by English soprano Sarah Brightman. It is her first album with producer Frank Peterson, and a marked departure from her previous operatic works. Its unifying theme is water and the ocean. The song "Captain Nemo" is a cover of the 1990 Dive single...
, was an anthem against cruelty towards animals. The music video was once again directed by Howard Greenhalgh and showed shocking scenes of cruelty to animals. In an interview in Sweden, Sandra explained the origins of the song citing her disapproval of people wearing fur coats. The compilation reached the Top 10 in both Germany and France and was awarded gold. The release of 18 Greatest Hits marked the end of Sandra's most successful period of her solo career.
Comeback attempts (1993–2006)
In 1993 Sandra released a new technoTechno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
version of "Maria Magdalena" with a futuristic music video, which wasn't a success. However, it reached number 8 on the charts in Finland.
In 1995, while pregnant with twins, Sandra recorded and released Fading Shades
Fading Shades
Fading Shades is the sixth studio album by German singer Sandra, released in 1995.In 1995, while pregnant with twins, Sandra recorded and released Fading Shades. The album saw a new writer/producer Jens Gad working alongside Michael Cretu. The album featured a powerful cover version of "Nights in...
. The album saw a new writer/producer Jens Gad
Jens Gad
Jens Gad is a songwriter, producer and guitarist. He was previously the co-producer for the musical project, Enigma. Currently, he is releasing albums under the name of Jens Gad Presents for his new instrumental work, and also under the name of Achillea, for his new world-influenced music which...
working alongside Michael Cretu. The album featured a cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of "Nights in White Satin" by The Moody Blues
The Moody Blues
The Moody Blues are an English rock band. Among their innovations was a fusion with classical music, most notably in their 1967 album Days of Future Passed....
. The song went to number one in Israel and entered the Top 20 in Finland and Australia. The music video showed only close-ups of Sandra's face as she was heavily pregnant at the time. She even had to sit during the recording sessions of the album. Again, Andy "Angel" Hart performed all male vocals on the album. The second single release was "Won't Run Away", which made no impact on the music charts.
On 6 July 1995, she gave birth to twin sons Nikita and Sebastian in a Munich hospital through Caesarean section
Caesarean section
A Caesarean section, is a surgical procedure in which one or more incisions are made through a mother's abdomen and uterus to deliver one or more babies, or, rarely, to remove a dead fetus...
. Sandra decided to put her career on hold to raise her children.
1999 saw the release of a double disc album. As the trend began with artists like Modern Talking
Modern Talking
Modern Talking was a German dance pop duo consisting of Thomas Anders and Dieter Bohlen. Their music has often been classified as Europop. They have been referred to as Germany's most successful pop duo, and have had a number of hit singles, reaching the top 5 in many countries...
remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
ing old material, My Favourites
My Favourites
My Favourites is the third compilation album by German singer Sandra, released in 1999.1999 saw the release of a double disc album. As the trend began with artists like Modern Talking to remix old material, My Favourites was released featuring remixes of her hits by long-time band companion Peter...
was released featuring remixes of her hits by long-time band companion Peter Ries
Peter Ries
Peter Ries is a German record producer, composer, arranger, and remixer. Ries started his career as a singer in 1980 under nickname Gilbert...
, featuring also some of Sandra's personal favourite ballads. It quickly made its way into the Top 20 of the German album charts. "Secret Land '99
Secret Land
"Secret Land" is a pop song by German singer Sandra. It was released in September 1988 as the second single from her third album Into a Secret Land...
" was taken as the single and showed Sandra sporting a short hairstyle in the music video. In 2000, Sandra did background vocals on Andru Donalds
Andru Donalds
Andru Donalds is a Jamaican musician and vocalist with a previous solo career, who is now working in collaboration with the Enigma project as lead vocalist. Donalds had a hit single in America in 1995 with Mishale, which reached #38 on the Billboard Hot 100.-Biography:Andru Donalds was born in...
' single release "Precious Little Diamond".
Sandra's first studio album in seven years came with The Wheel of Time
The Wheel of Time (album)
The Wheel of Time is the seventh studio album by German singer Sandra, released in 2002.-Track listing:#"Forgive Me" — 4:25#"Footprints" — 3:44#"Motivation" — 4:03...
in 2002, reaching number eight on the German album charts. The first single "Forever
Forever (Sandra song)
"Forever" is a pop song by German singer Sandra. It was released in October 2001 as the lead single from her seventh studio album The Wheel of Time. The song reached #47 on the official German Charts. "Forever" was written by Peter Reis and Wolfgang Filz and it was produced by Michael Cretu and...
", released in 2001, had a moderate success and showed a new, mature, more natural-looking Sandra, still sporting short hair. Although some criticised The Wheel of Time for containing no less than five cover versions of 1980s songs, including the second single release "Such a Shame" (originally performed by Talk Talk
Talk Talk
Talk Talk were an English musical group, active from 1981 to 1991. The group had a string of international hit singles including "Today", "Talk Talk", "It's My Life", "Such a Shame", "Dum Dum Girl", "Life's What You Make It" and "Living in Another World"....
), the album was well received by her fans. Prior to this album's release, Sandra had only done three cover versions in English: "Everlasting Love" (1987), "Hiroshima
Hiroshima (song)
"Hiroshima" is a pop song written by David Morgan and first recorded by Wishful Thinking in 1969. In 1978 their single entered the German Top 20 with peak at #8 and stayed there for several months....
" (1990), and "Nights in White Satin" (1995). Michael Cretu even convinced Sandra to cover "Freelove
Freelove
"Freelove" is Depeche Mode's thirty-eighth UK single, released on November 5 2001 in the UK and December 11 in the U.S. It is the third single for the album Exciter....
", a Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in 1980 in Basildon, Essex. The group's original line-up consisted of Dave Gahan , Martin Gore , Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke...
song, which she did in just one take. The third single to be released was the ballad "I Close My Eyes
I Close My Eyes
"I Close My Eyes" is a pop ballad by German singer Sandra. It was released on 11 November 2002 by Virgin Records as the third and final single from her seventh studio album The Wheel of Time . The song was written by Andy Jonas who has performed male vocals on her fifth and sixth studio albums. "I...
". "Forgive Me" was also issued, but only as a promo single. In 2003, the DVD The Complete History was released, featuring all of her music videos.
Sandra's public appearances were few and far between when word got out in 2005 that the Swiss star DJ BoBo
DJ Bobo
Peter René Cipiriano Baumann , better known as DJ BoBo, is a Swiss singer, songwriter, dancer and music producer. He has sold 14 million records worldwide and has released 10 studio albums as well as a few compilation albums which have included his previous hits in a reworked format...
was planning a duet with her. She met DJ BoBo during the World Music Awards
World Music Awards
The World Music Awards is an international awards show founded in 1989 that annually honors recording artists based on worldwide sales figures provided by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry . John Martinotti is an executive producer and co-founder of the show...
in Monte Carlo in 2002, when her husband accepted the prize for best-selling German artist. That meeting led to the single "Secrets of Love
Secrets of Love
"Secrets of Love" is a 2006 song recorded as a pop duet by German singer Sandra and Swiss artist DJ BoBo. Released on March 3, 2006, as a single from DJ BoBo's compilation Greatest Hits, the song achieved success in Switzerland and Germany where it was a top 15 hit...
" in 2006. The dance anthem reached number five in Switzerland and number 13 in Germany. The music video was shot at Disneyland Park
Disneyland Park (Paris)
Disneyland Park is a theme park at Disneyland Paris, a resort complex just outside of Paris, in the new town of Marne-la-Vallée, France. The first of two parks built at the resort, it opened as Euro Disneyland on 12 April, 1992...
in Paris, with Sandra and DJ Bobo being the only artists ever allowed to film inside the Cinderella castle. During this time Sandra took up performing live again and signs of her retro 1980s look, with the signature long hair, were seen again.
Virgin Records
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
suggested that vocal recordings of Sandra's biggest hits be sent to different teams of producers/remixers so that they could produce entirely new music. Sandra hesitated at first because she had already put out a remix collection in 1999 and did not want to promote all of her former hits once again. She had already finished her eighth studio album and wished to move forward in a new musical direction. Nevertheless, Christian Geller, Schallbau, Felix J. Gauder, Matthias Menck
Matthias Menck
Matthias Menck, alias Double M, alias Toxilogic is a German graduate audio engineer, house and trance producer and DJ, resident in Hamburg. He is most famous for being a part of Brooklyn Bounce.- Producer and DJ :...
, Ivo Moring and Mirko von Schlieffen delivered a successful result. In late 2006, Reflections was issued. Sandra's 1987 dance hit "Everlasting Love" even got a new vocal and was redone as a powerful ballad and distributed to the radio stations in Germany as a promotional single. Although the album reached the Top 10 of many online stores worldwide, no commercial single was released and not much more was done to promote this album. However, the radio single "Around My Heart 2006" became a huge hit in Poland, where the record company decided to promote it on the radio stations. In 2007 Virgin Music France decided to release a special version of Reflections, containing three new remixes made by French DJs. "In the Heat of the Night
In the Heat of the Night (Sandra song)
"In the Heat of the Night" is a pop song by German singer Sandra. The song was released in November 1985 as the second single from the album The Long Play, where it charted at #1 in Switzerland and Israel, #2 in Germany, and #8 in South Africa .The song was covered by Hong Kong pop singer Anita Mui...
" was released online as a digital single containing four new versions of the song.
A new musical direction (starting in 2007)
The highly anticipated studio album, The Art of LoveThe Art Of Love (album)
The Art of Love is the eighth studio album by German singer Sandra, released in 2007.The highly anticipated studio album, The Art of Love was released in February 2007, entering the 16th position on the German charts. For the first time, Michael Cretu did not work as a producer for the album, as he...
, was released in February 2007, entering the 16th position on the German charts. For the first time, Michael Cretu
Michael Cretu
Michael Cretu is a Romanian musician. He is known also as Curly, MC or Curly M.C. because of his fair curled hair . His peak musical activity was with the Enigma project, which was mainly based in Germany....
did not work as a producer for the album, as he was reportedly busy producing his new Enigma
Enigma (musical project)
Enigma is an electronic musical project founded in Germany by Michael Cretu, David Fairstein and Frank Peterson in 1990. The Romanian-born Cretu conceived the Enigma project while working in Germany, but has based his recording studio A.R.T. Studios in Ibiza, Spain, since the early 1990s until May...
album A Posteriori
A Posteriori
Apart from the album, some additional remixes were released exclusively through the iTunes Store. They are:*"Eppur si muove" – 6:39*"Dreaming of Andromeda" Apart from the album, some additional remixes were released exclusively through the iTunes Store. They are:*"Eppur si muove" (Tocadisco...
. Sandra's management first tried to find producers from the United Kingdom, but Sandra didn't like the idea of leaving her family for a long period of time. Finally, Sandra contacted Michael Cretu's "right hand", Jens Gad
Jens Gad
Jens Gad is a songwriter, producer and guitarist. He was previously the co-producer for the musical project, Enigma. Currently, he is releasing albums under the name of Jens Gad Presents for his new instrumental work, and also under the name of Achillea, for his new world-influenced music which...
, who produced the entire album. Sandra, for the first time during her career, now participated actively in composing and writing the album. Therefore, the lyrics of the songs are more personal, with Sandra revisiting her childhood and all her sad experiences in them. She worked at Gad's studio at nights, returning home to prepare breakfast for her twins, and then sleeping until they would come home from school. Also, for the first time, Sandra revealed her new, sexier
Sexual attraction
Sexual attractiveness or sex appeal refers to an individual's ability to attract the sexual or erotic interest of another person, and is a factor in sexual selection or mate choice. The attraction can be to the physical or other qualities or traits of a person, or to such qualities in the context...
look in the promotional pictures shot in New York by Bärbel Miebach.
The first single taken from the album, "The Way I Am
The Way I Am (Sandra song)
"The Way I Am" is a pop song by German singer Sandra. It was released as the lead single from the album The Art of Love in January 2007. The song reached #50 on the official German Charts. The CD single contains two non-album tracks, "Logical Love" and "Sleep", an alternative version of the album...
", was released in January 2007, and it gained the 50th chart position in Germany, hardly having any promotion. The second single, "What Is It About Me", was released in May 2007 but failed to chart. The album also included a duet with DJ BoBo
DJ Bobo
Peter René Cipiriano Baumann , better known as DJ BoBo, is a Swiss singer, songwriter, dancer and music producer. He has sold 14 million records worldwide and has released 10 studio albums as well as a few compilation albums which have included his previous hits in a reworked format...
, with Sandra's sons, Nikita and Sebastian, singing choirs in three songs. EMI Music in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
decided to release her cover version of The Hooters
The Hooters
The Hooters is an American rock band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. By combining a mix of rock and roll, reggae, ska and folk music, The Hooters first gained major commercial success in the United States in the mid 1980s due to heavy radio and MTV airplay of several songs including "All You...
' "All You Zombies
All You Zombies (song)
"All You Zombies" is a song by The Hooters. It was first recorded live and released as a single in 1982. It was subsequently included on the band's debut album Amore and an extended version of the song was included on their second album Nervous Night . This version was released as a single in 1985...
" as a radio single instead of "What Is It About Me", and it became a big hit in Poland. Fans were campaigning to get the song released as a commercial single, while Sandra revealed in an interview that "Put Your Arms Around Me" (written by Sinéad O'Connor
Sinéad O'Connor
Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor is an Irish singer-songwriter. She rose to fame in the late 1980s with her debut album The Lion and the Cobra and achieved worldwide success in 1990 with a cover of the song "Nothing Compares 2 U"....
) was planned as a single, with an unreleased duet with DJ BoBo as a B-side. However, in a subsequent interview Sandra said that there would be no more singles released from the album.
In November 2007 it was announced that Sandra and Michael were divorced, citing "personal and professional differences". During all of 2007 and early 2008 Sandra had been busy touring around Eastern Europe and Germany. She decided to return to the busy schedule of concerts from the past, and even gave a performance in the spectacular Kremlin Palace in Moscow, Russia. Sandra also visited countries such as Kazakhstan, Ukraine and Lithuania for the very first time. On 23 July 2008, she performed in Athens, Greece. On 24 August 2008, Sandra performed in Poland during a concert dedicated to 1980s music, together with Kim Wilde
Kim Wilde
Kim Wilde is an English pop singer, author and television presenter who burst onto the music scene in 1981 with the number 2 UK Singles Chart new wave classic "Kids in America". In 1987 she had a major hit in the United States when her version of The Supremes' classic "You Keep Me Hangin' On"...
, Samantha Fox
Samantha Fox
Samantha Karen "Sam" Fox is an English dance-pop singer, actress, and former glamour model. In 1983, at the age of 16, she began her topless modeling career on Page Three of The Sun, and went on to become a popular pin-up girl...
, Sabrina
Sabrina Salerno
Sabrina Salerno , also known in her singing career as Sabrina, is an Italian singer, television hostess, model, actress and record producer...
, Thomas Anders
Thomas Anders
Thomas Anders is a German singer, composer and record producer. Anders was the lead singer of Germany's popular pop-duo Modern Talking in 1984–1987 and in 1998–2003.-Early years:...
(ex-Modern Talking
Modern Talking
Modern Talking was a German dance pop duo consisting of Thomas Anders and Dieter Bohlen. Their music has often been classified as Europop. They have been referred to as Germany's most successful pop duo, and have had a number of hit singles, reaching the top 5 in many countries...
), Limahl
Limahl
Christopher Hamill better known by his stage name Limahl is an English pop singer. He rose to fame as the lead singer of the 1980s pop group Kajagoogoo, before embarking on a briefly successful solo career, which reached its peak with the 1984 hit "The NeverEnding Story", taken from the film of...
and Shakin' Stevens
Shakin' Stevens
Shakin' Stevens, also known as "Shaky" is a platinum selling Welsh rock and roll singer and songwriter who holds the distinction of being the UK's biggest-selling singles artist of the 1980s . His recording and performing career began in the late 1960s, although it was not until 1980 that he saw...
. The concert was a part of Sopot International Song Festival
Sopot International Song Festival
The Sopot International Song Festival is an international song contest held in Sopot, Poland. It was the biggest Polish music festival altogether with the National Festival of Polish Song in Opole, and one of the biggest annual song contest in Europe...
2008 and was broadcast live on Polish channel TVN
TVN (Poland)
TVN is a major Polish commercial television network. The broadcaster was co-founded by Polish businessmen Mariusz Walter and Jan Wejchert. The network launched on October 3, 1997. TVN belongs to the TVN S.A...
. Sandra performed three songs: "(I'll Never Be) Maria Magdalena", "In the Heat of the Night
In the Heat of the Night (Sandra song)
"In the Heat of the Night" is a pop song by German singer Sandra. The song was released in November 1985 as the second single from the album The Long Play, where it charted at #1 in Switzerland and Israel, #2 in Germany, and #8 in South Africa .The song was covered by Hong Kong pop singer Anita Mui...
" and "Hiroshima
Hiroshima (song)
"Hiroshima" is a pop song written by David Morgan and first recorded by Wishful Thinking in 1969. In 1978 their single entered the German Top 20 with peak at #8 and stayed there for several months....
".
A new Sandra album, entitled Back to Life
Back to Life (Sandra album)
Back to Life is the ninth studio album by German singer Sandra, released in 2009.The album was recorded in New York and while working on it, Sandra was collaborating with Thomas Anders and Toby Gad . The album contains 15 songs, most of which were written by Toby Gad...
, was released on 27 March 2009. Sandra revealed it was going to be an up-tempo, pop album, with influences of Latin pop, dance and R&B. The first single, "In a Heartbeat
In a Heartbeat (Sandra song)
"In a Heartbeat" is a pop song by German singer Sandra. It was written by Toby Gad, Jim Dyke and produced by Jens Gad who had also co-produced her two previous studio albums, The Wheel of Time and The Art of Love. The song was released in March 2009 as the lead single from Sandra's ninth studio...
", was released on 6 March 2009. The album was recorded in New York with the help of Jens Gad
Jens Gad
Jens Gad is a songwriter, producer and guitarist. He was previously the co-producer for the musical project, Enigma. Currently, he is releasing albums under the name of Jens Gad Presents for his new instrumental work, and also under the name of Achillea, for his new world-influenced music which...
, and his brother Toby Gad
Toby Gad
Tobias "Toby" Gad is a Los Angeles-based hit producer and songwriter from Germany, perhaps best known for co-writing Fergie's Grammy nominated hit song "Big Girls Don't Cry" as well as co-writing and producing Beyoncé's worldwide #1 hit "If I Were a Boy", and The Veronicas multi-platinum #1...
(famous for his work with Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child...
and Fergie). The second single, released on 8 May 2009, was "The Night Is Still Young", a duet with Thomas Anders
Thomas Anders
Thomas Anders is a German singer, composer and record producer. Anders was the lead singer of Germany's popular pop-duo Modern Talking in 1984–1987 and in 1998–2003.-Early years:...
, former member of Modern Talking
Modern Talking
Modern Talking was a German dance pop duo consisting of Thomas Anders and Dieter Bohlen. Their music has often been classified as Europop. They have been referred to as Germany's most successful pop duo, and have had a number of hit singles, reaching the top 5 in many countries...
. Also included on the album is the duet "I Want You", sung by Sandra and her husband-to-be, Olaf Menges. Another standout track is "Tête à tête", written and composed by Sandra and sung in the French language.
On 1 August 2009, Sandra was one of the main acts on the DJ BoBo & Friends festival, held in Engelberg, Switzerland. Sandra rocked fans with a superb live performance featuring her own band, an onstage DJ, plus completely new interpretations of her songs.
On 6 November 2009, a three-disc greatest hits
Greatest hits
A greatest hits album is a music compilation album of successful, previously released songs by a particular artist or band...
compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
entitled The Platinum Collection
The Platinum Collection (Sandra album)
The Platinum Collection is a box set by German singer Sandra. This is her most comprehensive compilation to date. There are two versions of this title, one with 3 CD's, and one with CD 1 & 2 only....
was released, the first two discs featuring 40 songs including all of her hit singles from "(I'll Never Be) Maria Magdalena" to "The Night Is Still Young", as well as some non-released tracks from her albums Into a Secret Land
Into a Secret Land
Into a Secret Land is the third studio album from German singer Sandra, released in 1988.This album was produced by Michael Cretu. It reached #14 in Germany, #18 in Norway, #22 in Sweden, #13 in Austria and #9 in Switzerland.-Singles:...
, Paintings in Yellow
Paintings in Yellow
Paintings in Yellow is the fourth studio album from German singer Sandra, released in 1990.The five-part track "The Journey" foreshadowed the Enigma sound. Frank Peterson, who was the co-producer on the Enigma project, took up the role of writing and producing some of the tracks with Michael...
, Close to Seven
Close to Seven
Close to Seven is the fifth studio album from German singer Sandra, released in 1992.Because of the overwhelming success of Enigma, and an almost two-year break after Paintings in Yellow, there was a gap in Sandra's career, which was finally closed, with this album. The album continued a...
, The Art of Love
The Art Of Love (album)
The Art of Love is the eighth studio album by German singer Sandra, released in 2007.The highly anticipated studio album, The Art of Love was released in February 2007, entering the 16th position on the German charts. For the first time, Michael Cretu did not work as a producer for the album, as he...
and Back to Life
Back to Life (Sandra album)
Back to Life is the ninth studio album by German singer Sandra, released in 2009.The album was recorded in New York and while working on it, Sandra was collaborating with Thomas Anders and Toby Gad . The album contains 15 songs, most of which were written by Toby Gad...
. The third disc includes eleven extended versions of her greatest hits.
Personal life
Sandra and Michael Cretu were married on 7 January 1988 and, in July 1995, became the parents of twin sons, Nikita and Sebastian. They were divorced in November 2007, citing "personal and professional differences". While Michael has been living in Germany since May 2009, she has continued to reside in Ibiza and, in 2010, married Olaf Menges. Known as a health food lover and a vegetarian, she likes sport, lives an active lifestyle and has been a strong supporter of animal rightsAnimal rights
Animal rights, also known as animal liberation, is the idea that the most basic interests of non-human animals should be afforded the same consideration as the similar interests of human beings...
and nature protection.
She is writing songs, actively recording new material and in late 2010, Sandra took part in the rock-anthem project, "Rock for Your Children", the Charity-Song-Initiative of Conny Conrad. The sales of the CD and the downloads will enable the funding of defined projects against child poverty. Sandra's official website has confirmed 2 album releases scheduled for release in 2011, both in different musical styles. Sandra has meanwhile recorded a new version of the Arabesque song "Ecstasy", written and produced by Michael Cretu in 1986.
Discography
- The Long PlayThe Long PlayThe Long Play is the debut studio album from German singer Sandra, released on 9 December 1985.-Recording:Shortly after the album's release, where it reached the top 20 in her home country of Germany, Sandra moved to London for six months. Helena Shenel, a singing therapist who had worked with such...
(1985) - MirrorsMirrors (Sandra album)Mirrors is the second studio album from German singer Sandra, released in 1986.-Writing and chart performances:The album was produced by Michael Cretu and Armand Volker. It reached #16 in Germany, #14 in Norway, #40 in Sweden and #13 in Switzerland...
(1986) - Into a Secret LandInto a Secret LandInto a Secret Land is the third studio album from German singer Sandra, released in 1988.This album was produced by Michael Cretu. It reached #14 in Germany, #18 in Norway, #22 in Sweden, #13 in Austria and #9 in Switzerland.-Singles:...
(1988) - Paintings in YellowPaintings in YellowPaintings in Yellow is the fourth studio album from German singer Sandra, released in 1990.The five-part track "The Journey" foreshadowed the Enigma sound. Frank Peterson, who was the co-producer on the Enigma project, took up the role of writing and producing some of the tracks with Michael...
(1990) - Close to SevenClose to SevenClose to Seven is the fifth studio album from German singer Sandra, released in 1992.Because of the overwhelming success of Enigma, and an almost two-year break after Paintings in Yellow, there was a gap in Sandra's career, which was finally closed, with this album. The album continued a...
(1992) - Fading ShadesFading ShadesFading Shades is the sixth studio album by German singer Sandra, released in 1995.In 1995, while pregnant with twins, Sandra recorded and released Fading Shades. The album saw a new writer/producer Jens Gad working alongside Michael Cretu. The album featured a powerful cover version of "Nights in...
(1995) - The Wheel of Time (2002)
- The Art of LoveThe Art Of Love (album)The Art of Love is the eighth studio album by German singer Sandra, released in 2007.The highly anticipated studio album, The Art of Love was released in February 2007, entering the 16th position on the German charts. For the first time, Michael Cretu did not work as a producer for the album, as he...
(2007) - Back to LifeBack to Life (Sandra album)Back to Life is the ninth studio album by German singer Sandra, released in 2009.The album was recorded in New York and while working on it, Sandra was collaborating with Thomas Anders and Toby Gad . The album contains 15 songs, most of which were written by Toby Gad...
(2009)
See also
- EnigmaEnigma (musical project)Enigma is an electronic musical project founded in Germany by Michael Cretu, David Fairstein and Frank Peterson in 1990. The Romanian-born Cretu conceived the Enigma project while working in Germany, but has based his recording studio A.R.T. Studios in Ibiza, Spain, since the early 1990s until May...
- ArabesqueArabesque (group)Arabesque started as an all-girl trio at the height of the european disco era in 1977 in Frankfurt, Germany.After the first album, the band lineup was changed by keeping only the original member Michaela Rose and replacing the two other girls with new members Jasmin Vetter and Sandra Lauer...
External links
- Management
- [ Sandra] at Allmusic
- Sandra at Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...