Nestor Alexander Haddaway (born 9 January 1965) is a Trinidadian-born German singer
best known for his 1993 hit single "
What Is Love", which reached number 1 in 13 countries.
Early life
Nestor Alexander Haddaway was born in
Trinidad and Tobago in 1965. His mother was a nurse and his father was a marine biologist.
His parents separated in the early 1970s and Haddaway first lived with his father in Europe, then with his mother in America. He was raised in Chicago and moved to the
Washington, DC metropolitan area at the age of 9.
[ Listening to ]Louis Armstrong
Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...
encouraged Haddaway to learn how to play trumpet at the age of 14. He attended Meade Senior High School in Fort Meade, Maryland
Fort Meade is a census-designated place (CDP) in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States. The population was 9,327 at the 2010 census. It is the home to the National Security Agency, Central Security Service, Uni ...
, where he was a member of the marching band, which eventually resulted in him forming his first group titled "Chances". In 1987, Haddaway enrolled in medical school
A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, or part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS, M ...
, but dropped out due to lack of excitement and moved to Cologne, West Germany, where he mostly worked in bars.[ Later, he formed his own company called "Energy", which was involved in organizing fashion shows and photo shoots.][
]
Career
In 1992, Haddaway was signed by German label Coconut Records
Coconut Records is a German record label formed in 1981 by producers Tony Hendrik and Karin Hartmann. The label has released multiple genres of music, including dance, schlager, eurodance, electronica, Hi-NRG, Dance-pop and R&B.
Artists
...
. His debut single, " What Is Love", rapidly became popular in Europe, reaching number 2 in Germany and the United Kingdom.[ In Germany, the single sold 900,000 copies.][ In the United Kingdom, it received a ]music recording certification
Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music Sound recording, recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation o ...
of Gold for shipment of 400,000 units. It later reached number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified Gold for shipments of 500,000 units.[ By the beginning of 1994, worldwide sales of "What Is Love" reached 2.6 million.][
His second single, " Life", reached number 2 in Germany, number 6 in the United Kingdom, and number 41 in the US, and its worldwide sales reached 1.5 million by 1994.][ The follow-up singles " I Miss You" and "]Rock My Heart
"Rock My Heart" is a song by Trinidadian-German musician Haddaway, released in March 1994 as the fourth and final single from his debut album, ''The Album (Haddaway album), The Album'' (1993). It was written and produced by Dee Dee Halligan and ...
" also reached the Top 10 in Europe and established him as a successful Eurodance
Euro-Dance (sometimes referred to as Euro-NRG, Euro-electronica or Euro) is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1980s in Europe. It combines many elements of hip hop, techno, Hi-NRG, house music, and Euro-Disco. This ...
artist. His first LP, ''The Album
The Album may refer to:
* '' ABBA: The Album'', released in 1977
* ''The Album'' (Caravan album), 1980
* ''The Album'' (Mantronix album), 1985
* ''The Album'' (Cliff Richard album), 1993
* ''The Album'' (Haddaway album), 1993
* ''The Album'' ( ...
'' (also known as ''Haddaway'' in the US), was a multi-million seller which reached Platinum status in Germany for shipments of 500,000, and Gold in the UK and in France for shipments of 100,000.
In 1995, he released his second album, '' The Drive'', which included the UK top 20 hit " Fly Away", as well as " Catch a Fire" and "Lover Be Thy Name". "What Is Love" enjoyed a resurgence in popularity as the theme music for the Butabi brothers ( Will Ferrell and Chris Kattan
Christopher Lee Kattan () (born October 19, 1970) is an American actor and comedian. He was a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1996 to 2003. He played Doug Butabi in '' A Night at the Roxbury'', Bob on the first four seasons of '' The ...
) on '' Saturday Night Live'' and the 1998 film ''A Night at the Roxbury
''A Night at the Roxbury'' is a 1998 American comedy film based on a recurring sketch on television's long-running ''Saturday Night Live'' called "The Roxbury Guys". ''Saturday Night Live'' regulars Will Ferrell, Chris Kattan, Molly Shannon, Mark ...
''.[
The albums '' Let's Do It Now'' (1998) and ''My Face'' (2001; re-released as ''Love Makes'') all failed to chart.
Haddaway appeared on the television show ''Comeback – Die große Chance'' in Germany in 2004. He appeared on the UK version of '' Hit Me, Baby, One More Time'' in 2005 and subsequently appeared on the U.S. version. This exposure led to him scoring a moderate chart hit in Germany with the ballad "Spaceman" from his next album, ''Pop Splits''.
In 2008, "What Is Love" was featured in a commercial for Diet Pepsi MAX that aired during ]Super Bowl XLII
Super Bowl XLII was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion New York Giants and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion ...
which parodied the leitmotif
A leitmotif or leitmotiv () is a "short, recurring musical phrase" associated with a particular person, place, or idea. It is closely related to the musical concepts of ''idée fixe'' or ''motto-theme''. The spelling ''leitmotif'' is an anglici ...
and included several stars including LL Cool J
James Todd Smith (born January 14, 1968), known professionally as LL Cool J (short for Ladies Love Cool James), is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is one of the earliest rappers to achieve commercial success, along ...
, Missy Elliott
Melissa Arnette Elliott (born July 1, 1971), better known as Missy Elliott or Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliot, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She embarked on her music career with R&B girl group Sista in the earl ...
, and Busta Rhymes
Trevor George Smith Jr. (born May 20, 1972), known professionally as Busta Rhymes, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the moniker Busta Rhymes, after NFL and CFL wide receiver ...
, but Haddaway himself did not appear in the ad.
In 2008, Haddaway teamed up with Eurodance star Dr. Alban for the single "I Love the 90's". In 2009, "What Is Love" re-entered charts after German DJ Klaas remixed it. The track resurfaced again in 2010 when it sampled heavily in Eminem's single "No Love" featuring Lil Wayne. In 2012, Haddaway released the single "Up and Up" with the Mad Stuntman, which was a top 20 dance hit in the US.
In 2011, he said that most of his performances are in "the east", in places such as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, or Siberia.
In 2016, he announced plans to star in ''Neverending Dream'', a film about Eurodance. Despite launching a fundraiser on Indiegogo, the film was not released.
Personal life
Haddaway now lives in Kitzbühel
Kitzbühel (, also: ; ) is a medieval town situated in the Kitzbühel Alps along the river Kitzbüheler Ache in Tyrol, Austria, about east of the state capital Innsbruck and is the administrative centre of the Kitzbühel district (). Kitzbühel ...
, Austria, and also has a home in Cologne, Germany.[
Since 2019 he has been a player and sponsor of the baseball team Kufstein Wolfins]
The team won the regional championships in 2019 and 202
Discography
Studio albums
Compilation albums
Singles
Notes
References
External links
* Official websit
Www.haddawaychannel.com
{{Authority control
1965 births
20th-century German male singers
21st-century German male singers
Arista Records artists
Eurodance musicians
George Washington University alumni
German house musicians
Living people
Singers from Maryland
Musicians from Cologne
People from Kitzbühel
People from Port of Spain
20th-century Trinidad and Tobago male singers
Trinidad and Tobago emigrants to Germany
Trinidad and Tobago expatriates in the United States
German expatriates in the United States
German expatriates in Austria