Monrose was a German
pop girl group, first established in November 2006. Formed on the
fifth installment of the German adaption of the international television talent show ''
Popstars
''Popstars'' is an international reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Realit ...
'', the trio consisted of singers
Mandy Capristo
Mandy Grace Capristo (born 21 March 1990), also known mononymously as Mandy, is a German singer and songwriter.
Born in Mannheim and raised in Bürstadt, Capristo was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions in 2001, when she won '' ...
,
Senna Gammour
Senna Gammour ( Guemmour; born 28 December 1979), also known mononymously as Senna, is a German singer, television personality and presenter. She was a member of the girl group Monrose.
Early life
Gammour was born in Frankfurt to a Moroccan ...
, and
Bahar Kızıl. They were signed to
Starwatch Music and released their debut album
''Temptation'' in December 2006. It achieved major success throughout
Central Europe
Central Europe is an area of Europe between Western Europe and Eastern Europe, based on a common historical, social and cultural identity. The Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) between Catholicism and Protestantism significantly shaped the area' ...
, selling more than a 600,000 copies combined and produced two singles, including number-one breakthrough hit "
Shame
Shame is an unpleasant self-conscious emotion often associated with negative self-evaluation; motivation to quit; and feelings of pain, exposure, distrust, powerlessness, and worthlessness.
Definition
Shame is a discrete, basic emotion, d ...
" and "
Even Heaven Cries
"Even Heaven Cries" is a pop ballad recorded by German pop trio Monrose. It was penned by Robbie Nevil, Lauren Evans, Philip Denker, Jonas Jeberg, and Jens Lumholt for the group's debut studio album, ''Temptation'' (2006). Produced by Jeberg, th ...
".
Their second studio album, ''
Strictly Physical'', was released in September 2007 following the release of their second chart-topper "
Hot Summer", and certified
double gold the next year.
The group's third studio album ''
I Am
I Am or I'm may refer to:
Language and literature
* "I Am that I Am", a common English translation of the response God used in the Hebrew Bible when Moses asked for His name
** I am (biblical term), a Christian term used in the Bible
* "I Am" (po ...
'' was released in October 2008, followed by a fourth album named ''
Ladylike
''Ladylike'' is the fourth and final studio album by German Pop music, pop trio Monrose. It was released by Starwatch Music in association with Cheyenne Records and the Warner Music Group on 11 June 2010 in German-speaking Europe. Conceived durin ...
'' in June 2010, which produced their final top ten entry "
Like a Lady".
The group became one of the few German reality television acts to achieve continued success, amassing sales in excess of three million records. In November 2010, it was announced that the group would split up in 2011, with each member stating that they would pursue their own solo projects.
History
2006–2007 Formation and ''Temptation''
Under the motto ''Neue Engel braucht das Land'' ("The country needs new angels"), ''
Popstars
''Popstars'' is an international reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Realit ...
'' returned with a fifth installment in August 2006, this time searching for the legal successors of the show's first and most successful formation,
No Angels
No Angels are an all-female pop group from Germany, formed in 2000. Originally a quintet, consisting of band members Nadja Benaissa, Lucy Diakovska, Sandy Mölling, Vanessa Petruo, and Jessica Wahls, they originated on the debut season o ...
. More than 5,100 hopeful female singers attended open television auditions in
Frankfurt
Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...
,
Stuttgart
Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...
,
Hanover
Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...
,
Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...
, and
Dortmund
Dortmund (; Westphalian nds, Düörpm ; la, Tremonia) is the third-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne and Düsseldorf, and the eighth-largest city of Germany, with a population of 588,250 inhabitants as of 2021. It is the la ...
, judged by
choreographer
Choreography is the art or practice of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which motion or form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A choreographer is one who cr ...
and dancer
Detlef "D!" Soost, music producer
Dieter Falk, and singer
Nina Hagen
Catharina "Nina" Hagen (; born 11 March 1955) is a German singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her theatrical vocals and rose to prominence during the Punk subculture, punk and New wave music, new wave movements in the late 1970s a ...
.
Over the course of several 'recalls' and 're-recalls', the three judges reduced the contestants to a group of 20 who immediately travelled to
Ischgl
Ischgl () is a town in the Paznaun valley in the Austrian state of Tyrol. Its ski resort is connected with that of Samnaun across the border in Switzerland to form one of the largest in the Alps. Ischgl was a major hotspot of the COVID-19 pandemi ...
,
Tyrol
Tyrol (; historically the Tyrole; de-AT, Tirol ; it, Tirolo) is a historical region in the Alps - in Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Emp ...
, to get trained in singing, dancing, and fitness. In the end, eleven girls remained who again moved into a mansion in
Pullach
Pullach, officially Pullach i. Isartal, is a municipality in the district of Munich in Bavaria in Germany. It lies on the Isar Valley Railway and is served by the S 7 line of the Munich S-Bahn, at the Großhesselohe Isartalbahnhof, Pullach and ...
,
Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...
, to start working on their performance and publicity skills. While Soost, Falk, and Hagen continued eliminating one or two girls each week, the six remaining finalists went on with the recordings of alternative versions of their debut album ''
Temptation
Temptation is a desire to engage in short-term urges for enjoyment that threatens long-term goals.Webb, J.R. (Sep 2014). Incorporating Spirituality into Psychology of temptation: Conceptualization, measurement, and clinical implications. Sp ...
'' and the video shoot for their first single "
Shame
Shame is an unpleasant self-conscious emotion often associated with negative self-evaluation; motivation to quit; and feelings of pain, exposure, distrust, powerlessness, and worthlessness.
Definition
Shame is a discrete, basic emotion, d ...
". On the season's finale on 23 November 2006, three of the six were chosen to make the band: Mandy Capristo, Senna Gammour, and Bahar Kızıl beat out Arjeta Zuta, Katarzyna Zinkiewicz, and Romina Reinhardt – and eventually formed the trio ''Monrose''.
On 1 December 2006, Monrose released their debut single "Shame". The
Jiant
Jiant was a British record producer, record production and songwriter, songwriting team, headed by Tim Hawes and Pete Kirtley, working in the genres of pop music, pop, contemporary R&B, R&B and dance music, dance. Following their formation in 1999 ...
& Snowflakers-produced pop song became an instant success and reached number one in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland, making it one of the most successful debuts of the year.
Outselling 3/4 of the German Top 100's singles sales combined, the song also emerged as the fastest selling
CD single
A CD single (sometimes abbreviated to CDS) is a music single in the form of a compact disc. The standard in the Red Book for the term ''CD single'' is an 8 cm (3-inch) CD (or Mini CD). It now refers to any single recorded onto a CD of any si ...
of 2006 and the biggest-downloaded song since the introduction of the legal download charts in Germany in 2004.
The band's debut album ''Temptation'' was released on 8 December in all German-speaking countries. ''Popstars'' judge Dieter Falk,
Toni Cottura
Toni Cottura (born 7 June 1971), better known by his stage name Smooth T., is an Italian-born German Eurodance and hip hop producer and rapper.
Musical career
He started his career in 1988 as a hip hop producer with David Fascher and later work ...
,
Marc Mozart
Mozart & Friends is a record production and songwriting team working in the genres of pop, R&B and hip hop. The team was founded in 2006 and consists of producers and songwriters located in different countries:
* German mix-engineer, songwriter ...
, and Marcus Brosch consulted on the album which debuted on top of the Austrian, German and Swiss albums charts and was certified
platinum
Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver".
Platinu ...
by the
IFPI
The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a non-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland and founded in Italy in 19 ...
for more than 200,000 copies sold within its first two weeks of release.
It eventually sold more than 600,000 copies domestically.
Critics rated ''Temptation'' generally positively, with
laut.de
laut.de is a German online magazine dealing exclusively with entertainment music, especially pop music, rock music, alternative, metal, hip-hop, jazz and techno. It comprises record reviews, interviews, biographies of important artists, music ...
's Stefan Johannesburg praising Monrose and their team for wisely finding a very "British and catchy" musical middle ground between the
Pussycat Dolls
Pussycat or Pussy Cat may refer to:
* Cat, a domestic feline
Music Bands
* Pussycat (band), a Dutch country and pop group
* The Pussycats, a 1960s Norwegian rock band
* The Pussycats, a group signed to Kama Sutra Records
Albums
* ''Pussy Cats'', ...
and
Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child was an American girl group whose final line-up comprised Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams. The group began their musical career as Girl's Tyme, formed in 1990 in Houston, Texas. After years of limited ...
.
In January 2007, it was announced that the trio had qualified for the German national pre-selection of the
Eurovision Song Contest 2007
The Eurovision Song Contest 2007 was the 52nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Helsinki, Finland, following the country's victory at the with the song "Hard Rock Hallelujah" by Lordi. Organised by the European Broadcasti ...
, organized and broadcast by the
ARD.
Following several weeks of promotional appearances, Monrose entered the competition on 8 March 2007 with their second single "
Even Heaven Cries
"Even Heaven Cries" is a pop ballad recorded by German pop trio Monrose. It was penned by Robbie Nevil, Lauren Evans, Philip Denker, Jonas Jeberg, and Jens Lumholt for the group's debut studio album, ''Temptation'' (2006). Produced by Jeberg, th ...
", and although considered as early favourites by the media,
the band received 20 per cent of all 900,000 phone votes only and eventually finished second,
falling against swing singer
Roger Cicero
Roger Marcel Cicero Ciceu (6 July 1970 – 24 March 2016) was a German jazz and pop musician.
Biography
Roger Cicero was born in 1970 in Berlin to Romanian jazz pianist Eugen Cicero and dancer Lili Cziczeo.
Cicero represented Germany at the E ...
and his song "
Frauen regier'n die Welt
Germany participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 with the song "Frauen regier'n die Welt" written by Matthias Haß and Frank Ramond. The song was performed by Roger Cicero. The German entry for the 2007 contest in Helsinki, Finland, was se ...
". Meanwhile'','' "Even Heaven Cries" peaked at number 6 on the
German Singles Chart
The GfK Entertainment charts are the official music charts in Germany and are gathered and published by GfK Entertainment (formerly Media Control and Media Control GfK International), a subsidiary of GfK, on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindust ...
and within the top 20 in Austria and Switzerland. Following this, the band announced their ''Venus Temptation Tour'' with 20 dates, beginning at the Hanover Capitol on 29 April 2007. Sponsored by
Global Gillette
Gillette is an American brand of safety razors and other personal care products including shaving supplies, owned by the multi-national corporation Procter & Gamble (P&G).
Based in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, it was owned by The Gil ...
, the concert tour was accompanied by intense media coverage since it failed to produce any sold-out show, and thus four concerts had to be cancelled due to low ticket sales.
2007–2008: ''Strictly Physical'' and ''I Am''
While touring, Monrose began preparing work on their second studio album, ''
Strictly Physical'', which was preceded by the single "
Hot Summer", the band's second number-one hit in Austria, Germany and Switzerland, and one of the biggest-selling songs of the year on German online music stores.
Obtaining international success in
Scandinavia
Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...
,
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is a subregion of the Europe, European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. The vast majority of the region is covered by Russ ...
, and the
Benelux states, the single confirmed the trio's intentions to expand their career on foreign language markets, and as a result, ''Strictly Physical'' received a simultaneous release in most of
Continental Europe
Continental Europe or mainland Europe is the contiguous continent of Europe, excluding its surrounding islands. It can also be referred to ambiguously as the European continent, – which can conversely mean the whole of Europe – and, by ...
on 21 September 2007.
Featuring main production by Danish producers
Remee
Remee Sigvardt Jackman (né Mikkel Johan Imer Sigvardt; born Frederiksberg, 8 November 1974), better known as Remee, is a Danish producer, composer and songwriter.
Career
Remee has written more than 60 hits and has sold over 25 million records. H ...
and
Thomas Troelsen
Thomas Troelsen (born 6 October 1981) is a Danish singer, songwriter, and producer from Skive. Troelsen has written and produced songs for Pitbull, Flo Rida, Justin Bieber, David Guetta, Lil Wayne, Drengene fra Angora, Nile Rodgers, Jason Derulo ...
, the album earned mixed reviews, with most professional critics calling the longplayer a "more mature and individual" but "well-snitched" output in comparison with band's debut album.
With "
Strictly Physical" and the
Billymann-penned ballad "
What You Don't Know" the album spawned another two top 10 entries.
On 1 September, Monrose contested in the
Sopot Song Festival 2007 in Poland, representing Germany with their debut single "Shame". Rivaled by other international artists such as
Sophie Ellis-Bextor
Sophie Michelle Ellis-Bextor (born 10 April 1979) is an English singer and songwriter. She first came to prominence in the late 1990s as the lead singer of the indie rock band Theaudience. After the group disbanded Ellis-Bextor went solo and ach ...
,
Thierry Amiel
Thierry Amiel (born 18 October 1982) is a French singer and songwriter from Marseille, France. He rose to fame after coming in second place to Jonatan Cerrada on the first edition of the French ''Pop Idol'', ''À la Recherche de la Nouvelle Star' ...
,
The Cloud Room, and
September
September is the ninth month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars, the third of four months to have a length of 30 days, and the fourth of five months to have a length of fewer than 31 days. September in the Northern H ...
, the trio eventually lost to Polish rock band
Feel
Feel may refer to:
*Feeling
Music Bands
* Feel (New York band), a dance and R&B band
* Feel (Polish band), a pop rock band
Songs
* "Feel" (Kendrick Lamar song), 2017
* "Feel", by Phora, 2018
*"Feel", by Mahmut Orhan, 2016
* "Feel" (Kumi Koda so ...
and their song "A gdy już jest ciemno".
On 20 March 2008, Monrose' non-album song "
We Love
"We Love" (also known as "We Love to Entertain You") is the theme song for the ''Star Force'' image campaign of Germany, German television network ProSieben. Several variations of the song have been interpreted by various stars, including Melani ...
", a promotional song for German-based network
ProSieben
ProSieben (, ''sieben'' is German for "seven"; often stylized as Pro7) is a German free-to-air television network owned by ProSiebenSat.1 Media.
It was launched on 1 January 1989. It is Germany's second-largest privately owned television company ...
, was released as a digital download single. The trio's third studio album, ''
I Am
I Am or I'm may refer to:
Language and literature
* "I Am that I Am", a common English translation of the response God used in the Hebrew Bible when Moses asked for His name
** I am (biblical term), a Christian term used in the Bible
* "I Am" (po ...
'', was released on 26 September 2008 in German-speaking Europe, involving production by
Ryan Tedder
Ryan Tedder (born June 26, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. As well as being the lead vocalist of the pop rock band OneRepublic, he has an independent career as a songwriter and producer for various artists since th ...
,
Jiant
Jiant was a British record producer, record production and songwriter, songwriting team, headed by Tim Hawes and Pete Kirtley, working in the genres of pop music, pop, contemporary R&B, R&B and dance music, dance. Following their formation in 1999 ...
, and Snowflakers among others.
Taking Monrose's work further into
dance
Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...
and
, the album scored a generally negative reception from music critics, with
laut.de
laut.de is a German online magazine dealing exclusively with entertainment music, especially pop music, rock music, alternative, metal, hip-hop, jazz and techno. It comprises record reviews, interviews, biographies of important artists, music ...
calling them "the new
Sugababes
Sugababes are a British girl group composed of Mutya Buena, Keisha Buchanan and Siobhán Donaghy. The lineup changed three times before returning to the original lineup in 2011.
Formed in 1998 by All Saints manager Ron Tom, Sugababes releas ...
for discount store-fans". Upon its release, the album became the band's lowest-charting effort to date, reaching the top ten of the German Albums Chart only. The album's leading single, Tedder-penned "
Strike the Match", was released on 6 June 2008 and reached number ten of the
German Singles Chart
The GfK Entertainment charts are the official music charts in Germany and are gathered and published by GfK Entertainment (formerly Media Control and Media Control GfK International), a subsidiary of GfK, on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindust ...
. Follow-up singles "
Hit 'n' Run" and "
Why Not Us" ended the run of the band's consecutive top ten entries in Germany with peak positions of number 16 and number 27, respectively.
Also in 2008, the band contributed vocals to a cover version of singer
Craig David
Craig Ashley David (born 5 May 1981) is a British singer and songwriter who rose to fame in 1999, featuring on the single "Re-Rewind (The Crowd Say Bo Selecta), Re-Rewind" by Artful Dodger (UK band), Artful Dodger. David's debut studio album, ' ...
's number-one hit "
Walking Away". Although David and the band shot the video in London, England in July 2008, the single release of the re-recording was eventually scrapped.
2009–2011: Hiatus and ''Ladylike''
![MonroseFFNKindertag](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/eb/MonroseFFNKindertag.JPG)
Following a short hiatus, the band announced the release of their fourth album in February 2010. Recorded in Germany and New York City, Monrose reunited with previous collaborators such as
Pete Kirtley
Peter Edward Kirtley (born 14 April 1972) is an English songwriter, record producer and music entrepreneur. He has produced over 200 records worldwide with sales exceeding 15 million and 100 million streams, including seven number-one hit sin ...
,
Tim Hawes
Tim Hawes (born 30 April 1965) is an English born songwriter, record producer and music publisher who has achieved in excess of ten million record sales including five number one singles. He is also a recipient of the prestigious Ivor Novello a ...
, Chris Ballard and
Alexander Geringas
Alex Geringas (born March 2, 1971) is an American composer and songwriter based in Los Angeles, United States.
Awards
* 1998 Echo Award – Best Newcomer – Die 3. Generation
* 2003 Echo Award – Best Video – No Angels "Something about ...
to work on the record, which was eventually entitled ''
Ladylike
''Ladylike'' is the fourth and final studio album by German Pop music, pop trio Monrose. It was released by Starwatch Music in association with Cheyenne Records and the Warner Music Group on 11 June 2010 in German-speaking Europe. Conceived durin ...
'' and released on 11 June 2010 in German-speaking Europe. It debuted at number ten on the
German Albums Chart
The GfK Entertainment charts are the official music charts in Germany and are gathered and published by GfK Entertainment (formerly Media Control and Media Control GfK International), a subsidiary of GfK, on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindust ...
and became the group's fourth consecutive top ten album. Leading single "
Like a Lady" debuted at number fourteen on the
German Singles Chart
The GfK Entertainment charts are the official music charts in Germany and are gathered and published by GfK Entertainment (formerly Media Control and Media Control GfK International), a subsidiary of GfK, on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindust ...
and peaked at number nine on the chart, making it the group's seventh non-consecutive top ten hit.
A second single off the album, "
This Is Me", was released in August 2010 and managed to enter the top 30.
On 23 November, the band celebrate their four years existence of Monrose. Two days later, on 25 November 2010, they announced their separation. The third single from ''Ladylike'', titled "
Breathe You In
"Breathe You in" a song by German girl group Monrose. It was written by Thanh Bui, Rodney Mark Davies, and Gary Pinto and recorded by Monrose for their fourth studio album ''Ladylike'' (2010), while production was helmed by frequent collaborators P ...
", served as the final single.
In February 2011, it was announced that Monrose received an
Echo
In audio signal processing and acoustics, an echo is a reflection of sound that arrives at the listener with a delay after the direct sound. The delay is directly proportional to the distance of the reflecting surface from the source and the lis ...
nomination in the category ''Video of the Year'' for "Like a Lady".
Members
Discography
Studio albums
*2006: ''
Temptation
Temptation is a desire to engage in short-term urges for enjoyment that threatens long-term goals.Webb, J.R. (Sep 2014). Incorporating Spirituality into Psychology of temptation: Conceptualization, measurement, and clinical implications. Sp ...
''
*2007: ''
Strictly Physical''
*2008: ''
I Am
I Am or I'm may refer to:
Language and literature
* "I Am that I Am", a common English translation of the response God used in the Hebrew Bible when Moses asked for His name
** I am (biblical term), a Christian term used in the Bible
* "I Am" (po ...
''
*2010: ''
Ladylike
''Ladylike'' is the fourth and final studio album by German Pop music, pop trio Monrose. It was released by Starwatch Music in association with Cheyenne Records and the Warner Music Group on 11 June 2010 in German-speaking Europe. Conceived durin ...
''
Tours
* ''Venus Temptation Tour'' (29 April – 5 June 2007)
*''Club Tour (2009)''
Awards and nominations
Results
Other music information
SM Entertainment, the company responsible for the South Korean group
F(x), bought the rights of the song "
Hot Summer", transforming it into a single in 2011.
See also
*
List of best-selling girl groups
A girl group is a popular music act featuring several female singers who generally harmony, harmonize together. Girl groups have been popular at least since the heyday of the The Boswell Sisters, Boswell Sisters beginning in the 1930s, but the t ...
References
External links
Official website(archived)
*
{{Authority control
Musical groups established in 2006
German dance music groups
German girl groups
German pop music groups
German musical trios
Popstars winners