No Angels
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No Angels, a girl group from Germany, were formed in 2000 on the international television sensation POPSTARS, perhaps a precursor to the Idol shows. They sang in English and were popular throughout Europe.
No Angels were the most successful band developed on any version of the show. All successors in similar shows in Germany were less successful. The show Popstars originated in Australia and created the group Bardot. No Angels outlasted Bardot by one album.
The members were Jessica Wahls (AKA Jessy), Luciada Diakovska (AKA Lucy, who is Bulgarian), Nadja Benaissa, Sandy Moelling and Vanessa Petruo (AKA Vany). With their Debut album Elle'Ments the girls each adopted an element of their own: Vany (Earth), Sandy (Ice), Lucy (Fire), Nadja (Air), and Jessy (Spirit).
The group skyrocketed to fame with their debut single "Daylight In Your Eyes". It remained #1 in Germany for a month. They then released their debut album, Elle'Ments. It sprouted the follow up single "Rivers of Joy". The girls then re-released Elle'Ments with new tracks including the third single "There Must Be An Angel"(a remake of the 80s classic). The single featured a B-side "100% Emotional" which became a theme song for a teen-angst-ridden show in Germany. The final release from the album was the double single "When The Angels Sing" and "Atlantis". "Atlantis" was featured in the German version of the Disney movie "Atlantis".
Their next single, "Something About Us", fired off at the press and lead off their second album "Now...Us". The press had launched fierce attacks on the girls such as pregnancy scares and break-up announcements. During this time, Lucy also announced that she was bisexual. The single featured a B-Side, "Like Ice In The Sunshine" which was part of the Langnese ice cream company's summer advertisements. The next single from "Now..Us" was the summer-lite "Still In Love With You" which rocketed the girls to success all across Europe. The third single was a dark remix of the sassy and pop-culture filled "Let's Go To Bed". The Angels then released a dvd and cd entitled When The Angels Swing. It featured their biggest hits and selected songs from their first two albums done in the style of classic swing music. They also re-released "Now...Us" with the fourth single "All Cried Out". There were two versions of the video, one pop and one classical, to promote both the re-release of "Now...Us" and "When The Angels Swing".
Soon after the girls experienced a bit of turbulence when Jessica announced she was leaving the group because she was pregnant. The four remaining girls released a new single "No Angel (It's All In Your Mind)" which again became a smash around Europe. They released their third album "Pure" and the second single "Someday" which was a Spanish-lite song. "Someday" topped charts across Europe and became a summer theme and was used to pilot new mini-cd technology in Germany called "Pock-Its". The third single "Feel Good Lies" was released in late 2003 and the girls announced it would be their last. They re-released "Pure" with a revamped version of s song from their debut album. "Reason" became an anthem to the girls's legions of fans and gave them yet another #1. Their finally released "Best Of No Angels" on the first of December, 2003. It contained all of radio-ready single's the girls had released over the years.
The girls each went their separate ways after that, some going for motherhood and others a solo career. Jessica was the first to have a solo release with "Ten Steps Back" which saw almost no success. Months later Vany gave a shot with "Dramaqueen", a big departure from her role as the classy lead singer of the group, the song also saw minimal success. Sandy came next with "Unnatural Blonde". Her release was the most relevant to the girls' earlier releases and saw a fairly good success for her, she has an album that will soon be coming out.
External links
- http://www.noangels.tv/ (German)