AnNa R. | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Andrea Rosenbaum [1] |
Also known as | Andrea Neuenhofen [2] |
Born | East Berlin, East Germany | 25 December 1969
Genres | Pop |
Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
Years active | 1991–present |
Labels | Pool, Beaux (Traumton), Polydor/ Island ( Universal) |
Website |
www |
Andrea Neuenhofen (née Rosenbaum; born 25 December 1969), better known by her stage name AnNa R., is a German singer and songwriter who provides the lead vocals for pop group Gleis 8. She was previously the main vocalist of Rosenstolz, a pop duo that was active between 1991 and 2012 and had chart hits in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
AnNa R. was born Andrea Rosenbaum [1] on 25 December 1969 [3] [4] in Berlin-Friedrichshain [4] and grew up in the former East Germany. [5]: 22–24 She sang in a choir during her youth. After she had finished her secondary education, she auditioned for a place at Musikschule Friedrichshain (Friedrichshain music school), but was not accepted. Consequently, she took up private singing lessons. She also trained as a laboratory assistant after finishing her secondary education, but soon changed career to become a sheet music salesperson. [5]: 22–29
Looking for a pianist to help her to realize her aim of becoming a bar singer, AnNa R. was introduced by a friend to Peter Plate, a keyboard player who had just moved to Berlin and needed a singer. Although they had different musical aspirations, with AnNa R. preferring to sing chanson and Plate wanting to make English-language pop music, the pair got together to write songs, performing them as pop duo Rosenstolz. [5]: 30–37, 59
Although their early records were not commercially successful, AnNa R. and Plate achieved increasing success over Rosenstolz's two-decade history, eventually having charts hits not only in their native Germany but also in Austria and Switzerland. [6] These included five No. 1 studio albums in Germany. [7] During their Rosenstolz career, AnNa R. and Plate undertook various initiatives to raise money for AIDS charities, and both were awarded the Bundesverdienstkreuz ( Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany) in 2011 in recognition of their efforts. [8] In 2012, the duo decided to split up. [9] AnNa R. stated that both she and Plate wanted to take a break from each other and try something new. [10]
AnNa R. was the main vocalist of Rosenstolz and also contributed to writing the lyrics of the band's songs with Plate and Ulf Leo Sommer. [11] Towards the end of Rosenstolz, AnNa R. felt that she was not contributing as much to songwriting as she had done earlier in the band's history. [10] [12]
In January 2012, AnNa R. started working with musicians Lorenz Allacher, Timo Dorsch and Manne Uhlig. [13] The following year, they officially announced their formation as the band Gleis 8. [14] Their debut album Bleibt das immer so, which was released in May 2013, reached No. 7 in the German albums chart. [15] AnNa R. writes the band's songs in cooperation with her band colleagues. [16] She has described the band as being democratic, with all the members being of equal standing. [17]
AnNa R. married Nilo Neuenhofen in 2002. [18] Her activities in her spare time include cooking [17] and boxing. [19]
Studio albums (Rosenstolz)
Studio albums (Gleis 8)