Thomas Anders is a
GermanGermany , 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...
singer,
composerA composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and
record producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
. Anders was the lead singer of
GermanyGermany , 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...
's popular pop-duo
Modern TalkingModern 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...
in 1984–1987 and in 1998–2003.
Early years
Anders began showing interest in music as a child, he did his first stage-performance at age of 7. Anders first studied music at
KoblenzKoblenz is a German city situated on both banks of the Rhine at its confluence with the Moselle, where the Deutsches Eck and its monument are situated.As Koblenz was one of the military posts established by Drusus about 8 BC, the...
Eichendorff-Gymnasium, and then he studied musicology for five semesters at Johannes Gutenberg University in
MainzMainz under the Holy Roman Empire, and previously was a Roman fort city which commanded the west bank of the Rhine and formed part of the northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire...
,
Rhineland-PalatinateRhineland-Palatinate is one of the 16 states of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has an area of and about four million inhabitants. The capital is Mainz. English speakers also commonly refer to the state by its German name, Rheinland-Pfalz ....
, Germany. After having performed at several clubs and discothèques, in 1979, he participated in a music contest organized by the radio station
Radio LuxembourgRadio Luxembourg may refer to:*Radio Luxembourg , a Long Wave commercial radio station that began broadcasting from the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg in 1933...
which he walked away from without earning enough points. Two days after the contest, Anders was offered a record contract by the same jury members of the radio contest.
It was then that his career officially began when in 1980, at age of 17, he released his debut single "Judy". Anders released several other singles produced by Daniel David including "Du weinst um ihn", which he performed on Michael Schanze's TV show
Hätten sie heut' zeit für uns. In 1983, he met
Dieter BohlenDieter Günter Bohlen is a German songwriter, singer, musician, producer, entertainer, TV personality, and writer. Bohlen is best known for being part of popular pop-duo Modern Talking during 1984–1987 and 1998–2003.-Biography:Bohlen took his Abitur in Oldenburg...
who produced "Was macht das schon", the
GermanGermany , 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...
cover version of F. R. David's "Pick Up the Phone" and also "Heißkalter Engel", the German cover version of
Real LifeReal Life are a Melbourne-based Australian New Wave/Synthpop band that had hits with their debut single, "Send Me an Angel" and with "Catch Me I'm Falling" , both of which were featured on the band's debut album Heartland .-Biography:...
's "Send Me an Angel". From late 1983 to the mid of 1984 Bohlen produced other tracks for Anders including "Wovon träumst du denn", "Endstation Sehnsucht" and "Es geht mir gut heut' Nacht". The success, however, came when in late 1984, Anders and Bohlen formed the successful duo
Modern TalkingModern 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...
, which they started things off by a worldwide hit single "
You're My Heart, You're My Soul"You're My Heart, You're My Soul" is the first single by German europop duo Modern Talking released off their debut album "The 1st Album". The single was released on 29 October 1984 but entered the top-10 in Germany on January 28, 1985, almost three months after its release date...
".
Solo career
In late 1987, Anders and Bohlen decided to terminate Modern Talking and go their separate ways due to constant quarrel between the two. Shortly after which Anders went on a long tour performing before as many as 85,000 fans, the tour involved cities like
Cape TownCape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
,
JohannesburgJohannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
,
Hong KongHong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
,
SingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
,
TaipeiTaipei City is the capital of the Republic of China and the central city of the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Situated at the northern tip of the island, Taipei is located on the Tamsui River, and is about 25 km southwest of Keelung, its port on the Pacific Ocean...
,
Viña del MarViña del Mar , is a city and commune on central Chile's Pacific coast. Its long stretches of white sandy beaches are a major attraction for national and international tourists. The city is Chile's main tourist attraction. Known as "La Ciudad Jardín" , Viña del Mar is a Chilean Municipality located...
and
MoscowMoscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
. This drove Anders to leave Germany for the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, where in 1989, Anders released his first solo album
Different with more pop style rather than dance, which he produced together with
Elton JohnSir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
's producer
Gus DudgeonAngus Boyd Dudgeon , most commonly known as Gus Dudgeon was an English record producer, most notable for production of many of Elton John's recordings.-Early career:...
and
a-haA-ha were a Norwegian pop band formed in Oslo in 1982. The band was founded by Morten Harket , Magne Furuholmen , and Pål Waaktaar...
's producer
Alan TarneyTarney-Spencer Band was an Australian rock band composed of Trevor Spencer and Alan Tarney in the late 1970s. The band recorded three albums, and is notable for the song "No Time to Lose" which received substantial air-play in the USA on Album-oriented rock radio stations, and charted twice on the...
. The first single "Love of My Own" released in the same year is considered the biggest success of his solo career at that time. The second album
WhispersWhispers is the title of the second studio album by singer-songwriter & producer Thomas Anders, released in 1991. The album was produced by Paul Muggleton & Mike Paxman and mixed by Stephen W Tayler. Some tracks for the album were provided by songwriters of Roxette and Jennifer Rush...
was released in 1991, three singles were released off Anders' second solo album "The Sweet Hello, The Sad Goodbye" written by
RoxetteRoxette are a Swedish pop music duo, consisting of Marie Fredriksson and Per Gessle . Formed in 1986, the duo became an international act from the late 1980s, when they released their breakthrough album Look Sharp!...
member
Per GesslePer Håkan Gessle is a Swedish pop singer-songwriter, guitarist, and harmonicist. He is the lead singer of the Swedish pop group Gyllene Tider and formed Roxette with Marie Fredriksson...
, "I Can't Give You Anything (But My Love)" and "True Love". In 1992, Anders released his third album
Down on SunsetDown on Sunset is the title of the third studio album by singer-songwriter & producer Thomas Anders. It was released in 1992, and was produced by Christian De Walden...
, the singles "How Deep Is Your Love" and "Standing Alone" (Duet with
Glenn MedeirosGlenn Alan Medeiros is a Hispanic Hawaiian singer and rapper who was a teenage star in the 1980s.-Biography:...
) found some success both in
GermanyGermany , 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...
and
AustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. Anders released his fourth solo album
When Will I See You AgainWhen Will I See You Again is the title of the fourth studio album by singer-songwriter & producer Thomas Anders. It was released in 1993, and was produced by Christian De Walden...
in 1993. The first single "When Will I See You Again" featured the original singers of the song,
The Three DegreesThe Three Degrees are an American female vocal group. Formed in 1963 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,, the group has always been a trio though there have been a number of personnel changes and a total of fourteen women have represented the group so far. The original members were Fayette Pinkney,...
. Also, in 1993, Anders experienced something new as he got a part in a
SwedishSweden , 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....
movie
Stockholm Marathon. He also wrote the title-song for that film "Marathon of Life", which is one of the tracks in his 1993's album
When Will I See You Again. In 1994, he came back with an album
Barcos de CristalBarcos de Cristal is the title of the fifth studio album by singer-songwriter & producer Thomas Anders. It is his first solo album to be sung in Spanish. It was released in 1994 in the USA for Latin America, and was produced by Christian De Walden . Some tracks were co-written by Thomas Anders aka...
, which he released in
SpanishSpanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
only for U.S., South America and Argentina, this album contained songs from albums of 1992 and 1993, all redone in Spanish. Anders released one more album in 1995 called
SouledSouled is the title of the sixth studio album by singer-songwriter & producer Thomas Anders. It was released in 1995, and was produced by Peter Wolf . The album featured covers of The Beatles' "Michelle", Stephanie Mills' "Never Knew Love Like This Before" and a duet with The Pointer Sisters on...
, which he produced together with
Peter WolfPeter F. Wolf is a composer, producer, songwriter and arranger. He was awarded the highest honor for artists from his birth country of Austria, the Österreichisches Ehrenzeichen für Wissenschaft und Kunst .- Early years :Wolf studied classical piano at Vienna’s Conservatory of Music...
, this album contained a duet featuring The Pointer Sisters "Feel for the Physical". Things for him then were quiet until March 1998 when Thomas Anders and Dieter Bohlen announced the reunion of Modern Talking. The duo released six studio albums between 1998 and 2003 and split again in 2003.
Subsequent years
In 2001, Anders produced the song, " My Heart It Feels Like (Dub Dub ...)" together with Gerd Count Bernadotte for the pop girl duo
It-Girl. In late 2003 Anders signed a contract with BMG international as a solo artist after their final album of Modern Talking. The first single, "Independent Girl" released in November 2003 reached No.17 on the German single chart and No.5 in Russia. His album,
This TimeThis Time is the title of the first studio album after six years of hiatus by German singer-songwriter & producer Thomas Anders, released in 2004. It is Anders' 19-th album and his eighth as a solo artist.-Track listing:...
released in 2004 entered the top-20 as well. The second single "King of Love" reached the top-40 in Germany. At this point, Anders was working with his new producer
Peter RiesPeter Ries is a German record producer, composer, arranger, and remixer. Ries started his career as a singer in 1980 under nickname Gilbert...
, who previously had worked with such artists as Sandra and
No AngelsThe No Angels are an all-female pop trio from Germany, consisting of band members Lucy Diakovska, Sandy Mölling, and Jessica Wahls. Critically acclaimed, the band has won dozen of awards and prizes since their establishment in the early 2000s, including three ECHOs, a World Music Awards, a NRJ...
.
Thomas Anders received an offer from NDR to host the
Eurovision Song Contest 2004The Eurovision Song Contest 2004, was the 49th Contest and it was held in the Abdi İpekçi Arena in Istanbul, Turkey. This was the first occasion in which the contest was held in Turkey after they had won the competition in 2003 with Sertab Erener singing "Everyway That I Can"...
, 11 million viewers who already knew Anders as a singer watched him announce the German voting points. Also, in 2004, Anders was asked to record the ballad "Just Dream" which was to be the official anthem for the ballet
Holiday on IceHoliday on Ice is an ice show currently produced by Joop van den Ende's Stage Entertainment Group with its headquarters in Amsterdam, Netherlands...
which reached No.64 in Germany. The song can be heard during the international three-year
Holiday on IceHoliday on Ice is an ice show currently produced by Joop van den Ende's Stage Entertainment Group with its headquarters in Amsterdam, Netherlands...
tour.
In the following year, Anders was involved in a legal battle which he had brought against his Modern Talking partner, Dieter Bohlen. Anders claimed that Bohlen had slandered about him in his autobiographical book. In the Spring of 2005, the court rejected to have Bohlen pay the one million Euros which Anders had sued Bohlen for.
In March 2006, Anders got involved in
Eurovision Song ContestThe Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
again; however, he was one of the three contestants to represent
GermanyGermany , 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...
in the
Eurovision Song Contest 2006The Eurovision Song Contest 2006 was the 51st Eurovision Song Contest, held at the Olympic Indoor Hall in Athens, Greece on 18 May and 20 May 2006 . The hosting national broadcaster of the contest was Ellinikí Radiofonía Tileórasi . The Finnish band Lordi won the contest with the song "Hard Rock...
alongside with the Greek-born
Vicky LeandrosVicky Leandros is a Greek singer with a long international career. She is the daughter of singer, musician and composer Leandros Papathanasiou...
(
Eurovision Song Contest 1972The Eurovision Song Contest 1972 was the 17th edition series. Monaco was unable to host this year's Eurovision as they were unable to provide the resources. They approached French TV, who agreed to produce the contest, but only if the contest was staged in France and not the planned Monte Carlo...
winner) and
countryCountry music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
band
Texas LightningTexas Lightning is a German quintet from Hamburg which fits in the country music genre and describes itself as old fashioned and hip. Their music is a mix of country and pop drawing from country classic stars like Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, Johnny Cash and Tammy Wynette and pop stars such as ABBA,...
featuring comedian Olli Dittrich. However, the spectators chose the latter.
Also in the same year, Anders left BMG and joined
Edel Records-History:Edel Music was founded in 1986 by Michael Haentjes in Germany as a mail order record company selling mostly soundtracks. With artists such as Scooter, SASH!, Holly Johnson and many others, it became a very successful pop music label...
and released his swing-album
Songs ForeverSongs Forever is the title of the 2006 studio album by German singer-songwriter & producer Thomas Anders, consisting mainly of popular swing covers...
which was commercially unsuccessful peaking only at No.43. In April 2006, his
The DVD-Collection arrived in stores, which contained 20 videos of his solo career as well as some hits taken from
Modern TalkingModern 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...
period. In July 2008, Anders was featured on two of download singles by Sound-Chateau, "Ibiza Baba Baya" and "For You".
Anders announced the German Eurovision voting results once again in 2009. In the Spring of 2009, Anders was featured on the song called "The Night Is Still Young for which he collaborated with Sandra, the single peaked at No.46. Anders released his next solo single, "Why Do You Cry" in 2010 which peaked at No. 21 on Russian Airplay Chart. In the Spring of 2010, Anders released his next studio album,
StrongStrong is the title of the 2010 studio album by German singer-songwriter & producer Thomas Anders.On 27 January 2010, Thomas Anders said: "The album is nearly ready and will appear first in Russia where I still have a great amount of fans, and in Germany the release is planned for summer".Strong...
for Russian market only. The album reached the platinum status in Russia for sales of 10,000 units. In 2011, Anders came back collaborating with
Uwe FahrenkrogJörn-Uwe Fahrenkrog-Petersen is a keyboard player and songwriter, known for his work with the German rock group Nena.Born in Berlin he first played in a band called "Vanguard"in 1977 - 1979 with bassist Sven Bode, Guitarist Fritz... and drummer Didier, composing an amazing Rock Opera. Concerts...
, German musician and songwriter. The duo's first single together called "Gigolo" was released on May 27, 2011 in Germany which peaked at No.40 there. Their album
Two was released on June 10, 2011 which debuted at No.11 on the German album chart. The single "Gigolo" is written and produced by Uwe Fahrenkrog-Petersen
Thomas TroelsenThomas Troelsen is a composer and producer from Denmark.- History :Thomas Troelsen is a singer, songwriter, and producer responsible for chart-topping hits, like Junior Senior's "Move Your Feet", Monrose's "Hot Summer", PRIVATE's "My Secret Lover", and BoA’s “Eat You Up." He was also the lead...
. The duo appears under the name
Anders | Fahrenkrog.
Personal life
His parents are Helga and Peter Weidung. He has one brother, Achim, and one sister, Tania. He was married to
Nora BallingNora-Isabelle Balling, also known as Nora Anders is a German fashion model, and was the first wife of the singer and former Modern Talking member, Thomas Anders, between 1985 and 1999....
from 1986 to 1999. Since July 2000 he has been married to Claudia Hess, with whom he has a son, Alexander Mick, born 27 June 2002.
Studio albums
Compilation albums
Live album(s)
Collaboration album(s)
As lead artist
As featured artist
Collaboration singles
Video albums
| Year |
Album details |
Notes |
| 2006 |
The DVD-Collection
- Released: April 28, 2006
- Label: Edel
- Formats: HiFi Sound, PAL
|
Contains the music videos from Thomas Anders' solo albums as well as three singles from Modern Talking |
Collaboration compositions
- 1988 "I Can Never Let You Go" (Co-wrote for Engelbert Humperdinck
Engelbert Humperdinck is a British pop singer, best known for his hits including "Release Me " and "After the Lovin'" as well as "The Last Waltz" .-Early life:...
)
- 1989 "Soldier" (Written and produced by Alan Tarney
Tarney-Spencer Band was an Australian rock band composed of Trevor Spencer and Alan Tarney in the late 1970s. The band recorded three albums, and is notable for the song "No Time to Lose" which received substantial air-play in the USA on Album-oriented rock radio stations, and charted twice on the...
)
- 1991 "The Sweet Hello, The Sad Goodbye" (Written by Per Gessle
Per Håkan Gessle is a Swedish pop singer-songwriter, guitarist, and harmonicist. He is the lead singer of the Swedish pop group Gyllene Tider and formed Roxette with Marie Fredriksson...
)
- 1992 "Standing Alone" (Duet with Glenn Medeiros
Glenn Alan Medeiros is a Hispanic Hawaiian singer and rapper who was a teenage star in the 1980s.-Biography:...
)
- 1993 "When Will I See You Again" (Duet with The Three Degrees
The Three Degrees are an American female vocal group. Formed in 1963 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,, the group has always been a trio though there have been a number of personnel changes and a total of fourteen women have represented the group so far. The original members were Fayette Pinkney,...
)
- 1993 "Emotional Thing" (Co-wrote for The Three Degrees
The Three Degrees are an American female vocal group. Formed in 1963 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,, the group has always been a trio though there have been a number of personnel changes and a total of fourteen women have represented the group so far. The original members were Fayette Pinkney,...
)
- 1993 "Question of Love" (Co-wrote for The Three Degrees
The Three Degrees are an American female vocal group. Formed in 1963 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,, the group has always been a trio though there have been a number of personnel changes and a total of fourteen women have represented the group so far. The original members were Fayette Pinkney,...
)
- 1993 "Ain't No Woman" (Co-wrote for The Three Degrees
The Three Degrees are an American female vocal group. Formed in 1963 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,, the group has always been a trio though there have been a number of personnel changes and a total of fourteen women have represented the group so far. The original members were Fayette Pinkney,...
)
- 1994 "Tal Vez" (Co-wrote for Marta Sánchez
Marta Sánchez López is a Spanish female vocalist. She was born on 8 May 1966 in Madrid. Her father, Antonio Sánchez Camporro, was a Galician opera singer.- Biography :...
) (#1 Mexico)
- 1995 "Feel for the Physical" (Duet with The Pointer Sisters)
- 2001 "Hey Mr. President" (Produced T-Seven
- Studio albums :- Compilation albums :-Singles:-Band line-up:* Lady Danii * T-Seven * Sir Prophet * Lazy Dee * Nadia Ayche...
)
- 2001 "Cry for You" (Co-wrote for No Angels
The No Angels are an all-female pop trio from Germany, consisting of band members Lucy Diakovska, Sandy Mölling, and Jessica Wahls. Critically acclaimed, the band has won dozen of awards and prizes since their establishment in the early 2000s, including three ECHOs, a World Music Awards, a NRJ...
)
- 2002 "Stay" (Co-wrote for No Angels
The No Angels are an all-female pop trio from Germany, consisting of band members Lucy Diakovska, Sandy Mölling, and Jessica Wahls. Critically acclaimed, the band has won dozen of awards and prizes since their establishment in the early 2000s, including three ECHOs, a World Music Awards, a NRJ...
)
- 2002 "Funky Dance" (Co-wrote for No Angels
The No Angels are an all-female pop trio from Germany, consisting of band members Lucy Diakovska, Sandy Mölling, and Jessica Wahls. Critically acclaimed, the band has won dozen of awards and prizes since their establishment in the early 2000s, including three ECHOs, a World Music Awards, a NRJ...
)
- 2009 "The Night Is Still Young" (Sandra featuring Thomas Anders)
External links