Haddaway

Haddaway

Haddaway in 2004
Background information
Birth name Nestor Alexander Haddaway
Born (1965-01-09) January 9, 1965
Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
Origin Cologne, Germany[1]
Genres
Occupation(s) Musician
Years active 1992–present
Labels
Website haddawaymusix.com

Nestor Alexander Haddaway (born January 9, 1965), better known by his stage name Haddaway, is a Trinidadian-German musician[1][2] best known for his 1993 hit single "What Is Love".

Early life

Born in Trinidad and Tobago, Haddaway moved to the Washington, D.C. area at the age of nine, where he grew up to the sounds of Louis Armstrong, which encouraged him to learn how to play trumpet at the age of 14.[3] He attended Meade Senior High School. This eventually resulted in him forming his first group which he called Chances.[3] Haddaway moved to Cologne, Germany in 1987 where he mostly worked in bars.[3] Later, he formed his own company, Energy, which was involved in organizing fashion shows and photo-shoots.[3]

Musical career

Logotype used by Haddaway throughout his career.

Haddaway's break came in 1992 when he was signed by German label Coconut Records. His first single "What Is Love" rapidly became popular in Europe, reaching number 2 in Germany and in the United Kingdom.[2] In Germany, the single sold 900,000 copies,[2] in the UK, it was certified Gold for shipment of 400,000 units.[4] It later reached number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified Gold for shipments of 500,000 units.[2] By the beginning of 1994, worldwide sales of "What Is Love" had already reached 2.6 million.[2]

His second single "Life" hit number 2 in Germany, number 6 in the UK and number 41 in the USA, and its worldwide sales had reached 1.5 million by 1994.[2] The follow-up singles "I Miss You" and "Rock My Heart" were also top 10 smashes in Europe and established him as a successful Eurodance artist. His first LP, The Album (also known as Haddaway in the USA), was a multi-million seller which reached Platinum status in Germany for shipments of 500,000,[5] and Gold in the UK and in France for shipments of 100,000.[4][6]

In 1995, he released his second album The Drive, which spawned the UK top 20 hit "Fly Away", as well as "Catch a Fire" and "Lover Be Thy Name". "What Is Love" enjoyed a resurge in popularity as the theme music for the head-bobbing, nightclubbing-addicted Butabi brothers (Will Ferrell and Chris Kattan) on Saturday Night Live and the subsequent film A Night at the Roxbury. Haddaway's subsequent albums were more soulful, but since 1998, the singer has struggled to repeat the mainstream commercial success of his early hits. Albums Let's Do It Now and My Face (the latter re-released as Love Makes) all failed to chart, producing only a handful of moderately successful singles.

Haddaway appeared on the television show Comeback – Die große Chance in Germany in 2004. He then appeared on a similar UK show 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. "What Is Love" was featured in a 2008 Pepsi commercial (for diet Pepsi Max) which parodied the leitmotif and included several stars including LL Cool J, Missy Elliott and Busta Rhymes, but not Haddaway. In the same year, he teamed up with another 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. In 2012, Haddaway released the single "Up and Up" with The Mad Stuntman, which was a top 20 dance hit in the USA.[7]

Personal life

Haddaway now lives in Kitzbühel, Austria, and also has a home in Cologne, Germany.[8]

Discography

Studio albums

Title Details Peak chart positions Certifications
(sales threshold)
GER
[9]
AUS
[10]
AUT
[11]
FIN
[12]
FRA
[13]
NLD
[14]
NOR
[15]
SWE
[16]
SWI
[17]
UK
[18]
US
[19]
The Album 5 73 12 17 16 5 3 2 9 111
The Drive
  • Release date: June 26, 1995
  • Label: Coconut
  • Formats: LP, CD, cassette
32 27 18 54 10
Let's Do It Now
  • Release date: December 28, 1998
  • Label: Coconut
  • Formats: CD
My Face
(re-released as Love Makes)
  • Release date: September 3, 2001 / July 2, 2002
  • Label: Terzetto
  • Formats: CD
Pop Splits
Gotta Be
  • Release date: November 4, 2011
  • Formats: CD, digital download
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Compilation albums

Title Details
All the Best: His Greatest Hits
  • Release date: April 10, 2001
  • Label: Sony BMG
  • Formats: CD, cassette
Best of Haddaway: What Is Love
  • Release date: January 5, 2004
  • Label: BMG Special Products
  • Formats: CD, music download

Singles

Year Single Peak chart positions Certifications
(sales threshold)
Album
GER
[9]
AUS
[10]
AUT
[11]
FIN
[12][24]
FRA
[25]
IRE
[26]
NLD
[27]
SWE
[16]
SWI
[17]
UK
[18]
US
[28]
1993 "What Is Love" 2 12 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 2 11 The Album / Haddaway
"Life" 2 34 2 1 5 3 3 1 2 6 41
"I Miss You" 18 44 11 4 16 13 21 36 17 9
1994 "Rock My Heart" 10 83 12 4 11 9 12 17 10 9
"Stir It Up"
1995 "Fly Away" 25 230 16 1 23 28 9 14 9 20 The Drive
"Catch a Fire" 38 30 14 17 20 39
"Lover Be Thy Name" 65 17
1997 "What About Me" 24 Let's Do It Now
1998 "Who Do You Love" 93
"You're Taking My Heart"
2001 "Deep" My Face / Love Makes
2002 "Love Makes" 81
2003 "What Is Love Reloaded" 51 49 100 92 N/A
2005 "Spaceman" 67 Pop Splits
2007 "Follow Me" N/A
2008 "I Love the 90's" (with Dr. Alban)
2009 "What Is Love 2k9" (with Klaas) 60 37 5 49
2010 "You Gave Me Love"
2012 "Up and Up" (with The Mad Stuntman) [upper-alpha 1]
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Notes

  1. "Up and Up" reached #20 on Billboard's Hot Dance Club Songs chart.[7]

References

  1. 1 2 Jason Ankeny. "Haddaway Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved 2011-08-13.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Ellie Weinert (March 26, 1994). Casebook: Haddaway. Billboard. Retrieved 2011-08-13.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "HADDAWAY". www.yme-entertainment.com. Retrieved 2013-12-09.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Certified Awards". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 2011-08-13.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Haddaway)" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 2011-08-13.
  6. 1 2 "InfoDisc : Les Certifications (Albums) du SNEP (Bilan par Artiste)" (in French). infodisc.fr. Retrieved 2014-09-05.
  7. 1 2 "Haddaway Awards". Allmusic. Retrieved 2015-02-17.
  8. "Haddaway – Biography – IMDb". www.imdb.com. Retrieved 2011-09-05.
  9. 1 2 "Charts.de: Haddaway". GfK Entertainment (in German). Charts.de. Retrieved July 2, 2014.
  10. 1 2 Australian (ARIA) peak chart positions:
  11. 1 2 "Discographie Haddaway" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 2, 2014.
  12. 1 2 "finnishcharts.com – Haddaway". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 2, 2014.
  13. "InfoDisc : Tous les Albums classés par Artiste" (in French). www.infodisc.fr. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
  14. "Discografie Haddaway" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 3, 2011.
  15. "Discography Haddaway". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 2, 2014.
  16. 1 2 "Discography Haddaway". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 2, 2014.
  17. 1 2 "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 3, 2011.
  18. 1 2 "Official Charts: Haddaway". The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved March 10, 2016.
  19. "Haddaway Album & Song Chart History – Billboard 200". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 3, 2011.
  20. 1 2 3 "IFPI Austria:Gold und Platin" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved 2011-08-13.
  21. "Tilastot: Haddaway". Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 2011-08-13.
  22. 1 2 3 "Swedish certifications 1987–1998" (PDF). IFPI Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 16, 2011. Retrieved 2013-09-26.
  23. "Hitparade.ch: Suche nach: Haddaway". Schweize Hitparade. Retrieved 2011-08-13.
  24. Nyman, Jake (2005). Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 951-31-2503-3.
  25. "Discographie Haddaway" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 3, 2011.
  26. "The Irish Charts – All there is to know". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved June 3, 2011.
  27. "Nederlandse Top 40: Haddaway". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved August 3, 2014.
  28. "Haddaway Album & Song Chart History – Hot 100". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 3, 2011.
  29. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988-2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
  30. "RIAA – Recording Industry Association of America – Searchable Database: What Is Love". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved July 2, 2014.

External links

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