Jennifer Rostock
Encyclopedia
Jennifer Rostock is a German
punk rock
band that formed in 2007 in Berlin
. They first gained national recognition when they competed at the German television event Bundesvision Song Contest
in February 2008.
island Usedom
, where they first met in kindergarten. Walter-Müller started to take music lessons as a five-year-old; he initially learned the violin
, later he started to play the piano
. At the age of 13, he met Weist again when she was singing at a karaoke
show, and he invited her to join his school band. They experimented with different genres such as rock
, pop
, and swing. In the beginning they sang in English
, later in German
, and they eventually wrote their own songs. In 2004, both founded the band Aerials.
They met Werner Krumme, who later became their record producer, during a songwriting workshop in Rostock
. After both finished high school (Gymnasium
) in the summer of 2006, they moved to Berlin
to pursue a career in music. There they also met their future band members Alex, Christoph, and Baku.
The band's name was originally based on a misunderstanding. Employees at the Planet Roc recording studios in Berlin repeatedly addressed notes for them to "Jennifer Rostock". Weist later explained: "Jennifer was directed at me, and Rostock, because they remembered we are from the coast, and Rostock was probably the only town the studio guys knew up there." This working title was eventually embraced by the band and became their official name.
In 2007, the group gave their first concerts as Jennifer Rostock and they signed a recording contract with Warner Music
. They mainly performed in the Berlin club scene and played as opening acts for the British bands Chikinki
and Gallows
. In October, Jennifer Rostock released the EP
Ich will hier raus as a vinyl record and they first receiving radio airplay by local stations in Berlin. In February 2008, their first single, "Kopf oder Zahl", was placed in rotation
by MTV Germany. They competed with that song at the Bundesvision Song Contest
, a German television show based on the Eurovision Song Contest
, and came in fifth. Jennifer Rostock’s debut album, Ins offene Messer, was released the following day and reached number 31 in the German album charts.
They released two additional singles from their debut album, "Feuer" and "Himalaya". In June, Jennifer Rostock performed at MTV Campus Invasion in Jena
, which was broadcast live by MTV, and they played at music festivals and concerts throughout Germany; they also had several shows in Austria
and Switzerland
. In October, they performed their song "Himalaya" at the tour premiere of German rock musician Udo Lindenberg
in Rostock.
Jennifer Weist, keyboardist
Johannes "Joe" Walter-Müller, guitarist
Alex, bassist
Christoph, and drummer
Baku. The group's unconventional German lyrics are collectively written by Weist and Walter-Müller who also compose and arrange the songs. Although difficult to categorise, Jennifer Rostock are sometimes compared to the Neue Deutsche Welle
, especially due to their first single, "Kopf oder Zahl", and its similarities to the German 1980's band Ideal
. The German newspaper die tageszeitung
described their music as "between glam punk
, electropop and Berlin-rock
".
Germany
Germany , 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...
punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band that formed in 2007 in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. They first gained national recognition when they competed at the German television event Bundesvision Song Contest
Bundesvision Song Contest
The Bundesvision Song Contest is an annual competition created by German TV entertainer Stefan Raab in 2005. For each of the 16 states of Germany a song is chosen by regional radio stations. The songs are performed on live television in order to find the most popular song in the competition...
in February 2008.
History
Jennifer Weist (born December 3, 1986) and Johannes "Joe" Walter-Müller are both natives of the German BalticBaltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
island Usedom
Usedom
Usedom is a Baltic Sea island on the border between Germany and Poland. It is situated north of the Szczecin Lagoon estuary of the River Oder in Pomerania...
, where they first met in kindergarten. Walter-Müller started to take music lessons as a five-year-old; he initially learned the violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
, later he started to play the piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
. At the age of 13, he met Weist again when she was singing at a karaoke
Karaoke
is a form of interactive entertainment or video game in which amateur singers sing along with recorded music using a microphone and public address system. The music is typically a well-known pop song minus the lead vocal. Lyrics are usually displayed on a video screen, along with a moving symbol,...
show, and he invited her to join his school band. They experimented with different genres such as rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
, pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
, and swing. In the beginning they sang in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, later in German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, and they eventually wrote their own songs. In 2004, both founded the band Aerials.
They met Werner Krumme, who later became their record producer, during a songwriting workshop in Rostock
Rostock
Rostock -Early history:In the 11th century Polabian Slavs founded a settlement at the Warnow river called Roztoc ; the name Rostock is derived from that designation. The Danish king Valdemar I set the town aflame in 1161.Afterwards the place was settled by German traders...
. After both finished high school (Gymnasium
Gymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
) in the summer of 2006, they moved to Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
to pursue a career in music. There they also met their future band members Alex, Christoph, and Baku.
The band's name was originally based on a misunderstanding. Employees at the Planet Roc recording studios in Berlin repeatedly addressed notes for them to "Jennifer Rostock". Weist later explained: "Jennifer was directed at me, and Rostock, because they remembered we are from the coast, and Rostock was probably the only town the studio guys knew up there." This working title was eventually embraced by the band and became their official name.
Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies...
. They mainly performed in the Berlin club scene and played as opening acts for the British bands Chikinki
Chikinki
-History:The band formed at Hiatt Baker Hall at the University of Bristol in 1996/1997. Originally there were six members: Rupert Browne , Ed East , Steve Bond , Simon Exton , Luke Sherwood and Trevor Wensley...
and Gallows
Gallows
A gallows is a frame, typically wooden, used for execution by hanging, or by means to torture before execution, as was used when being hanged, drawn and quartered...
. In October, Jennifer Rostock released the EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
Ich will hier raus as a vinyl record and they first receiving radio airplay by local stations in Berlin. In February 2008, their first single, "Kopf oder Zahl", was placed in rotation
Spin (radio)
In radio broadcasting, a spin is a single play of a song. The term is also used as a unit to measure popularity, typically in spins per week...
by MTV Germany. They competed with that song at the Bundesvision Song Contest
Bundesvision Song Contest
The Bundesvision Song Contest is an annual competition created by German TV entertainer Stefan Raab in 2005. For each of the 16 states of Germany a song is chosen by regional radio stations. The songs are performed on live television in order to find the most popular song in the competition...
, a German television show based on the Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The 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...
, and came in fifth. Jennifer Rostock’s debut album, Ins offene Messer, was released the following day and reached number 31 in the German album charts.
They released two additional singles from their debut album, "Feuer" and "Himalaya". In June, Jennifer Rostock performed at MTV Campus Invasion in Jena
Jena
Jena is a university city in central Germany on the river Saale. It has a population of approx. 103,000 and is the second largest city in the federal state of Thuringia, after Erfurt.-History:Jena was first mentioned in an 1182 document...
, which was broadcast live by MTV, and they played at music festivals and concerts throughout Germany; they also had several shows in Austria
Austria
Austria , 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...
and Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. In October, they performed their song "Himalaya" at the tour premiere of German rock musician Udo Lindenberg
Udo Lindenberg
Udo Lindenberg is a German rock musician and composer.-Career:Lindenberg started his musical career as a drummer. In 1969 Lindenberg founded his first band Free Orbit and also appeared as a studio and guest musician . In 1970 he collaborated as a drummer with jazz-saxophonist Klaus Doldinger in...
in Rostock.
Music
Jennifer Rostock's line-up consists of lead vocalistLead vocalist
The lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the...
Jennifer Weist, keyboardist
Keyboardist
A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...
Johannes "Joe" Walter-Müller, guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
Alex, bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
Christoph, and drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
Baku. The group's unconventional German lyrics are collectively written by Weist and Walter-Müller who also compose and arrange the songs. Although difficult to categorise, Jennifer Rostock are sometimes compared to the Neue Deutsche Welle
Neue Deutsche Welle
Neue Deutsche Welle is a genre of German music originally derived from punk rock and New Wave music...
, especially due to their first single, "Kopf oder Zahl", and its similarities to the German 1980's band Ideal
Ideal (German band)
Ideal was one of the more successful German Neue Deutsche Welle music groups. It is best known for the songs "Blaue Augen" , "Berlin", and "Monotonie" .- History :...
. The German newspaper die tageszeitung
Die tageszeitung
die tageszeitung , was founded in 1978 in Berlin. It is a cooperative-owned German daily newspaper which is administrated by a workers' self-management...
described their music as "between glam punk
Glam punk
Glam Punk is a music genre that mixes elements of glam rock with protopunk or punk rock ....
, electropop and Berlin-rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
".
Discography
Albums
| Year | Title | Peak positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GER Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
AT |
CH Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
||
| 2008 | Ins Offene Messer Ins Offene Messer -Ins Offene Messer - Jetzt Noch Besser:The album was re-released as Ins Offene Messer - Jetzt Noch Besser on November 28, 2008. It contains additional songs, remixes and acoustic versions as well as a bonus DVD with documentary videos of the band, music videos and the video shoot to...
|
31 | — | — |
| Ins Offene Messer - Jetzt Noch Besser
DVD A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions.... |
— | — | — | |
| 2009 | Der Film Der Film -Deluxe edition:Simultaneously to the release of the Der Film a limited fan edition of the album was released including:*A set of buttons*A poster*A casual bag... |
13 | 18 | 63 |
| 2011 | Mit Haut und Haar
|
4 | 7 | 58 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GER Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
AT Ö3 Austria Top 40 Ö3 Austria Top 40 is the name of the official Austrian singles chart, as well as the radio show which presents it, aired Fridays on Hitradio Ö3. The show presents the Austrian singles, ringtones and downloads chart. It premiered on 26 November 1968 as Disc Parade and was presented by Ernst Grissemann... |
CH Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
|||
| 2008 | "Kopf Oder Zahl" | 48 | 69 | — | Ins Offene Messer Ins Offene Messer -Ins Offene Messer - Jetzt Noch Besser:The album was re-released as Ins Offene Messer - Jetzt Noch Besser on November 28, 2008. It contains additional songs, remixes and acoustic versions as well as a bonus DVD with documentary videos of the band, music videos and the video shoot to... |
| "Feuer" | — | 24 | — | ||
| "Himalaya" | 85 | — | — | ||
| 2009 | "Du Willst Mir An Die Wäsche Du Willst Mir An Die Wäsche "Du Willst Mir An Die Wäsche" is a song by German alternative band Jennifer Rostock, and was released as the lead single from their second studio album Der Film on June 26, 2009. The song has peaked at #34 of the German Singles Chart and at #44 of the Austrian Singles Chart... " |
34 | 70 | — | Der Film Der Film -Deluxe edition:Simultaneously to the release of the Der Film a limited fan edition of the album was released including:*A set of buttons*A poster*A casual bag... |
| "Es Tut Wieder Weh Es Tut Wieder Weh "Es Tut Wieder Weh" is a song by German alternative band Jennifer Rostock, and was released as the second single from the soundtrack to the film New Moon on December 18, 2009... " |
48 | — | — | New Moon (soundtrack) New Moon (soundtrack) The Twilight Saga: New Moon soundtrack is the official music for the 2009 film The Twilight Saga: New Moon. The score for New Moon was composed by Alexandre Desplat while the rest of the soundtrack was chosen by music supervisor Alexandra Patsavas, who also produced the Twilight soundtrack... |
|
| 2010 | "Irgendwo Anders Irgendwo Anders "Irgendwo Anders" is a song by German alternative band Jennifer Rostock, and will be released as the second single from their second studio album Der Film on June 11, 2010. The song was written by Jennifer Weist and Johannes Walter.... " |
— | — | — | Der Film Der Film -Deluxe edition:Simultaneously to the release of the Der Film a limited fan edition of the album was released including:*A set of buttons*A poster*A casual bag... |
| 2011 | "Mein Mikrofon" | 49 | — | — | Mit Haut und Haar |