Sabrina Setlur
Encyclopedia
Sabrina Setlur formerly known as Schwester S., is a German
rapper
, songwriter
, Hebbar Iyengar and occasional actress. Her debut was in 1995 under the guidance of 3p Records executive and mentor Moses Pelham
, producer of her breakthrough single "Ja Klar." Following the drop of her pseudonym and a number-one single, "Du Liebst Mich Nicht," in 1997, a series of hit records established her position as Germany
's "best known and highest-selling female rap act" to date.
Setlur is the only artist to date to have ever won three ECHO Awards for "Best National Female Artist." According to several sources, she has sold more than two million albums and singles domestically.
. She and her four-years-younger sister Yvonne were primarily raised in Bad Soden am Taunus, where Setlur became acquainted with future Rödelheim Hartreim Projekt
members Thomas Hofmann and Moses Pelham
in her high school years. After a spontaneous performance of Dr Dre's "Nuthin' But a "G" Thang" in 1993 Hofmann and Pelham asked her to contribute a verse to the early Rödelheim Hartreim Projekt track "Wenn Es Nicht Hart Ist." As she had never rapped before, Setlur reportedly hesitated; but soon accepted their invitation into the recording studio. Impressed by her talent, Pelham offered her a record contract with Pelham Power Productions, and as a result Setlur quit studying business administration and instead signed a deal with 3p Records.
After 3p's sudden major label change in 1997 Setlur released her second album Die Neue S-Klasse under her birth name in February of the same year. The album debuted at #10 on the albums chart and spawned Setlur's first and only #1 single "Du Liebst Mich Nicht", whose sales earned her another ECHO and a Comet
award for "Best Female Artist", as well as a golden record for more than 300.000 units sold. In the meantime Setlur was featured on singles by Faithless
("Bring My Family Back") and newcomer Xavier Naidoo
("Freisein").
In 1999 Setlur's third album Aus Der Sicht Und Mit Den Worten Von ... outperformed the success of its predecessors when it peaked at #3 on the German albums chart. Though its singles couldn't link to previous accomplishments, the album's sales earned Setlur a third ECHO for "Best Female Artist". A few months later Sabrina constantly hit the headlines when paparazzi revealed her relationship to former tennis
star Boris Becker
. The couple separated shortly afterwards, but due to conflicting rumours about anorexia
Setlur's name maintained popular in magazines and papers.
Setlur channeled much of her heavily media-discussed experiences into the production of her fourth studio album Sabs. Released in November 2003, the CD received a mixed reception from most professional music critics, with Laut calling it "a chavvy and antiquated [but] good rap album" and CDStarts declaring it a "insignificant [but] practiced comeback." Promoted by Setlur's engagement as a judge on the third installment of the German reality television
series Popstars - Das Duell
(which created both the male quartet
Overground
and the girl group
Preluders
), the album spawned four moderately successful singles, including "Liebe", a collaboration with Glashaus
and labelmate Franziska she used to contend for the Eurovision Song Contest 2004
in Istanbul
. Following several weeks of promotional appearances, Setlur entered the competition on March 19, 2004 with the album's second single, and although considered as a favourite by the media, Setlur failed to place within the top 5, eventually falling against singer Max Mutzke and his song "Can't Wait Until Tonight
."
In early 2005 10 Jahre Sabrina Setlur (ten years of Sabrina Setlur) was released. The compilation album features all of her singles (by then fifteen) as well as the album tracks Ich bin raus (taken from S ist soweit) and Ohne Worte (from Aus der Sicht und mit den Worten von...) but did not include new material. The song Mein Herz, originally released on Sabs, was used as a single to promote the album.
Returning from yet another musical hiatus, Setlur's fifth studio album Rot
was released on August 24, 2007. The first single of the critically acclaimed album (Lauta which contains a Sample of 25 Years, a song from 1983 by The Catch) became a modest hit in Germany. After the poor chart performance of the second single I Think I Like It (and even of the album itself) all promotion was stopped, including the announced tour being cancelled.
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...
rapper
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
, songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, Hebbar Iyengar and occasional actress. Her debut was in 1995 under the guidance of 3p Records executive and mentor Moses Pelham
Glashaus
Glashaus is a German musical band, consisting of lead singer Peppa Singt, songwriter and rapper Moses Pelham and producer Martin Haas. The trio is best known for their mixture of R&B, soul and pop music with lyrics in German language....
, producer of her breakthrough single "Ja Klar." Following the drop of her pseudonym and a number-one single, "Du Liebst Mich Nicht," in 1997, a series of hit records established her position as Germany
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...
's "best known and highest-selling female rap act" to date.
Setlur is the only artist to date to have ever won three ECHO Awards for "Best National Female Artist." According to several sources, she has sold more than two million albums and singles domestically.
Early life
Setlur is the elder of two sisters born to a Hebbar Iyengar Krishnan Setlur, a Kannadiga banker, and his wife Theresa, a nurse of Malayalee Indian ancestry, in Frankfurt am Main, HesseHesse
Hesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...
. She and her four-years-younger sister Yvonne were primarily raised in Bad Soden am Taunus, where Setlur became acquainted with future Rödelheim Hartreim Projekt
Rödelheim Hartreim Projekt
The Rödelheim Hartreim Project , for short RHP, was a mid-nineties German rap group from Rödelheim, a part of Frankfurt. The group comprised two members, Moses P. and Thomas H....
members Thomas Hofmann and Moses Pelham
Glashaus
Glashaus is a German musical band, consisting of lead singer Peppa Singt, songwriter and rapper Moses Pelham and producer Martin Haas. The trio is best known for their mixture of R&B, soul and pop music with lyrics in German language....
in her high school years. After a spontaneous performance of Dr Dre's "Nuthin' But a "G" Thang" in 1993 Hofmann and Pelham asked her to contribute a verse to the early Rödelheim Hartreim Projekt track "Wenn Es Nicht Hart Ist." As she had never rapped before, Setlur reportedly hesitated; but soon accepted their invitation into the recording studio. Impressed by her talent, Pelham offered her a record contract with Pelham Power Productions, and as a result Setlur quit studying business administration and instead signed a deal with 3p Records.
Music career
Comet
A comet is an icy small Solar System body that, when close enough to the Sun, displays a visible coma and sometimes also a tail. These phenomena are both due to the effects of solar radiation and the solar wind upon the nucleus of the comet...
award for "Best Female Artist", as well as a golden record for more than 300.000 units sold. In the meantime Setlur was featured on singles by Faithless
Faithless
Faithless were a British electronica band consisting of Maxi Jazz, Sister Bliss and Rollo. The group is best known for their dance songs . Faithless recorded six albums. During their career they sold over 15 million records worldwide...
("Bring My Family Back") and newcomer Xavier Naidoo
Xavier Naidoo
Xavier Kurt Naidoo is a German singer-songwriter, record producer and occasional actor. Born and raised in Mannheim, Naidoo worked in several jobs in the gastronomy and the musical industry before relocating to the United States in the early 1990s, where he released his first full-length English...
("Freisein").
In 1999 Setlur's third album Aus Der Sicht Und Mit Den Worten Von ... outperformed the success of its predecessors when it peaked at #3 on the German albums chart. Though its singles couldn't link to previous accomplishments, the album's sales earned Setlur a third ECHO for "Best Female Artist". A few months later Sabrina constantly hit the headlines when paparazzi revealed her relationship to former tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
star Boris Becker
Boris Becker
Boris Franz Becker is a former World No. 1 professional tennis player from Germany. He is a six-time Grand Slam singles champion, an Olympic gold medalist, and the youngest-ever winner of the men's singles title at Wimbledon at the age of 17...
. The couple separated shortly afterwards, but due to conflicting rumours about anorexia
Anorexia nervosa
Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by refusal to maintain a healthy body weight and an obsessive fear of gaining weight. Although commonly called "anorexia", that term on its own denotes any symptomatic loss of appetite and is not strictly accurate...
Setlur's name maintained popular in magazines and papers.
Setlur channeled much of her heavily media-discussed experiences into the production of her fourth studio album Sabs. Released in November 2003, the CD received a mixed reception from most professional music critics, with Laut calling it "a chavvy and antiquated [but] good rap album" and CDStarts declaring it a "insignificant [but] practiced comeback." Promoted by Setlur's engagement as a judge on the third installment of the German reality television
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
series Popstars - Das Duell
Popstars
Popstars is an international reality television franchise and a precursor to the Idol series. The series first began in New Zealand in 1999 when producer Jonathan Dowling formed the five member all-girl group TrueBliss...
(which created both the male quartet
Boy band
A boy band is loosely defined as a popular music act consisting of only male singers. The members are expected to dance as well as sing, usually giving highly choreographed performances. More often than not, boy band members do not play musical instruments, either in recording sessions or on...
Overground
Overground
Overground, a boy group from Germany, was the result of the third season of the international television sensation Popstars - Das Duell, a precursor to the Idol shows.- Formation :...
and the girl group
Girl group
A girl group is a popular music act featuring several young female singers who generally harmonise together.Girl groups emerged in the late 1950s as groups of young singers teamed up with behind-the-scenes songwriters and music producers to create hit singles, often featuring glossy production...
Preluders
Preluders
The Preluders were an all-female band from Germany and Albania, formed in 2003 during the third season of the international television talent show Popstars - Das Duell. Originally a quintet and later a quartet, the group eventually became a trio...
), the album spawned four moderately successful singles, including "Liebe", a collaboration with Glashaus
Glashaus
Glashaus is a German musical band, consisting of lead singer Peppa Singt, songwriter and rapper Moses Pelham and producer Martin Haas. The trio is best known for their mixture of R&B, soul and pop music with lyrics in German language....
and labelmate Franziska she used to contend for the Eurovision Song Contest 2004
Eurovision Song Contest 2004
The 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"...
in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
. Following several weeks of promotional appearances, Setlur entered the competition on March 19, 2004 with the album's second single, and although considered as a favourite by the media, Setlur failed to place within the top 5, eventually falling against singer Max Mutzke and his song "Can't Wait Until Tonight
Can't Wait Until Tonight
"Can't Wait Until Tonight" was the German entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2004, performed in English by Max. The song was written and composed by Udo Schild, known also as Leon Delray, the comedian and entertainer Stefan Raab, who previously had written both Guildo Horn's 1998 entry "Guildo...
."
In early 2005 10 Jahre Sabrina Setlur (ten years of Sabrina Setlur) was released. The compilation album features all of her singles (by then fifteen) as well as the album tracks Ich bin raus (taken from S ist soweit) and Ohne Worte (from Aus der Sicht und mit den Worten von...) but did not include new material. The song Mein Herz, originally released on Sabs, was used as a single to promote the album.
Returning from yet another musical hiatus, Setlur's fifth studio album Rot
Rot (album)
Rot is the fifth studio album by German rapper Sabrina Setlur, released by 3p Records on August 24, 2007 . It was entirely co-produced by Martin Haas and Moses Pelham, with additional contribution by Bayz Benzon...
was released on August 24, 2007. The first single of the critically acclaimed album (Lauta which contains a Sample of 25 Years, a song from 1983 by The Catch) became a modest hit in Germany. After the poor chart performance of the second single I Think I Like It (and even of the album itself) all promotion was stopped, including the announced tour being cancelled.
Albums
| Year | Title | Chart-Positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GER | AUT | SWI | ||
| 1995 | S Ist Soweit | 11 | - | - |
| 1997 | Die Neue S-Klasse | 10 | 19 | 19 |
| 1999 | Aus der Sicht Und Mit Den Worten Von ... | 3 | 29 | 26 |
| 2003 | Sabs | 11 | 65 | 74 |
| 2005 | 10 Jahre (Best of 1995 to 2004) | 61 | - | - |
| 2007 | Rot Rot (album) Rot is the fifth studio album by German rapper Sabrina Setlur, released by 3p Records on August 24, 2007 . It was entirely co-produced by Martin Haas and Moses Pelham, with additional contribution by Bayz Benzon... |
32 | - | 100 |
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart Positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GER 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... |
SWI 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.... |
|||
| 1995 | "Hier Kommt Die Schwester/Pass Auf" | |
|
S Ist Soweit |
| "Ja Klar" (featuring Rödelheim Hartreim Projekt Rödelheim Hartreim Projekt The Rödelheim Hartreim Project , for short RHP, was a mid-nineties German rap group from Rödelheim, a part of Frankfurt. The group comprised two members, Moses P. and Thomas H.... ) |
|
|
||
| 1997 | "Du Liebst Mich Nicht" | |
|
Die Neue S-Klasse |
| "Glaubst Du Mir?" | |
|
||
| "Nur Mir" | |
|
||
| "Freisein" (introducing Xavier Naidoo Xavier Naidoo Xavier Kurt Naidoo is a German singer-songwriter, record producer and occasional actor. Born and raised in Mannheim, Naidoo worked in several jobs in the gastronomy and the musical industry before relocating to the United States in the early 1990s, where he released his first full-length English... ) |
|
|
Die Neue S-Klasse / Nicht von dieser Welt | |
| 1998 | "Licence 2 Kill" (with 3p label mates) | |
|
3p: Revolution / Evolution (released 2000) |
| "Folge Dem Stern" (featuring Illmat!c & Bruda Sven) | |
|
Die Neue S-Klasse | |
| 1999 | "Bring My Family Back" (Faithless Faithless Faithless were a British electronica band consisting of Maxi Jazz, Sister Bliss and Rollo. The group is best known for their dance songs . Faithless recorded six albums. During their career they sold over 15 million records worldwide... feat. Sabrina Setlur) |
|
|
Sunday 8PM / Saturday 3AM Sunday 8PM / Saturday 3AM Sunday 8PM / Saturday 3AM is a re-release of the Sunday 8PM album from Faithless. The CD contains a bonus CD with remixes.-Sunday 8PM:#"The Garden" – 4:27#"Bring My Family Back" – 6:22... |
| "Ich Leb' Für Dich" | |
|
Aus der Sicht Und Mit Den Worten Von ... | |
| "Hija" (featuring Cora E. & Brixx) | |
|
||
| 2000 | "Letzte Bitte" | |
|
|
| "Alles" (with Xavier Naidoo Xavier Naidoo Xavier Kurt Naidoo is a German singer-songwriter, record producer and occasional actor. Born and raised in Mannheim, Naidoo worked in several jobs in the gastronomy and the musical industry before relocating to the United States in the early 1990s, where he released his first full-length English... ) |
|
|
Anatomie (OST) | |
| 2001 | "Keine Ist" | |
|
POP 2001 - Geschichte wird gemacht |
| 2003 | "Ich Bin So" | |
|
Sabs |
| "Liebe" (featuring Glashaus Glashaus Glashaus is a German musical band, consisting of lead singer Peppa Singt, songwriter and rapper Moses Pelham and producer Martin Haas. The trio is best known for their mixture of R&B, soul and pop music with lyrics in German language.... & Franziska) |
|
|
||
| 2004 | "Baby" | |
|
|
| 2005 | "Mein Herz" | |
|
Sabs / 10 Jahre Sabrina Setlur (compilation) |
| 2007 | "Lauta" | |
|
Rot Rot (album) Rot is the fifth studio album by German rapper Sabrina Setlur, released by 3p Records on August 24, 2007 . It was entirely co-produced by Martin Haas and Moses Pelham, with additional contribution by Bayz Benzon... |
| "I Think I Like It" | |
|
||
Awards
- 1995 - Comet (VIVA): "Best Hip Hop Artist 1995"
- 1996 - ECHO: "Best National Artist 1995"
- 1997 - Comet (VIVA): "Best National Act 1997"
- 1998 - Comet (VIVA): "Best National Video" for "Glaubst Du mir"
- 1998 - ECHO: "Best National Artist 1997"
- 1999 - Silber Otto: "Best Hip Hop Act"
- 1999 - RSH-Gold: "Best Teamwork" (with Xavier NaidooXavier NaidooXavier Kurt Naidoo is a German singer-songwriter, record producer and occasional actor. Born and raised in Mannheim, Naidoo worked in several jobs in the gastronomy and the musical industry before relocating to the United States in the early 1990s, where he released his first full-length English...
) - 2000 - Goldene Kamera: "Outstanding Achievements in German Pop Music"
- 2000 - Regenbogen Award: "Most Valuable Artist in Hip Hop"
- 2000 - ECHO: "Best National Artist"
- 2008 - German Multimedia Award for her website rot.fm (supporting her fifth studio album RotRot (album)Rot is the fifth studio album by German rapper Sabrina Setlur, released by 3p Records on August 24, 2007 . It was entirely co-produced by Martin Haas and Moses Pelham, with additional contribution by Bayz Benzon...
)