Xavier Naidoo
Encyclopedia
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 language
-album Seeing Is Believing under his stage name Kobra in 1994.
After working as a backing vocalist for the Rödelheim Hartreim Projekt
and 3P label mates Sabrina Setlur
and Illmat!c, Naidoo released his first German language
album Nicht von dieser Welt in 1998, for which he won an ECHO Award
and an MTV Europe Music Award. Selling more than one million copies in total, it produced six singles, including "Seine Straßen." and "Sie sieht mich nicht," the latter of which served as the theme song for Astérix & Obélix Take on Caesar (1999). After his highly publicized departure from 3P, his third studio album Zwischenspiel – Alles für den Herrn was released in 2002. It spawned the top five hit singles "Wo willst du hin?" and "Abschied nehmen" and led to a collaboration with Wu-Tang Clan
member and producer RZA
, with whom he released his first number-one single "Ich kenne nichts (das so schön ist wie du)" in 2003.
Known for his soulful voice and his Christian
lyrics, he has collaborated with several famous artists such as Deborah Cox
and Swiss
artist Stress. Naidoo was with the Söhne Mannheims
(Sons of Mannheim) earlier before he became famous, after his popularity increased he went back to the band and wanted to help them to become famous, too which worked. Nowadays he switches back and forth with doing some Solo music or recording an Album and going on tour with the Söhne Mannheims. He joined groups like Brothers Keepers
and the charity project Zeichen der Zeit
(Signs of the Times) in the early 2000s.
Mannheim
Mannheim is a city in southwestern Germany. With about 315,000 inhabitants, Mannheim is the second-largest city in the Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg, following the capital city of Stuttgart....
, Naidoo worked in several jobs in the gastronomy and the musical industry before relocating to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in the early 1990s, where he released his first full-length English language
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...
-album Seeing Is Believing under his stage name Kobra in 1994.
After working as a backing vocalist for the 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....
and 3P label mates Sabrina Setlur
Sabrina Setlur
Sabrina Setlur , formerly known as Schwester S., is a German rapper, songwriter, Hebbar Iyengar and occasional actress...
and Illmat!c, Naidoo released his first German language
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....
album Nicht von dieser Welt in 1998, for which he won an ECHO Award
ECHO
Echo is a German music award granted every year by the Deutsche Phono-Akademie . Each year's winner is determined by the previous year's sales...
and an MTV Europe Music Award. Selling more than one million copies in total, it produced six singles, including "Seine Straßen." and "Sie sieht mich nicht," the latter of which served as the theme song for Astérix & Obélix Take on Caesar (1999). After his highly publicized departure from 3P, his third studio album Zwischenspiel – Alles für den Herrn was released in 2002. It spawned the top five hit singles "Wo willst du hin?" and "Abschied nehmen" and led to a collaboration with Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
The Wu-Tang Clan is a hip-hop group from Staten Island that consists of RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, and the late Ol' Dirty Bastard. They are frequently joined by fellow childhood friend Cappadonna, a quasi member of the group...
member and producer RZA
RZA
Robert Fitzgerald Diggs, better known by his stage name RZA , is an American Grammy-winning music producer, multi-instrumentalist, author, emcee, and occasional actor, director, and screenwriter. A prominent figure in Hip Hop, RZA is the de facto leader of the Wu-Tang Clan. He has produced almost...
, with whom he released his first number-one single "Ich kenne nichts (das so schön ist wie du)" in 2003.
Known for his soulful voice and his Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
lyrics, he has collaborated with several famous artists such as Deborah Cox
Deborah Cox
Deborah Cox is a Canadian R&B singer-songwriter and actress. Her 1998 song "Nobody's Supposed to Be Here" held the record for longest-running number one single on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart , a record held for nearly eight years. She has achieved ten number-one hits on...
and Swiss
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....
artist Stress. Naidoo was with the Söhne Mannheims
Söhne Mannheims
Söhne Mannheims is a German musical band founded 1995 in Mannheim by Xavier Naidoo and others.-Albums:*Zion *Noiz *Power of the Sound *Söhne, Mond und Sterne...
(Sons of Mannheim) earlier before he became famous, after his popularity increased he went back to the band and wanted to help them to become famous, too which worked. Nowadays he switches back and forth with doing some Solo music or recording an Album and going on tour with the Söhne Mannheims. He joined groups like Brothers Keepers
Brothers Keepers
Brothers Keepers is a German-based transnational anti-racism project, bringing together hip hop, reggae and soul musicians, headed primarily by Afro-Germans.-History:...
and the charity project Zeichen der Zeit
Zeichen der Zeit
Zeichen der Zeit is a music project by various German pop musicians. Their common goal is to express their Christian belief and to make an issue out of it in the secular media. An album of the same title appeared in 2004, and the song "Du bist nicht allein" became a substantial hit...
(Signs of the Times) in the early 2000s.
Personal life
Naidoo is the child of a South African mother of Arabic descent and South African father of Indian and German descent.Studio albums
- Seeing Is Believing (1993)
- Nicht von dieser Welt (1998)
- Zwischenspiel / Alles für den Herrn (2002)
- Telegramm für X (2005)
- Alles kann besser werden (2009)
Awards
- 1999: MTV Europe Music Award - "Best German Act"
- 2000: ECHO - "Best National Male Artist - Rock/Pop"
- 2002: Goldene StimmgabelGoldene StimmgabelThe Goldene Stimmgabel is an annual prize awarded within the German music scene.The prizes are awarded according to the number of records sold from October of the previous year to June of the year of the award, as determined by Media Control...
- 2002: CometCometA 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...
- "Best Act National" - 2002: MTV Europe Music Award - "Best German Act"
- 2004: Amadeus Award - "Record of The Year" for "Ich kenne nichts (Das so schön ist wie Du)"
- 2006: Goldene Kamera - "Pop National"
- 2006: ECHO - "Best National Male Artist - Rock/Pop"