Jennifer Rush

Pop vocalist Jennifer Rush remained largely unrecognized stateside yet rose to prominence after relocating abroad, moving millions of units across Europe through a run of successful singles whose expansive dance-rock sound showcased her commanding vocal presence. Born Heidi Stern in New York City to an opera-singing father and a pianist mother, she accompanied her family to Germany at age nine before returning stateside during her teenage years. In 1982 she traveled back to Germany alongside her father to launch a recording career, securing a contract with CBS/Columbia and adopting the professional name Jennifer Rush. The ensuing singles “Into My Dreams,” “Come Give Me Your Hand,” “25 Lovers,” and “Ring of Ice” quickly established her as a major European attraction. Her 1985 release “The Power of Love,” which she co-wrote, became one of the longest-running number-one hits in U.K. chart history. That track, together with several earlier European successes, formed the track list of her American debut album Jennifer Rush. When issued domestically as a single, however, “The Power of Love” stalled at number 57. Separate recordings of the song by Laura Branigan and Celine Dion both reached the American Top 40, with Dion’s version holding the number-one position for a month in 1994. Rush first cracked the U.S. Top 40 as a performer on her third domestic album, Heart Over Mind, when the duet “Flames of Paradise” with Elton John climbed to number 37 in 1987. Throughout the remainder of the 1980s and 1990s she maintained a devoted European audience, working with songwriters Desmond Child and Diane Warren while sharing stages with Michael Bolton and Placido Domingo. Although millions of her albums sold overseas, the majority never appeared in American stores.