Nicole

Born Nicole Hohloch in Saarbrücken on October 25, 1964, the German artist who captured the 1982 Eurovision Song Contest had already achieved several European hits by the time of her triumph, among them the 1981 singles “Flieg’ Nicht So Hoch, Mein Kleiner Freund” and “Der Alte Mann und das Meer.” Her first full-length release, likewise titled Flieg’ Nicht So Hoch, Mein Kleiner Freund, appeared the same year. Yet it was the Eurovision entry “A Little Peace” that secured her lasting recognition; the track ascended to number one on the British singles chart—the strongest showing by a non-British winner since ABBA’s victory a decade earlier—and opened the door for the follow-up “Give Me More Time,” which also reached the British Top Ten. The accompanying album A Little Peace likewise performed well. While later efforts enjoyed more modest returns, Nicole retained a loyal following throughout Germany and the rest of the continent, amassing further successes such as “Wenn die Blumen Weinen Könnten” and “Ich Hab’ Dich Doch Lieb” in 1983, “Allein In Griechenland” in 1985, “Lass Mich Nicht Allein” and “Mit Dir Leben” in 1986, and “Song for the World” in 1987. The studio albums So Viele Lieder Sind In Mir (1984), Gesichter der Liebe (1985), Laß Mich Nicht Allein (1986), Moderne Piraten (1987), and So Wie Du (1988) documented this period of sustained activity. The strong reception accorded 1990’s Für Immer…für Ewig confirmed that her popularity had carried over into the new decade, a trajectory borne out by her consistent output of roughly one album annually through the 1990s and 2000s. Today she ranks among Germany’s most dependable and commercially durable hitmakers; the 2006 projects Begleite Mich and Christmas Songs both achieved strong sales, while the 2005 retrospective Best Of: 1982-2005 gathers many of her signature recordings.