No Angels

German pop quintet No Angels emerged as one of many acts propelled into the spotlight by the RTL 2 amateur showcase Popstars, ultimately claiming the title of best-selling girl group on German charts. Their story began when the network announced a casting call during autumn 2000, drawing more than 4,500 applicants, from which 200 advanced. Judges Dutch entertainer Simone Angel, talent booker Mario M. Mendryzcki, and A&R director Rainer Moslener narrowed that pool to 32 semifinalists, then transported the group to Majorca, Spain, where they endured intensive daily sessions in singing, dancing, and fitness. Daily eliminations reduced the field by two or three until eleven remained; after further weeks of preparation, the five chosen to form No Angels were Nadja Benaissa, Lucy Diakovska, Sandy Mölling, Vanessa Petruo, and Jessica Wahls. Subsequent episodes tracked the new ensemble as they prepared their 2001 debut single “Daylight in Your Eyes,” which debuted at number one in Germany and also reached the top in Austria, Switzerland, Brazil, Estonia, and Luxembourg, launching the group to international recognition. Their first album, Elle'ments, arrived in March 2001, exceeded two million copies worldwide, and became the top-selling German release of the year, fueled by follow-ups “Rivers of Joy” and Eurythmics’ “There Must Be an Angel.”

The third chart-topping single “Something About Us” preceded the June 2002 release of the sophomore album Now...Us!, which surpassed one million units yet fell short of its predecessor’s commercial peak. A Berlin Tränenpalast concert that autumn produced the live CD/DVD When the Angels Swing and marked Wahls’ final appearance with the group; she announced a March 2003 maternity hiatus and later chose not to return, instead pursuing a solo path. The remaining quartet resurfaced in August with the more mature Pure, fronted by the number-one hit “No Angel (It’s All in Your Mind).” On 5 September 2003 the members declared their breakup; Wahls rejoined to record the farewell single “Reason,” and the quintet performed its last concert on 12 December in Düsseldorf. Although each pursued individual work in music, theater, and television, those ventures stalled, prompting Diakovska in mid-2006 to contact her former bandmates about reuniting. Petruo declined, so the others rehearsed and recorded privately until a January 2007 press conference confirmed the rumors. Two months later the comeback single “Goodbye to Yesterday” reached stores; the group also represented Germany at Eurovision and issued Welcome to the Dance in 2009. In 2010 Benaissa appeared in headlines after a conviction for failing to disclose her HIV-positive status to sexual partners.