Rosenstolz

Emerging initially as cult favorites dubbed the enfants terribles of Berlin's gay club scene, the electronic pop duo Rosenstolz developed into a mainstream chart sensation spanning much of Europe. Balancing operatic melodrama against sheer unadulterated camp, vocalist AnNa R. and keyboardist Peter Plate examined contemporary romance and sexuality with uncommon boldness, generating catchy dance pop tracks together with opulent torch ballads that carried broad appeal. Rosenstolz (roughly "rose pride") came together in Berlin during mid-1991. Aspiring jazz singer AnNa R. (born Andrea Rosenbaum) first engaged openly gay pianist Plate as her accompanist for a cocktail lounge performance, after which the pair soon joined forces on original songs and made their professional debut that October at the Galerie Bellevue. Their candid take on eroticism and heartbreak, paired with flamboyant stage presentation, rapidly attracted a devoted audience among Berlin's disco regulars; although radio and reviewers overlooked the 1992 Polydor debut LP Soubrette Werd' Ich Nie, Rosenstolz's substantial gay following embraced the album enthusiastically. The 1994 successor Nur Einmal Noch nevertheless surfaced via the independent label Traumton, and only with 1996's Objekt der Begierde did Rosenstolz rejoin the major-label ranks. While tracks such as "Der Moment" and "Sex im Hotel" received heavy club rotation, mainstream outlets remained uninterested, yet in May 1997 the duo performed before a sold-out crowd of over 10,000 in the Russian city of Novosibirsk, after which their next album Die Schlampen Sind Müde also marked their first German Top 40 appearance.

Rosenstolz's commercial trajectory shifted sharply in 1998 when the duo entered the annual Eurovision Song Contest with "Herzensschöner." Their participation secured second place in the national finals and propelled the single into the Top 40. "Herzensschöner" soon reappeared on the greatest-hits set Alles Gute, which climbed to the German Top Ten and moved briskly across much of Europe. With 1999's Zucker, Rosenstolz attained widespread mainstream recognition. Although the album peaked at number two, the single "Ja, Ich Will," an anthem supporting gay marriage, rose to number five. Delivered by AnNa R. in Latin, the hit "Amo Vitam" preceded the 2000 arrival of Kassengift, which held the top German chart position for eleven straight weeks. Rosenstolz devoted 2001 to promoting two prominent singles, "Total Eclipse"—a collaboration with former Soft Cell frontman Marc Almond—and "Die Schwarze Witwe," a duet with punk diva Nina Hagen; the following year the duo released Macht Liebe, yielding further hits including "Sternraketen," "Es Tut Immer Noch Weh," and "Was Kann Ich für Eure Welt." The 2004 LP Herz entered at number one, spawning three additional Top Ten singles: "Liebe Ist Alles," "Ich Will Mich Verlieben," and "Willkommen." Following a 2005 hiatus, Rosenstolz returned the next year with Das Grosse Leben, which likewise topped the Austrian charts behind the lead single "Ich Bin Ich." Capitalizing on prior successes, Rosenstolz issued their eleventh album Die Suche Geht Weiter in 2008, featuring their first German number-one single, "Gib Mir Sonne." Three years later, separated by a live-album rendering of Die Siche Geht Weiter in 2009, the German duo delivered Wir Sind am Leben.