Wir Sind Helden

In 2001 the four-piece German alternative pop outfit Wir Sind Helden came together. Vocalist and guitarist Judith Holofernes had already launched a solo career that included the 1999 album Kamikazefliege; she subsequently enlisted keyboardist Jean-Michel Tourette and drummer Pola Roy, who proposed bassist Mark Tavassol to round out the group. Taking cues from Neue Deutsche Welle, the band self-released the five-song EP Guten Tag in mid-2002 and quickly notched an unexpected German radio success with its title track.

A fierce bidding contest ensued, culminating in a contract with EMI’s Labels division. Their debut full-length Die Reklamation appeared in summer 2003. A string of sold-out club dates and favorable television performances propelled the album to number two on the German pop charts, where it earned a Top 40 placement for “Denkmal.”

The 2005 follow-up Von Hier an Blind opened at number one in both Germany and Austria, driven by the hits “Gekommen um zu Bleiben” and “Nur ein Wort.” The band’s appearance on the Berlin stage of Live 8 further lifted its commercial profile. In late 2006 Holofernes and Roy announced the arrival of their first child. They resurfaced in 2007 with Soundso, which reached number two on the German pop charts, and issued their fourth studio album Bring mich nach Hause in 2010.