Joy Denalane

Biography

Joy Maureen Denalane (born 11 June 1973) is a German singer-songwriter, known for her mixture of soul, R&B, and African folk music with lyrics in German and English.

Early life

Denalane was born in Berlin-Schöneberg to a South African father and a German mother, but grew up in the Berlin district of Kreuzberg. At the age of 16, she left home and focused on her music, joining the reggae and soul bands Culture Roots and Family Affair. At 19 she was signed to a major pop music label, but she and her management could not agree on what her music and image should be like and Denalane soon asked to be released. Afterwards, she moved to Stuttgart, where she met DJ Thomilla and Tiefschwarz (two already well-known producers active in the Kolchose), with whom she wrote and produced the club hit "Music".

1999–2005: Debut and Mamani

Around the same time, Denalane came in first contact with hip hop group Freundeskreis, who searched for a female counterpart to lead singer Max Herre's voice on their track "Mit Dir" then. However, the duet was released as a single in July 1999 and made the top 10 in Germany, the top 30 in Austria, and the top 15 in Switzerland—pushed by the fact Denalane and Herre had become a couple.
Afterwards Denalane joined the FK Allstars, which also consisted of Afrob, Gentleman, Sekou, and Brooke Russell, among others, and went on tour with them for more than two years. Later on she signed a contract with Four Music (founded by Die Fantastischen Vier) and began working on her debut album Mamani×Mamani18 April 2002 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 21 tracks1Setho1:552Miscommunication5:063Geh jetzt5:274Bantwana Skit0:475Höchste Zeit4:596Vier Frauen (Quatro Mudjer / Vakadzi Vana / Quatre Femmes)5:467Sag's mir4:368Ma Jimbos Skit0:549Im Ghetto von Soweto (Auntie's House)5:2610Kinderlied4:4911Was auch immer5:3212Passenger Denalane Skit0:5813Mamani2:0914Fragen (Ein Brief aus Lesotho)3:5715Wem gehört die Welt4:3616I Cover The Waterfront4:0117Outro2:4718Mathatha Agotlokamna (Nachruf)1:4919Namzoma (Album Version)0:3020Plum (Album Version)0:2821Geh jetzt (Frico RMX)4:03, which was released in June 2002 and debuted at number eight on the German Albums Chart. Inspired by African roots, the album was primarily produced by husband Max Herre. In total Mamani spawned six singles, including the lead single "Sag's Mir×Sag's mir2001 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Sag's mir5:042D-E-N-A-L-A-N-E4:30", the socially critical track "Im Ghetto von Soweto" (featuring her uncle, South African flugelhorn legend Hugh Masekela), and "Kinderlied", a song dedicated to her oldest son Isaiah.

In 2003, Denalane went on a solo tour and finished collaborations with Youssou N'Dour, ASD, and Till Brönner. She also performed in New York City and Philadelphia for the first time and eventually received a Comet for Best Hip-Hop/R&B National and three ECHO nominations, including Best Female Artist. Soon after she released a live edition of Mamani on CD and DVD, which was recorded during a special performance at Berlin's Tränenpalast and involved a set of previously unreleased remakes. In summer 2005 Denalane contributed vocals to the German version of Common's 2005 single "Go!".

2006–2015: Born and Raised and Maureen

In April 2006, Denalane and Herre founded their own label, Nesola. Simultaneously Denalane prepared the release of her second album, Born & Raised×Born & Raised11 August 2006 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 15 tracks1Change4:182Let Go4:323Be Real4:174Heaven or Hell4:405One in a Million3:466For the Love4:0777 Year Itch5:008Caught Up3:329Stranger in This Land5:3810Start Over4:0311Born and Raised4:0812Something Stirrin' Up5:5013Despite It All3:5414Soweto '76 - '064:5515Sometimes Love3:11, her first record in English. Pre-programmed in Germany, the album was entirely recorded in Philadelphia and features appearances by American rappers Lupe Fiasco, Raekwon, and Governor. While its lead single "Let Go×Let Go2006 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 7 tracks1Let Go4:0827 Year Itch4:583Let Go (Tekka One Drop remix)4:434Let Go (Sholar remix)4:275Let Go (A & S remix)4:126Let Go (instrumental)4:397Let Go (a cappella)4:16" reached a moderately successful number 40 on the German Singles Chart, the critically acclaimed Born & Raised (released in August 2006) debuted at number two (behind Christina Aguilera's Back to Basics) on the national albums chart, making it Denalane's highest chart entry to date. Further singles from the album, "Heaven or Hell×Heaven Or Hell2006 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Heaven Or Hell (Radio Version)4:162Heaven Or Hell (Radio Version)4:143Heaven Or Hell (Album Version)4:39" and "Sometimes Love", failed to chart within the top one hundred. In early 2007, Denalane released the single "Change" (featuring Lupe Fiasco) in the United Kingdom, which failed to chart; however, it was featured in the 2008 blockbuster film, Taken, starring Liam Neeson.
In 2008, Denalane worked with Tweet, Dwele and Bilal on the project The Dresden Soul Symphony in Dresden, Germany. They performed classic soul cuts like "Let's Stay Together", "Natural Woman", "It's a Man's Man's Man's World", "Ain't Nothing Like a Real Thing", etc. with the MDR Symphony Orchestra. An album, The Dresden Soul Symphony, and DVD were later released on 24 October 2008.
Denalane's third studio Maureen, titled after her middle name, was released May 2011. Her first German-language studio album since Mamani×Mamani18 April 2002 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 21 tracks1Setho1:552Miscommunication5:063Geh jetzt5:274Bantwana Skit0:475Höchste Zeit4:596Vier Frauen (Quatro Mudjer / Vakadzi Vana / Quatre Femmes)5:467Sag's mir4:368Ma Jimbos Skit0:549Im Ghetto von Soweto (Auntie's House)5:2610Kinderlied4:4911Was auch immer5:3212Passenger Denalane Skit0:5813Mamani2:0914Fragen (Ein Brief aus Lesotho)3:5715Wem gehört die Welt4:3616I Cover The Waterfront4:0117Outro2:4718Mathatha Agotlokamna (Nachruf)1:4919Namzoma (Album Version)0:3020Plum (Album Version)0:2821Geh jetzt (Frico RMX)4:03 (2002), it received a positive response from critics and reached number eight on the German Albums Chart. Elsewhere the album peaked at number thirty-six in Austria and number eleven on the Swiss Albums Chart, becoming both her highest and lowest-charting album yet, respectively. Spawning four singles, an English language version of Maureen was released in March 2012.
In August 2014, Denalane became a judge on the debut season of the RTL reality program, Rising Star along with Sasha, Gentleman, and Anastacia.

2016–present: Gleisdreieck and Let Yourself Be Loved

In 2017, Denalane released her fourth studio album, Gleisdreieck×Gleisdreieck3 March 2017 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 18 tracks1Gleisdreieck (Intro)0:532Himmel berühren4:233So sieht man sich wieder3:374Hologramm3:335Venus&Mars3:226Wieder gut4:437Alles leuchtet (G3E Version)3:308Zwischen den Zeilen4:309B.I.N.D.A.W.4:5010Elli Lou4:2611Vorsichtig sein3:3212Schlaflos3:4613Deshalb4:5814RotSchwarz5:2015Stadt4:2116Gleisdreieck (Outro)0:2117Zuhause3:0918Alles leuchtet (Single Version)3:20, her third German-language album.
On 4 September 2020, Denalane released her fifth studio album, Let Yourself Be Loved×Let Yourself Be Loved4 September 2020 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Wounded Love3:002Be Here in the Morning4:043I Believe2:514The Ride3:055I Gotta Know3:036Hey Dreamer3:397Stand3:178Love Your Love3:429Top of My Love3:1910Let Yourself Be Loved3:1611Put In Work3:41, via Motown Records. It is her second English-language album.