German singer
Xavier Naidoo
Xavier Kurt Naidoo (German: �kseːviɐ naɪˈduː born 2 October 1971) is a German soul and R&B singer, songwriter and record producer. He is a founding member of German band Söhne Mannheims, and started two record labels, Beats Around the ...
began his music career in the early 1990s. His debut studio album, ''
Seeing Is Believing'', was released in 1994, consisting mostly of cover versions of traditional tracks and soul songs from the 1960s and 1970s. Released in the United States only, it failed to chart on the
''Billboard'' 200 and thus, was never released in Europe.
Following a fall-out with main producer Nicole Dürr, he signed with
Frankfurt am Main
Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...
-based Pelham Power Productions (3P) and began appearing as a background vocalist on several of his label-mates' albums.
Naidoo's second studio album ''
Nicht von dieser Welt
''Nicht von dieser Welt'' ("Not from This World") is the debut studio album by German singer Xavier Naidoo, released on by Pelham Power Productions (3P) on 30 May 1998 in German-speaking Europe.
Track listing
All songs produced by Moses Pelham
...
'', produced unter the guidance of
Moses Pelham
Moses Pelham (born 24 February 1971 in Frankfurt) is a German rapper, singer and producer.
In 1993, together with Thomas Hofmann in Frankfurt, he started the Rödelheim Hartreim Projekt. Pelham is a member of the German band Glashaus. In 2019, ...
and
Martin Haas Martin may refer to:
Places
* Martin City (disambiguation)
* Martin County (disambiguation)
* Martin Township (disambiguation)
Antarctica
* Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land
* Port Martin, Adelie Land
* Point Martin, South Orkney Islands
Austr ...
, was released in May 1998. The album peaked at number one on the
German Albums Chart
The GfK Entertainment charts are the official music charts in Germany and are gathered and published by GfK Entertainment (formerly Media Control and Media Control GfK International), a subsidiary of GfK, on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindust ...
and sold more than a million copies.
Its singles included his debut single "20.000 Meilen", the top twenty entries "Nicht von dieser Welt" and "Seine Straßen" as well as top five hit "Sie sieht mich nicht", which served as the
theme song
Theme music is a musical composition that is often written specifically for radio programming, television shows, video games, or films and is usually played during the title sequence, opening credits, closing credits, and in some instances at so ...
for the feature film ''
Asterix & Obelix Take On Caesar
''Asterix and Obelix vs. Caesar'' (french: Astérix & Obélix contre César) is a 1999 feature film directed by Claude Zidi, the first installment in the ''Asterix'' film series based on Goscinny and Uderzo's Astérix comics. The film combines ...
'' (1999).
A
gold-certified live album of his first concert tour, simply titled ''Live'' (1999), reached the top ten in Germany the following year.
His third effort, the double album ''
Zwischenspiel – Alles für den Herrn
''Zwischenspiel – Alles für den Herrn'' ( "Interlude – Everything for the Lord") is the second studio album by German singer Xavier Naidoo, released on his Naidoo Records label on 25 March 2002 in German-speaking Europe. In 2016, it was awar ...
'', was released on his own label Naidoo Records in March 2002 after his departure from 3P.
An instant success, it debuted atop the charts in both Austria and Germany and was certified double platinum by the
Bundesverband Musikindustrie
The Bundesverband Musikindustrie (English: Federal Music Industry Association), or simply BVMI, represents the music industry in Germany. The association represents the interests of nearly 280 labels and music industry related enterprises, which ...
(BVMI).
Three of its four singles, including "Wo willst du hin?" and "Abschied nehmen", became top five hits on the singles charts.
In 2003, he collaborated with American rapper
RZA
Robert Fitzgerald Diggs (born July 5, 1969), better known by his stage name the RZA ( ), is an American rapper, actor, filmmaker, and record producer. He is the ''de facto'' leader of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, having produced most albums ...
on his compilation album ''
The World According to RZA
''The World According to RZA'' is a compilation album featuring the production of Wu-Tang Clan member RZA that features his tracks for emcees from a variety of European countries. The album was never released in the United States.
The Making of ...
''; their single "Ich kenne nichts (das so schön ist wie du)" reached number-one on the
German Singles Chart
The GfK Entertainment charts are the official music charts in Germany and are gathered and published by GfK Entertainment (formerly Media Control and Media Control GfK International), a subsidiary of GfK, on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindust ...
and the top three in Austria and Switzerland, becoming his highest-charting single up to that point.
The same year, his second live album ''...Alles Gute vor uns...'' was released to gold status and top ten success.
Naidoo's fourth album ''
Telegramm für X
''Telegramm für X'' ("Telegram for X") is the fifth studio album by German singer Xavier Naidoo, released by Naidoo Records on 24 November 2005 in German-speaking Europe. In 2016 it was awarded a double platinum certification from the Independen ...
'' was released in November 2005. It reached number-one in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland was certified quadruple platinum by the BVMI.
The album produced the top three singles "Dieser Weg" and "Was wir alleine nicht schaffen", while his second number-one hit "Danke", a song about the
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Germany 2006, was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which had won the right to host the ...
, was included on a reissue of the album.
''Alles kann besser werden'', his fifth studio album, was released in 2009. It became his fifth number-one album in Germany, and reached the three in Austria and Switzerland.
"Alles kann besser werden", its lead single, reached number six on the
German Singles Chart
The GfK Entertainment charts are the official music charts in Germany and are gathered and published by GfK Entertainment (formerly Media Control and Media Control GfK International), a subsidiary of GfK, on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindust ...
though subsequent singles were less successful.
''
Gespaltene Persönlichkeit
''Gespaltene Persönlichkeit'' ("Split Personality") is a 2012 studio album by Xavas, a musical project and collaboration between German soul and R&B singer Xavier Naidoo and German rapper Kool Savas. The name Xavas was chosen by taking the fir ...
'', a collaboration album with rapper
Kool Savas
Savaş Yurderi (born 10 February 1975), known by his stage name Kool Savas, is a German rapper. Along with Taktlo$$, he formed the highly influential German rap duo Westberlin Maskulin (1997–2000). He was also a founding member of the German ...
, was released in 2012. It debuted at number atop the charts in Germany and Switzerland and was certified platinum by the BVMI.
Single "Schau nicht mehr zurück" entered the top three in both countries.
The same year, Naidoo's first compilation album ''Danke fürs Zuhören – Liedersammlung 1998–2012'' was released to number-one success throughout
German-speaking Europe
This article details the geographical distribution of speakers of the German language, regardless of the legislative status within the countries where it is spoken. In addition to the German-speaking area (german: Deutscher Sprachraum) in Europe, ...
.
''Mordsmusik'', a
dubstep
Dubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in South London in the early 2000s. The style emerged as a UK garage offshoot that blended 2-step rhythms and sparse dub production, as well as incorporating elements of broken be ...
album produced under his pseudonym Der Xer, and ''
Bei meiner Seele
''Bei meiner Seele'' ("Upon My Soul") is the fifth studio album by German singer Xavier Naidoo, released on his Naidoo Records label on 31 May 2013 in German-speaking Europe
This article details the geographical distribution of speakers of the ...
'' were both released the following year. The latter album peaked at number one in Austria and Germany and featured the same-titled top two hit.
A highly demanded producer, songwriter and guest vocalist, Naidoo has collaborated with several musicians and musical projects, including all-male vocal group
Söhne Mannheims
Söhne Mannheims (German: �zøːnə ˈmanhaɪms ''Sons of Mannheim'') is a German pop and soul band founded 1995 in Mannheim by Xavier Naidoo and others.
History
The Group was founded in 1995 by Xavier Naidoo, Claus Eisenmann, Robbee Maria ...
, the
Christian music
Christian music is music that has been written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian life and faith. Common themes of Christian music include praise, worship, penitence, and lament, and its forms vary widely around ...
project
Zeichen der Zeit
Zeichen der Zeit ("Sign of the Times") was a music project by various German pop musicians. Their common goal was to express their Christian belief and to make an issue out of it in the secular media. An album of the same title appeared in 2004, ...
, the
transnational
Transnational may refer to:
* Transnational company
* Transnational crime
* Transnational feminism
* Transnational governance
* Transnationality
* Transnational marriage
* Transnational organization
* Transnational organized crime
* Transnational ...
anti-racism
Anti-racism encompasses a range of ideas and political actions which are meant to counter racial prejudice, systemic racism, and the oppression of specific racial groups. Anti-racism is usually structured around conscious efforts and deliberate a ...
project
Brothers Keepers
Brothers Keepers is a German-based transnational anti-racism project, bringing together hip hop, reggae and soul musicians, headed primarily by Afro-Germans. Their debut single, "Adriano-Letzte Warnung", was written in response to the murder of ...
, and the cast of the television series ''
Sing meinen Song – Das Tauschkonzert
''Sing meinen Song – Das Tauschkonzert'' ( "Sing My Song – The Exchange Concert") is a German reality television series produced by Schwartzkopff TV Productions and broadcast on German television station VOX. Part of '' The Best Singers'' ...
'', the German version of ''
The Best Singers'' series. Among his most successful appearances rank Brothers Keepers's "Adriano (Letzte Warnung)".
Albums
Studio albums
Collaborative albums as Xavas
(Xavas being Xavier Naidoo and Kool Savas
Savaş Yurderi (born 10 February 1975), known by his stage name Kool Savas, is a German rapper. Along with Taktlo$$, he formed the highly influential German rap duo Westberlin Maskulin (1997–2000). He was also a founding member of the German ...
)
Live albums
Singles
As lead artist
Other charted songs
As a featured artist
Other appearances
Album
Soundtrack
References
External links
XavierNaidoo.com— Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Naidoo, Xavier
Discographies of German artists
Pop music discographies
Rhythm and blues discographies