No Angels

No Angels No Angels 是個德國女子樂組。有人翻成“無天使樂團”，這顯得太有些逐字翻譯。也有人翻成“墮落天使樂隊”，這又顯得有些引伸過渡。No Angels從字面上應(yīng)該叫做“絕非天使”。不過，大概只有當年給這個樂組起這個名字的人才能確切知道他想賦予這個名字什么意義。是的，這個樂組的名字并不是樂組成員們自己起的。事實上，這個樂組本身并不是樂組成員們自己走到一起的結(jié)果，而是商業(yè)運作的產(chǎn)物 —— 這個樂組是由德國的一個電視選星賽的最后五個優(yōu)勝者構(gòu)成的。
２０００年由德國RTL 2電視臺主辦的第一屆Popstars選星賽共有4500名女孩子參加角逐，Nadja Benaissa, Lucy Diakowska, Sandy Mölling, Vanessa Petruo 和 Jessica Wahls 五位女孩最終勝出，并被組成和命名為No Angels。
２００１年２月No Angels推出第一支單曲“Daylight in Your Eyes”，此曲一下沖到德國、瑞士、奧地利等國的單曲排行榜第一名。一夜間名滿歐洲的No Angels迅速在３月份推出第一個專輯Elle'Ments，暢銷無比，共獲４張金唱片獎和３張白金唱片獎。稍后，還為Elle'Ments另發(fā)了卡拉ＯＫ版和冬季特別版，并在其中添加了No Angels的另一首排行第一的單曲“There Must Be an Angel”。No Angels還有另外兩首單曲被列為德國排行榜第一：２００２年的 “Something about Us”和２００３年的 “No Angel (It's All in Your Mind)”。No Angels的其他十來首單曲也大都擠入德國單曲排行榜前十名。其專輯“Now … Us! (2002)” ，“When the Angels Sing (2002)” ，“Pure (2003)”，“The Best of No Angels(2003)”也均取得了驕人的銷售業(yè)績。No Angels的總計五百萬張唱片的銷售量，至今仍居歐洲大陸所有女子樂組之首。No Angels還獲得了許多項音樂獎，其中包括德國最重要的“回聲音樂獎”的三個獎項。
No Angels創(chuàng)始之初的五人組，因2002年Jessica懷孕休息而減員為四人組。2003年3月Jessica生完一 女之后沒能返回，似乎從士氣上對剩下的四人組有所打擊。2003年底，四人組的No Angels宣布休息。No Angels事實上解體后，其中的Sandy等人也單飛出了一些單曲或?qū)］嫛?007年初，No Angels宣布復(fù)出，可惜這次雖然Jessica回來了，Vanessa卻興趣不再，No Angels只好再次以四人組面貌重現(xiàn)江湖。新的No Angels 的單曲“Goodbye to Yesterday”和專輯“Destiny”已于2007年四月推出。
by Jason Ankeny
German pop quintet No Angels were one of the myriad acts launched to fame via the television amateur showcase Popstars, ultimately becoming the best-selling girl group in national chart history. The group's origins lie in a Popstars casting call announced by German television network RTL 2 in the fall of 2000. More than 4,500 young women auditioned for the upcoming season of the series, 200 of whom were selected to advance to the next round. From there, the judges -- Dutch entertainer Simone Angel, talent booker Mario M. Mendryzcki, and A&R director Rainer Moslener -- whittled the semifinalists to 32 before whisking them away to Majorca, Spain, for a grueling regimen of singing, dancing, and fitness. The judges continued eliminating two or three additional contestants each day until 11 finalists remained; after weeks of additional training, five winners were selected -- Nadja Benaissa, Lucy Diakovska, Sandy Mölling, Vanessa Petruo, and Jessica Wahls -- to comprise No Angels. In episodes to follow, Popstars focused on the fledgling group's evolution, documenting sessions for their 2001 debut single, "Daylight in Your Eyes." The record entered the German pop charts at number one and later topped the charts in Austria, Switzerland, Brazil, Estonia, and Luxembourg as well, vaulting No Angels to global fame. Their debut LP, Elle'ments, followed in March 2001, selling in excess of two million copies worldwide and emerging as the year's best-selling German release on the strength of follow-up singles including "Rivers of Joy" and Eurythmics' "There Must Be an Angel." No Angels' third number one single, "Something About Us," anticipated the June 2002 release of their sophomore effort Now...Us!, which sold more than a million records but failed to match the overwhelming success of its predecessor. An appearance that fall at the Berlin Tränenpalast yielded the live CD/DVD When the Angels Swing, but also proved Wahls' swan song -- upon announcing a hiatus from No Angels to give birth to her first child in March 2003, she later opted against returning, deciding instead to mount a solo career. The remaining foursome returned in August with Pure, a more mature effort led by the chart-topping "No Angel (It's All in Your Mind)." However, on September 5, 2003, No Angels announced their intentions to split -- Wahls rejoined the group to record a farewell single, "Reason," and on December 12 they played a final live date in Düsseldorf. While all five turned to solo careers in music, theater, and television, their individual efforts faltered and in mid-2006 Diakovska approached her former colleagues with reunion offers. Only Petruo declined, and the remaining members of No Angels began rehearsing and recording in secrecy, waiting until a news conference in January 2007 to make official the rumors of their return. A comeback single, "Goodbye to Yesterday," hit retail two months later.