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Cascada (/k""sk""d"/[1][2]) are a German Eurodance act founded in 2004 by singer Natalie Horler, German DJ Manian, and Yann Peifer. They are best known for their hit singles "Everytime We Touch", "What Hurts the Most", and "Evacuate the Dancefloor". Cascada have sold over 5 million albums worldwide and have an estimated 15 million digital downloads. Cascada represented Germany at the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 in Malmö, Sweden.
When Natalie Horler was 17, she was doing studio work for various DJs. Eventually she met Yanou and DJ Manian. Originally, they released music under the name Cascade, but due to Kaskade, another artist with a similar name, threatening legal action, they changed it to Cascada.[3] They simultaneously released music under the names of Siria and Akira as well, but ended those projects due to the success of Cascada. Under Andorfine Records, they produced their debut and hit single, "Miracle", and its follow-up, "Bad Boy", in Germany.[4] This caught the attention of the American dance label Robbins Entertainment. They negotiated a contract and "Miracle" was released in 2004. However, it did not attract much attention, so Cascada offered them "Everytime We Touch".
Cascada experienced mainstream success in the United Kingdom and the United States almost a year after releasing their second American single, "Everytime We Touch", which interpolates the chorus of a 1992 Maggie Reilly song of the same name.[5][6] The song gained platinum and gold certifications across the globe, being certified platinum by the RIAA.[7][8] Soon after the popularity of the single skyrocketed, an album was recorded and released in a matter of months,[9] and a music video for "Everytime We Touch" was also distributed for promotion.[10]
A total of eight singles were released from the album, four of which have been released in the United Kingdom: "Everytime We Touch", "Truly Madly Deeply" (originally by Savage Garden),"Miracle" and "A Neverending Dream" (originally by X-Perience), all of which gained top 10 status apart from "A Neverending Dream", which charted at #46.[11] The U.S. saw the re-release of "Miracle" shortly after "Everytime We Touch"'s breakthrough, receiving high radio rotation and reaching the lower ends of the U.S. charts.[12] Their album Everytime We Touch has experienced success in the UK Album chart where it remained up in the top forty for twenty-four weeks, peaking at #2.[13][14] The album experienced success on the U.S. charts as well.[15] The success of the album gained them two World Music Award nominations, winning them World's Best-Selling German Artist.[16] Additionally, the album has sold over 2 million copies world-wide.
Horler first announced that Cascada were working on their second album during a Japanese interview, which was posted on their blog on MySpace.[17] There are a few cover songs on the album, most notably Avril Lavigne's "Sk8er Boi", P!nk's "Just Like A Pill", Patti Smith's "Because the Night", and the Rascal Flatts' song "What Hurts the Most", as well as two tracks, "Endless Summer" and "I Will Believe It" that were previously recorded by Horler and DJ Manian under the discontinued Siria name.[18] However, the U.S. release replaced the Siria songs,[19] P!nk, and Avril Lavigne covers with three newer tracks, because they did not have the North American rights. Two of these songs were "Faded", a cover of a Kate DeAraugo song, and "Holiday", a cover of a Jenny May song.[20] The sophomore effort was released at the end of 2007 in the UK, and several parts of Northern Europe.[21] Perfect Day was released to the remaining markets, in the first quarter of 2008, with the U.S. release being the last.[22] Horler also stated in a French Interview, before the release, that she would take a hand in writing parts of the album.[23] However, none of the final tracks on the album were written by her.[24]
The world-wide lead single, "What Hurts the Most", was released in late 2007 and early 2008, along with its B-side, a cover of Wham!'s "Last Christmas".[25] The single had high success, reaching the top tier in most countries.[26] The U.K. and German follow-up to "What Hurts the Most", is "What Do You Want From Me"",[27][28] originally thought to be called "Tell Me Why".[29] The third release from the album in the UK and Germany was "Because the Night".[30][31] The United States instead received both "Faded" and "Perfect Day" as singles, however each of these releases received little airplay outside of the dance-radio circuit.
29 June 2009, "Evacuate the Dancefloor" was released in the UK. The release, just after the death of Michael Jackson, was expected to chart within the top ten, underneath a plethora of the deceased King of Pop's former hits, due to a resurgence of sales after the news. To the surprise of many, the single debuted at No. 1, over Jackson's "Man in the Mirror". The song went on to achieve top five success in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, and New Zealand, as well as top ten success in many more. The song slowly rose on the U.S. chart after a late September release, eventually reaching a peak of No. 25 after a seventeen week climb, becoming the group's second top-forty hit. The song has become a club staple, used in many dance-oriented video games, and even nominated for an MTV Video Music Award. The album, also named Evacuate the Dancefloor, was released a week later on 6 July in the UK and Germany. The album continued Cascada's progression into electro-pop, the change was welcomed by mainstream audiences and fans, yet many fans still remorsed the euro-pop feel, which some felt was integral to the Cascada project. The album itself did not mirror the success of the single, yet did chart in the top ten of many territories, including the UK. However, the album did not have lasting sales and quickly fell out of the charts. "Dangerous" and "Fever" were follow-up singles released from the album, the former in the UK, and the latter in the US, Australia, and the rest of Europe, neither experiencing success in terms of radio spins, digital, or physical sales. Nevertheless, the group toured extensively to promote the album, even opening for Britney Spears during a stop in Germany.
Source: Wikipedia