Born on the Caribbean island of Trinidad and Tobago before moving to Washington, D.C. at the age of nine, Haddaway was raised on an early diet of Louis Armstrong, and subsequently learned to play the trumpet. After graduating from high school and forming his first band known as the Chances, the singer moved to Cologne, Germany in 1987, and began working in bars and singing whenever the opportunity arose.
In 1992 Haddaway earned his big break signing with German label Coconut Records. A year later the singer issued his debut single “What Is Love”, which took Europe by storm, selling over 2.6 million records. Reaching No. 2 on the UK and German singles charts, the record became an instant club staple and has since earned a host of remixes. Haddaway subsequently released the single “Life”, another smash hit single, before issuing his debut Eurodisco full-length “The Album” in September 1993. Charting at No. 5 on the German Albums Chart and No. 9 on the UK Albums Chart, the record also proved popular in Scandinavia, aided by its fun-loving Eurodance aesthetic. Released on Coconut Records, the album’s subsequent singles included “I Miss You” and “Rock my Heart”.
The dance-inspiring musician’s sophomore album “The Drive” was released in June 1995 led by the singles “Fly Away”, “Catch a Fire”, and “Lover Be Thy Name”. Whilst failing to prove as popular as his debut “Haddaway”, the album earned favourable reviews, later peaking at No. 32 on the German Albums Chart. Used as the soundtrack for Saturday Night Live’s Butabi brothers sketch by Will Ferrell and Chris Kattan, “What Is Love” enjoyed a resurgence of popularity, later charting at No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Taken in a more soulful direction, Haddaway’s third and fourth albums “Let’s Do It Now” and “My Face” failed to chart despite the charting singles “What About Me”, “What Do You love”, and “Love Makes”. The non-album single “What Is Love Reloaded” followed in 2003, after which the singer released the studio album “Pop Splits” featuring the single “Spaceman”. Following a series of collaborations with the likes of Dr. Alban, Klaas, and The Mad Stuntman, Haddaway issued his sixth studio album “Gotta Be” in 2011.
One of the most quintessential movies to grace the 90s was “A Night At The Roxbury,” especially the iconic scene of Chris Kattan and Will Farrell hit the namesake club and starts a synchronized dance to Haddaway’s “What Is Love.” Pretty much since this movie came out and became a cult classic, Haddaway has forever been known for “What Is Love,” but what most people don’t know is that his entire repertoire contains the best things of typical 90s music.
Considering that he is known for being a one hit wonder, his live shows totally take advantage of this. His stages are set in this 90s retro look, and has a lot of background dancers dressed similarly to the way the girls in “A Night At The Roxbury” are dressed. Haddaway himself dresses down, wearing a simple pants, t-shirt and scarf. He performs all his best hits, like “Life,” “I Miss You” and “Rock My Heart;” all dance inducing songs that everyone in the crowd was taking advantage of. He obviously kept the best for last. Before starting his “What Is Love Performance” he builds up the anticipation by playing an extended intro to the song and then bringing out the dancers. The song is way better live because of the ridiculous amounts of energy that both the crowd and Haddaway put out.
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