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Haddaway

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Haddaway's full name is Nestor Alexander Haddaway, and he was born in 1965 in Trinidad and Tobago. His father was a marine biologist, his mother a nurse. After his parents' divorce he grew up in America, first in Chicago and from the age of nine in the Washington area. Louis Armstrong inspired him to take up the trumpet at fourteen, and at high school he played in the school band. In 1987 he left for Cologne, where he worked in pubs and started a company of his own for fashion shows. There he wanted to build a career in music and dance.

Music and breakthrough

In 1992 he signed with the German label Coconut Records. His first single, What Is Love, became an enormous hit in Europe in 1993. The song reached number 1 in thirteen countries, including the Netherlands, and was also a hit in America. Life, I Miss You and Rock My Heart also reached the top ten in Europe. His second album, The Drive (1995), included the hit Fly Away. After that his success waned. What Is Love later got a second life through sketches on Saturday Night Live, the film A Night at the Roxbury and remixes.

Influence

Haddaway was one of the most successful Eurodance artists of the 1990s. Eurodance was fast, electronic dance music from Europe, with a solid beat, synthesizers and a singer with a powerful chorus. With What Is Love he delivered one of the best-known songs of that style.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to What Is Love and notice how a Eurodance track is built: a fast, straight beat, bright synthesizer chords and a chorus with a question that keeps coming back. Hear how Haddaway's powerful voice carries the song.

Discography

Studio albums

In School of Rock

The chapters, maps and magazine stories of School of Rock are currently available in Dutch only.

Categories: Artists