Mia (music group)

Mia
MiA. in Berlin 2006; from left: Mieze, Puls, Spies, Sagittarius, Penn
General information
origin	Berlin , Germany
Genre (s)	Pop-rock , electro-pop
founding	1997
Website	www.miarockt.de
Current occupation
singing	Mieze Katz (civil Maria Mummert ; before 2006 only "Mieze")
guitar	Andy Penn (also Andi Penn; before 2004 as Andi Ross)
Drums	Gunnar Spies (since 2001)
bass	Robert "Bob" Sagittarius
former members
Drums	Hannes Schulze (until 2001)
Guitar, horn , keyboard	Ingo Puls (until 2011)

MiA. (also . Mia or . MIA ) is a German electro - music group from Berlin .

history

MiA. was founded in 1997 in Berlin as a school band. Mieze Katz and Andi Ross (later Andy Penn, born 1979 in Berlin), who attended the John Lennon High School in Berlin together, were referred to Robert Schütze and Ingo Puls by their classmate Sarah Kuttner . Together with the drummer Hannes Schulze, they founded a music group and went through several name changes. The current name 'MiA.' Derived from the former band name Me In Affairs , today the group associates the abbreviation with other things, including music is everything and people in turmoil . MiA has been working since 1998. with the music label R.OT , which was founded for the band at the time and which also provides management .

In 1999 the band managed to release the single Sugar My Skin through the major label BMG , which became the official song for the YOU youth fair (also in 1999). However, the fundamentally different ideas led to the quick separation from BMG.

The band toured and in 2001 released the single Factory City, which was published by ROT itself and only produced in small numbers . The electro punk remix by producer NHOAH Hoena-Jansen became a huge hit in the club scene, and so becomes MiA. marketed as an electro punk band by the new major label Sony Music as part of a generation of new Berlin pop music groups since the beginning of 2002 . Schulze left the band beforehand (he now plays with Engerling and Mitch Ryder ), and again through Sarah Kuttner, Gunnar Spies was later discovered as the new drummer. On the first album, Hieb und StichFEST , Staab, the manager of the group and co-owner of the ROT label , played the drums. The video clips for the following publications are played on MTV and VIVA , and a report on the group was featured in the Tagesthemen .

In September 2003, as part of their label's art project ANGEFANGEN , the group published the song Was es ist , for whose text they were supported by representatives of the political left (whom they had supported with a free appearance at the opening of a demonstration on May 1st in Berlin that same year ) were sharply criticized and partly attacked as nationalistic . The song celebrates a new, relaxed approach to German origins and symbolically uses the colors of the German flag . Throughout 2004, the band's appearances were accompanied by sometimes violent counter-actions. The ZDF used a section of the song since 2005 as the title music of the weekly broadcast documentation 37 degrees .

On March 19, 2004, MiA. participated in the German preliminary decision for the Eurovision Song Contest 2004 with the title Hungry Heart , but could not qualify for the final . In the same year the group received the Golden Tuning Fork as the best female shooting star group .

In October 2005, the documentary MiA was presented at the International Leipzig Festival for Documentary and Animated Film . - No time to lose presented by filmmakers Gerd Breiter and Piet Schmelz. The 50-minute film, which was made with the consent and support of the group, accompanies MiA. from early rehearsals and the conclusion of a contract with Sony Music through the first crises and the nationalism controversy to participation in the German preliminary decision for the Eurovision Song Contest 2004 . The film was also released on DVD.

In May 2006 the single Dance of Molecules entered the top 20 of the German charts and is the most successful single in the band's history to date. The album Zirkus , released a little later, immediately reached number 2 in the German album charts. With the theme song Circus represented MiA. also on February 9, 2007 the host state Berlin at the Bundesvision Song Contest and reached fourth place.

During an appearance at the T-Mobile Forum in Bonn on April 19, 2008, the band played the song Mein Freund for the first time . The title became the pre-single of the fourth album released on September 5, 2008, Willkommen im Club . My friend entered the German charts at number 15, replacing Dance of the Molecules as the highest chart position in the band's history. The album reached number 4 in the German album charts.

After the season in September 2009 the band break followed, during which Ingo Puls left the band in 2011. The daughter of Andy Penn and Eva Briegel , singer of the group Juli , was born during the break.

In an online video with New Year's greetings for 2012 to fans, the band announced that they have completed their fifth studio album, Tacheles . The album was released on March 9, 2012 and was first released not on Sony Music, but on Island, a Universal label .

The sixth studio album Biste Mode was released on May 22, 2015 . Felix Räuber has a role in the song Schick mich me .

The seventh studio album entitled Limbo was released on March 27, 2020.

Style and text content

Singer Mieze Katz in Offenbach 2012

Pussycat

At the beginning of their career the group described their style as "Mellow-Listening-Sound-Scapes, fragile melodies and sung loops up to absolute power in addition to rough guitar sounds and emotional lyrics". Since the success of the electropunk remix of the song Factory City , she called her music electropunk , by which she meant a sometimes harder sound with elements of punk that she associates with electronic music . Punk fans, on the other hand, complained that the songs are often not aggressive enough to be considered punk. The texts from this period are partly fragmentary and cryptic and mix German and English lines.

Many critics point out that the first album in particular, Hieb und StichFEST , seems to be based very much on the early phase of the Neue Deutsche Welle , especially on the music of the group Ideal . Mia denies having heard Ideal music before and declares that she only dealt with it after the album was released, when the comparisons surfaced.

With the second album, Stille Post, the music clearly lost its aggressiveness again, the lyrics were formulated more strongly and use less English. Nevertheless, it wasn't until two years later that the official album info for the third album, Circus, explicitly distanced itself from electropunk as a style. The group continues to claim a punk attitude, which is more expressed in the approach than in the music itself.

Even circus shows stylistically distinct differences to two predecessors. Not only is synthetic instruments largely avoided (with a few exceptions), Mia also tries more different instruments than before, most of them played by Ingo Puls. The melodies are less hectic, sometimes very playful. Some diagnose an influence of the Rosenstolz group , with whom Mia has a kind of professional friendship (joint appearances and tours).

According to the band , the fourth album, Willkommen im Club, released on September 5, 2008 , should sound more danceable again: “It is more straightforward, but it still has a love of detail. In any case, this record belongs massively on the dance floor, in the spring and in the summer! ”( Mieze Katz ) In fact, the album with its increased use of electronic elements represents a step backwards towards the first album, while the melodies differ except for pop now also partly with rap ( lucky star ) and especially with chanson (e.g. magical ).

Oliver Seifert wrote about Mia's sixth album : “Your tried and tested electro-pop, which mixes with electro-punk and electro-rock, also gives house or eurodance a chance. NDW is included anyway. Fanatic synths, 'ideal' guitar chords, dub rhythms, mainstream pop melodies can try it side by side or with each other. "The lyrics are" good "and" in some places a bit flat and clumsy. "

Most of the melodies are written by the group, Mieze is always responsible for the lyrics. The songs are worked out in close cooperation with Mia's producer NHOAH (formerly a musician and producer at Peacock Palace and arranger for David Hasselhoff ), whom the group jokingly describes as their "quiet sixth member". As the only non-direct band member, NHOAH sometimes writes their own melodies for the band under the pseudonym H.Flug, usually together with Mieze, and cooperates with her on some lyrics.

In terms of content, Mia's texts partly have political approaches, which are expressed in titles such as green electricity, everything new or power games , in which they campaign for environmental protection , social upheaval or peace ; sometimes feelings and again and again love and relationships are discussed.

Social and musical engagement

• Mia has repeatedly campaigned against right-wing extremism and racism , beginning in 2002, when several titles were made available for the soundtrack of the “against the right ” film Führer Ex . Several band members also appeared as extras in the film . In the 2005 federal election campaign , their song PRO Test was released on the SPD CD Together against Right and the Brothers Keepers association was featured on the Brother Keepers album Am I My Brother's Keeper? supported. In addition, Mia took on a sponsorship as part of the project School without Racism - School with Courage .
• Mia is also repeatedly active in environmental protection. With the single Ökostrom the band supported Solar Generation , the Greenpeace youth group for renewable energies . On July 7th, 2007 Mia appeared on the occasion of the Live Earth concerts in Hamburg and on September 5th, 2008 as part of the Heinrich Böll Foundation's “ Climate Tour”, which provided information about climate protection issues, in Munich.
• Mia has made two songs available for human rights organizations . An unpublished version of the song Come My Girl appeared on the sampler On the Run by the refugee aid association Pro Asyl, and the band recorded their own version of the John Lennon song Mind Games for the Amnesty international project Make Some Noise . Amnesty was also represented with information stands at concerts on the circus tour.
• Criticism of capitalism supported Mia in different and increasingly radical ways. In 2003 the band gave a free concert for the revolutionary May Day on Rosa-Luxemburg -Platz in Berlin . She made her music available for a film competition called Sukuma Millennium Award on the topic of fair trade and ten short video podcasts with Mia were produced for the website of the critical exhibition Radical Advertising in the NRW Forum Düsseldorf from April 5 to August 26, 2008 , in which the band, especially Mieze Katz, as a commentary voice, informs about advertising methods.
• The band supports international development policy through its involvement as a member of the jury in a United Nations photo competition on the UN Millennium Development Goals .
• In January 2004 she gave a free appearance in Berlin at Anhalter Bahnhof in favor of the student protests against the introduction of tuition fees , but was pelted with eggs and tomatoes by students after anti-national groups called for the concert to be disrupted due to the nationalism controversy (see above).
• Mia is also a co-signer of an open letter from the German creative industries to Chancellor Angela Merkel , which was published on the occasion of Intellectual Property Day on April 25, 2008, in which the Chancellor is asked to stand up for the protection of intellectual property and against illegal file sharing .
• Mia is also committed to learning to read and write. As part of the iCHANCE campaign, which is carried out by the Federal Association for Literacy and Basic Education , the band made their statement on illiteracy.

Trivia

On March 6, 2013, the group was struck off the list of nominees for the Echo in the Rock / Alternative National category, "because Frei.Wild, a band whose worldview" they "sucked " among the current nominees, was named Kraftklub had already been deleted from the list of nominees.

Discography

→ Main article : Mia (music group) / discography

Studio albums

year	Title music label	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, music label , placements, weeks, awards, notes)			Remarks
		DE	AT	CH
2002	Hieb & Stichfest Sony Music	DE43 (2 weeks) DE	-	-	First published: August 5, 2002
2004	Silent Post Columbia Records	DE13 (19 weeks) DE	AT19 (11 weeks) AT	-	First published: March 8, 2004
2006	Circus Columbia Records	DE2 gold (28 weeks)DE	AT8 (18 weeks) AT	CH68 (1 week) CH	First published: July 21, 2006 Sales: + 100,000
2008	Welcome to the Columbia Records Club	DE4 (10 weeks) DE	AT9 (9 weeks) AT	CH31 (2 weeks) CH	First published: September 5, 2008
2012	Tacheles Island Records	DE3 (15 weeks) DE	AT14 (9 weeks) AT	CH44 (1 week) CH	First published: March 9, 2012
2015	Biste Mode Island Records / We Love Music	DE12 (3 weeks) DE	AT67 (1 week) AT	-	First published: May 22, 2015
2020	Limbo Four Music / Sony Music	DE49 (4 weeks) DE	-	-	First published: March 27, 2020

Solo activities and guest posts

Pussycat

→ Main article : "Discography" in the article Mieze Katz

Andy Penn

• was a member of The Aim of Design Is to Define Space from 2001 to 2003 and played drums on several songs on their album Gosen U Can Rave II .
• has completed several live performances and sessions with the techno act Modeselektor .
• plays guitar in the song A Pointless Life by Toktok vs. Soffy O .
• has recorded several minimal techno tracks under the name Tim.buktu and released them with BPitch Control and released his first album as Timtim in 2003, entitled Let's Pretend We're Going .
• has also as Timtim a remix for the single Finally a reason to panic of Wir sind Helden produces and remixes of Mia songs angel and my friend . All mixes appeared as B-sides for the respective single.
• appears with Mieze in the video for Hungry Heart (a Mia cover ) by Scala & Kolacny Brothers .
• plays guitar, bass and sings with the cover live band Bad Saalschlacht .

Ingo pulse

• plays horn in the songs Wütend Enough and Are you not tired on the album Von hier an Blind von Wir sind Helden .
• plays horn in Tears Don't Cry on the album The Goal Is To Make The Animals Happy by the Berlin band Sdnmt .

Gunnar Spies

• was part of the band Syksy from 1990 to 1993 , whose album Tek (Le coq / Buschfunk) was released in 1993.
• played from 1996 to 2000 with the noise rock band Desmond Q. Hirnch ; During this time the albums Music (Noisolution / EFA, 1998) and La voix de la revolution (Amateur Records / self-distribution, 1999) were created; toured with the band in Germany and Austria.
• 2000 played drums in the song Paul Panzers Blues on the album No Power for Nobody by The Heirs of the Shards (Big Pop / Virgin).
• plays drums in the cover live band Bad Saalschlacht .

Awards

• Golden tuning fork
  • 2004: in the category "female shooting star group"

literature

• 2007: Circus - The encore , a short book on the creation of the Circus album and the subsequent tour with a CD with raw versions of the songs from Circus and a live DVD.

swell

1. ↑ Band history on the website of the official fan club
2. ↑ "Mensch, that would be a thing" , the daily newspaper on May 2, 2003
3. ↑ Lyrics for Was es ist
4. ↑ Interview on the website of the official fan club
5. ↑ http://www.fnp.de/nachrichten/kultur/Im-Stehen-oder-waagerecht;art679,1418089
6. ↑ http://www.fnp.de/nachrichten/kultur/Im-Stehen-oder-waagerecht;art679,1418089
7. ↑ Discography of NHOAH on its own homepage ( Memento of the original from October 4, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
8. ↑ Podcasts from the exhibition "Radical Advertising"
9. ↑ Presentation of the jury on the website of the photo competition “Chasing the Dream” ( memento of the original from September 18, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
10. ↑ open letter deutsch.pdf Open letter from the media industry  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
11. ↑ iCHANCE Profi Portal: Celebrities. Retrieved August 2, 2011 . 
12. ↑ YouTube: MIA. against illiteracy. September 5, 2008, accessed August 2, 2011 . 
13. ↑ "Echo" -Eklat: "MIA." Also rejects the nomination. Retrieved March 8, 2013 . 

Web links

Commons : MIA.  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Official website
• Mia in the Internet Movie Database (English)
• Mia on MusicBrainz (English)
• Mia at Discogs (English)
• Works by and about Mia in the catalog of the German National Library