Normal generation?
| Normal generation? | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Genre (s) | Christian pop music |
| founding | 1995 |
| Founding members | |
| Simon Veigel | |
Piano, vocals
|
Stefan Waidelich |
singing |
Marcus Waidelich |
| Current occupation | |
Piano, guitar, harmonica |
Simon Veigel |
Piano, vocals |
Stefan Waidelich |
singing |
Marcus Waidelich |
singing |
Rebecca Gamer |
Normal generation? was a German pop group from the Stuttgart area .
The group is assigned to Christian pop music on the basis of their texts and special extra-musical activities . It was considered one of the most important German bands of this genre, for which the band members themselves started a festival . With their songs, the musicians in Germany have so far had greater commercial success than other performers in the so-called Christian pop sector from the late 1990s to the beginning of the new millennium. So far, the group has also had appearances and radio hits in the Netherlands , Great Britain , Finland and Switzerland .
Band history
In 1995 the band had their first appearance on “Teenietag” (still without Rebecca Gamer and Benny Wengert, who only joined in 1996). This is also where the name of the band arose - out of a spontaneous idea .
1996 became the normal generation? officially founded by Simon Veigel and his friend Stefan Waidelich. Rebecca Gamer completed the band as a singer. In the same year, the musicians received a record deal from Pila Music , Dettenhausen, and their first album entitled “Normal Generation?” Was released at the end of the year. The Christian singer-songwriter Andrea Adams-Frey supported them with vocal interludes during the CD recordings . This was unusual in that it was a production in the style of dance floor and house, or with the Christian equivalent of "Sanctified Dance". Before the album was presented, there was a first major tour through Germany as well as several festival appearances in Switzerland and the Netherlands.
In 1998 her second album “Normal Generation? II ”, which continued the debut in terms of style (many dance floor influences) and content, but at the same time developed further towards pop music. The album was no longer released by “Pila Music”, but with their new - European - partner “Alliance Music UK & Benelux” and by the music label's new German offshoot. In the same year she started her own festival, the so-called “More of God Camp”, where music, creative and worship services were offered, especially for the target group of teenagers. These camps gained great popularity among Christian youth in Germany and were continued in the following years.
In 2000 the band presented their third album, “Outsiders”, which was again released by “Alliance Music” and is one of their best works in terms of production. The musicians worked hard on their songwriting and stylistically opened up more to the pop market, but for the first time also had real rock influences to offer.
In June 2001, the band's first single, "Long For You" , was released, which was also available in secular record stores. To this end, advertising campaigns were placed in Christian and secular magazines and newspapers . In addition, many radio stations added the song to their rotation lists . The piece reached the respectable 65th place in the final bill of the German single charts . At the end of 2000 the band signed a record deal with producer Dieter Falk's new label , “Stereo Wonderland”. This represents a sub-division of the major label Polydor / Universal Music .
In 2002 the fourth album "VIP" was released, again on "Stereo Wonderland". The general public was stepping up to Normal Generation? attentive and the music label decided to send the band to the preliminary round of the “Eurovision Song Contest” . The band took third place with their gospel-pop ballad "Hold On". The contribution chosen by 26.4 percent of the telephone callers had already been officially supported by the Evangelical Church in Germany with the “Action God in the Charts”. This piece was also released as a single for sale and, in addition to radio presence, also made an appearance on Stefan Raab's show "TV Total" .
The band's fifth album was released in 2003: "Freedom". The band had previously signed a new contract with J-Star ; the new distributor was BMG . After marketing and touring, the artists took a creative and work break in 2004, which is currently ongoing. This break was made because of the More of God days in Stuttgart , in which the band participated and helped organize.
A new album was planned for 2007.
On March 1, 2008, the album More of God was presented in Altensteig , which was produced in collaboration with other musicians and released by Derek von Krogh .
Discography
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Albums
- 1996 "Normal Generation?" (Pila Music)
- 1998 “Normal Generation? II "(Alliance Music UK, Benelux & Germany)
- 2000 "Outsiders" (Alliance Music UK, Benelux & Germany)
- 2002 "VIP" (Stereo Wonderland / Polydor / Universal)
- 2003 "Freedom" (J-Star Records / BMG Distribution)
- 2008 "More of God" (Derek von Krogh)
Singles
- 1997 "You And Me" (Alliance Music UK & Benelux / Pila Music)
- 1998 “Everybody | Somebody Like You "(Alliance Music UK, Benelux & Germany)
- 2001 "Long For You" (Stereo Wonderland / Polydor / Universal)
- 2002 "Hold On" (Stereo Wonderland / Polydor / Universal)
- 2002 "Please Wake Me Up" (Stereo Wonderland / Polydor / Universal)
Awards
- 2002 The single Long For You is voted song of the year by the radio station SWR3 .
Others
In 2001 and 2002 were Normal Generation? Funded by the Evangelical Church in Germany with the “God in the Charts” campaign, which became visible in joint appearances, campaigns and advertisements.
Web links
- Interview with Hanno Gerwin ( Memento from February 17, 2015 in the Internet Archive )