Joy Denalane

Berlin-born Afro-German songstress Joy Denalane started her career providing backup vocals for soul and reggae bands. After contributing vocals for producers DJ Thomilla and Tiefschwarz's 1999 international dance hit "Music," she accompanied Max Herre on "Mit Dir," a German Top Five hit that year. Denalane and Herre married, and he produced her debut album, 2002's Mamani, which debuted at number eight on the German charts. Mamani blended traditional R&B with jazz, Afro-beat, and South African folk music, and featured contributions from Hugh Masekela. Denalane later provided guest vocals on the remix of American rapper Common's single "Go!," and recorded her 2006 album, Born & Raised, in Philadelphia. Debuting at number two on the German album chart, it entered Billboard's European Top 100 chart as well. ~ Cyril Cordor