Ich + Ich

When <a href="spotify:artist:14Oz8FdDXMirWulgEYaLaG">Ideal</a> singer and <a href="spotify:artist:0YcKbZwjx2BEoKLzfqlmgH">Rio Reiser</a> producer <a href="spotify:artist:7xsxKjEyuxPtUL4wCM1eWS">Annette Humpe</a> met singer <a href="spotify:artist:3rZBkgoRHG8M9jQL0QPNMi">Adel Tawil</a> (also co-owner of production company Trackworks) in a Berlin studio in 2002, she was impressed enough with his voice to start a collaboration with him. They formed the duo Ich + Ich ("I + I"), performing melancholy pop songs with beats, guitars, and occasional rap lyrics. "Geht's Dir Schon Besser?" ("Do You Feel Better Yet?"), their first single, was released in November 2004. The two follow-up singles, "Du Erinnerst Mich an Liebe" ("You Remind Me of Love") and "Dienen" ("Serve") both entered the German Top Ten, as did the accompanying self-titled album. Ich + Ich's 2006 tour through Germany was an immense success as well, with almost all of their dates being sold out. The group managed to top this triumph with the release of their second effort, Vom Selben Stern ("From the Same Star"), which topped the album charts; the title track, selected as the first single, peaked at number three in the Top Ten and remained there for over 20 weeks; the music video features several well-known people, among them <a href="spotify:artist:7iWcRnQMinCoV2u5ICgsW0">Udo Lindenberg</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:3GbUWWI1rMwAIPbUVPvnPA">Silbermond</a> singer Stefanie Kloß, and even <a href="spotify:artist:5UyJW2eCOuXtyYftgbMxZG">James Last</a>. The follow-up single, "Stark" ("Strong"), entered the charts at number four and then climbed up to number two.

They released a rash of further singles in 2008 and 2009, following these up with their third studio album, Gute Reise ("Bon Voyage"). Like its predecessor, it topped the album charts, going platinum in both Austria and Switzerland, and the single "Pflaster" ("Plaster") gave them their first German number one. Two more singles followed in 2010, after which the band's musical output went quiet for a couple of years, though they did tour in 2011 with hot young electropop duo Glasperlenspiel in support. In that same year they won a coveted GEMA award (the German equivalent of the Ivor Novello) for pop composition. ~ Christian Genzel & John D. Buchanan, Rovi