Joy Denalane

Joy Maureen Denalane is a German singer-songwriter born on June 11, 1973. She is best known for combining soul, R&B, and African folk music, writing and performing lyrics in both German and English. Throughout her career, she has released several chart-topping albums and achieved national and international recognition for her work across various musical styles.

Denalane was born in Berlin-Schöneberg to a South African father and a German mother, and she grew up in the Kreuzberg district of Berlin. At age 16, she left home to focus on music, joining the reggae and soul bands Culture Roots and Family Affair. At 19, she signed with a major pop music label; however, creative disagreements over her music and image led to her asking for an early release from her contract. She subsequently relocated to Stuttgart, where she collaborated with producers DJ Thomilla and Tiefschwarz to write and produce the club track "Music."

Her career gained major momentum in 1999 after she collaborated with the hip hop group Freundeskreis on the duet "Mit Dir." Released in July 1999, the song became a top 10 hit in Germany, reached the top 30 in Austria, and entered the top 15 in Switzerland. Following this success, Denalane toured for over two years with the FK Allstars, a collective that included musicians such as Afrob, Gentleman, Sekou, and Brooke Russell. She eventually signed with Four Music and released her debut studio album, Mamani, in June 2002. Produced primarily by her husband Max Herre, the album debuted at number eight on the German Albums Chart and featured singles such as "Sag's Mir," "Kinderlied," and "Im Ghetto von Soweto," which featured her uncle, South African flugelhorn player Hugh Masekela.

In 2003, Denalane embarked on a solo tour and collaborated with artists including Youssou N'Dour, ASD, and Till Brönner, while also performing for the first time in New York City and Philadelphia. That year, she won a Comet award for Best Hip-Hop/R&B National and earned three ECHO nominations, including Best Female Artist. She also released a live CD and DVD edition of Mamani recorded at Berlin's Tränenpalast. In summer 2005, she provided vocals for the German release of Common's single "Go!"

In April 2006, Denalane and Herre founded the record label Nesola. She then released her second studio album, Born & Raised, in August 2006. Pre-programmed in Germany and recorded in Philadelphia, it was her first English-language album and featured guest appearances by Lupe Fiasco, Raekwon, and Governor. The album debuted at number two on the German Albums Chart, becoming her highest-charting record. The album's track "Change," featuring Lupe Fiasco, was released as a single in the United Kingdom in 2007 and was later featured in the 2008 film Taken.

In 2008, Denalane participated in The Dresden Soul Symphony project alongside Tweet, Dwele, Bilal, and the MDR Symphony Orchestra, resulting in an album and DVD release. She released her third studio album, Maureen, in May 2011, which reached number eight in Germany, number eleven in Switzerland, and number thirty-six in Austria, followed by an English-language version in March 2012. In August 2014, she served as a judge on the first season of the RTL reality television series Rising Star alongside Sasha, Gentleman, and Anastacia.

Denalane released her third German-language studio album, Gleisdreieck, in 2017. On September 4, 2020, she released her fifth studio album, Let Yourself Be Loved, through Motown Records, marking her second English-language studio album.