Nestor Alexander Haddaway (born 9 January 1965) is a Trinidadian-born German singer best known for his 1993 hit single "What Is Love", which reached number 1 in 13 countries.

Haddaway was born in Trinidad and Tobago. His father was a marine biologist from Germany and his mother was a local nurse. His parents separated during the early 1970s and Haddaway first lived with his father in Europe, then with his mother in America. He was raised in Chicago and relocated to the Washington, DC metropolitan area at the age of 9. Listening to Louis Armstrong encouraged Haddaway to learn how to play trumpet at the age of 14. He attended Meade Senior High School in Fort Meade, Maryland, where he was a member of the marching band, which resulted eventually in him forming his first group, Chances. In 1987, Haddaway enrolled in medical school, but quit due to lack of excitement and relocated to Cologne, West Germany, where he mostly worked in taverns. Later, he formed his own company named Energy, which was involved in organizing fashion shows and photo shoots.

In 1992, Haddaway was signed by German record company Coconut Records. His debut single, "What Is Love", rapidly became popular in Europe, reaching number 2 in Germany and the United Kingdom. In Germany, the single sold 900,000 copies. In the United Kingdom, it received a music recording certification of Gold for shipment of 400,000 units. It later reached number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified Gold for shipments of 500,000 units. By the beginning of 1994, worldwide sales of "What Is Love" reached 2.6 million.

His second single, "Life", reached number 2 in Germany, number 6 in the United Kingdom, and number 41 in the US, and its worldwide sales reached 1.5 million by 1994. The follow-up singles "I Miss You" and "Rock My Heart" also reached the Top 10 in Europe and established him as a successful Eurodance artist. His first LP, The Album (also known as Haddaway in the US), was a multi-million seller which reached Platinum status in Germany for shipments of 500,000, and Gold in the UK and in France for shipments of 100,000.

In 1995, he released his second album, The Drive, which included the UK top 20 hit "Fly Away", as well as "Catch a Fire" and "Lover Be Thy Name". "What Is Love" enjoyed a resurgence in popularity as the theme music for the Butabi brothers (Will Ferrell and Chris Kattan) on Saturday Night Live and the 1998 film A Night at the Roxbury.

The albums Let's Do It Now (1998) and My Face (2001; re-released as Love Makes) all failed to chart.

Haddaway appeared on the television show Comeback – Die große Chance in Germany in 2004. He appeared on the UK version of Hit Me, Baby, One More Time in 2005 and subsequently appeared on the U.S. version. This exposure led to him scoring a moderate chart hit in Germany with the ballad "Spaceman" from his next album, Pop Splits.

In 2008, "What Is Love" was featured in a commercial for Diet Pepsi MAX that aired during Super Bowl XLII which parodied the leitmotif and included several stars including LL Cool J, Missy Elliott, and Busta Rhymes, but Haddaway himself did not appear in the ad. ...

Source: Article "Haddaway" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.

Nestor Alexander Haddaway, simplement appelé Haddaway, est un chanteur de dance trinidadien, né le 9 janvier 1965 à Port-d'Espagne. Il s'est fait connaître avec la chanson What Is Love.

Après une enfance passée aux États-Unis, Haddaway s'établit à Cologne en Allemagne où il devient mannequin, danseur, et monte sa propre agence: Energy. À la suite de sa rencontre avec les producteurs Junior Turello et Dee Dee Halligan, il enregistre son premier titre: What Is Love. La vidéo de cette chanson est tournée dans un château et met en scène dans le rôle d'un vampire une danseuse nommé Gloria Seaman, sa petite amie de l'époque, que l'on retrouvera également dans plusieurs vidéos et passages télévisés du chanteur. Ce titre très dansant, sorti en France en juin 1993, accède au sommet de tous les charts, y compris en France où il reste cinq semaines en tête.

Les singles suivants, Life (août 1993, 5e en France), I Miss You (janvier 1994, 16e en France) et Rock My Heart (mars 1994, 11e en France) obtiennent du succès, quoique dans une moindre mesure, et sont extraits de l'album baptisé tout simplement The Album.

En 1995, son deuxième album The Drive fournira les titres Fly Away (avril 1995, 23e en France) et Catch a Fire qui est passé pratiquement inaperçu.

En 2008, il s'associe avec Dr. Alban, un autre grand chanteur de la musique dance des années 1990, pour sortir le titre I Love the 90's qui rend hommage à cette décennie qui a connu plusieurs titres très populaires.

En janvier 2010, le remix de What Is Love par Klaas rencontre un important succès, notamment dans les boîtes de nuit.

En mars 2010, Haddaway revient avec un nouveau titre, You Gave Me Love, dont la sonorité rappelle What Is Love.

En juin 2010, sort l'album Recovery d'Eminem. No Love, un des titres de l'album, reprend un sample de What Is Love.

Source: Article "Haddaway" de Wikipédia en français, soumis à la licence CC-BY-SA 3.0.