Basta is a German a-cappella group from Cologne, founded in 2000 by René Overmann and William Wahl, who had begun performing together in school. The early lineup was completed with Werner Adelmann, and they later added bass singer Andreas Hardegen through a casting call. After securing a contract with BMG, the group released its debut album Basta in 2002, followed by B in 2004. That same year, they held a sold-out concert for 2,000 spectators at the Cologne Philharmonie and gained exposure through television appearances on Comedy-Champ and the PISA-Show. After performing at the Cologne World Youth Day in 2005, they released the album Wir kommen in Frieden (2006) and starred in their TV series "...und basta!". Their 2007 album Wir sind wie wir sind entered the German charts for the first time, and the single "Spielerfrauen" reached number 93 in 2008. In 2010, the cover single "Gimme Hope Joachim" reached number 18, and they released the album Basta macht blau (2011), which reached number 33. Following a 2013 personnel change where Arndt Schmöle replaced Hardegen, the group released Domino (2014), Freizeichen (2016) featuring new baritone Hannes Herrmann, and In Farbe (2018). Mirko Schelske replaced Herrmann in 2019, and in 2022 the group announced it would cease touring.
