Cascada

Led by singer Natalie Horler, the German group Cascada has enjoyed a string of dance successes in the 2000s. Born of English parents in Bonn on September 23, 1981, and the daughter of jazz trombonist David Horler, Natalie Horler performed under the name Akira before meeting DJs Manian (Manuel Reuter) and Yanou (Yann Peifer). In 2004, they formed the Cascada project, whose first track, "Miracle", proved a hit throughout Europe (no. 1 in France, no. 8 in the UK and no. 32 in Germany). Buoyed by the worldwide hit inspired by a Maggie Reilly folk song, "Everytime We Touch" (no. 2 in the U.K. and no. 10 in the U.S.), the album of the same name released in 2006 was just as popular on the dancefloor as it was in the sales charts (no. 2 in the U.K.). Far from being an isolated Eurodance phenomenon, Cascada once again won over the public with the album Perfect Day (2007) and its title track "What Hurts the Most" (no. 2 in France, no. 10 in the UK and no. 9 in Germany), a cover of a recent country tune by Mark Wills. In addition to other chart hits, one of the trio's biggest sellers was the original "Evacuate the Dancefloor" (no. 1 in the UK, no. 5 in France and Germany). The album of the same name also hits the charts worldwide (No. 7 on the U.S. Billboard dance charts, after No. 2 on the previous album and No. 3 on the first). Among other awards, Cascada has won three International Dance Music Awards to date, in 2006, 2009 and 2010. In 2011, the release of the fourth album Original Me, this time made up entirely of original tracks, came between those of the various hits "Pyromania", "San Francisco" and "Au Revoir", while the compilations Back on the Dancefloor (2012, featuring the previously unreleased "Summer of Love") and The Best of Cascada (2013, including the new releases "The Rhythm of the Night" and "Glorious"), summed up the band's string of hits. Following the Christmas album It's Christmas Time (2012), Cascada presents the track "Glorious" at the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest in Malmö (Sweden), coming in 21st place. Despite a multitude of singles since 2014, Cascada has failed to regain the notoriety it once enjoyed. The track "Playground" serves as the official anthem of the Ice Hockey World Cup in 2017, and "One Last Dance" (2021) sees the participation of Canadian band Trans-X. The same year, Cascada teams up with Timmy Trumpet and the duo Harris & Ford for the track "Never Let Me Go". In 2024, the album Studio 24 takes a leap back in time, revisiting the soul/disco hits of the 1970s, notably "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", remixed by Jax Jones and Ryan T.