Haddaway

During the first half of his career, Trinidadian-born Eurodance singer Haddaway rose to unimaginable heights of popularity with his ubiquitous 1993 hit single "What Is Love." Born Nestor Alexander Haddaway on January 9, 1965, in the city of Port of Spain, he spent a part of his childhood in Europe with his father and later went to live with his mother in the United States. His infatuation with the music of Louis Armstrong made him pick up the trumpet at the age of 14, after which he participated in the school's marching band and formed his first group, Chances. In 1987, he dropped out of medical school and relocated to Cologne, Germany, to pursue his lifelong ambition of becoming a professional musician. Right after inking a deal with the Coconut Records label in 1992, Haddaway took the European dancefloors by storm with his debut single "What Is Love," which achieved pole position in 13 countries and received multiple certifications. Although not as successful, follow-up singles "Life," "I Miss You," and "Rock My Heart" performed quite well on the European charts and helped make Haddaway's studio debut The Album (1993) a multi-million seller across the Old Continent. Following the tepid reception of a second LP titled The Drive in 1995, his flagship song "What Is Love" experienced a surge in popularity in the late '90s thanks to its extensive use in the 1998 American comedy A Night at the Roxbury. Even though subsequent releases like Let's Do It Now (1998), My Face (2001), and Pop Splits (2005) all failed to chart, "What Is Love" resurfaced multiple times in the following years and it even re-entered the charts in 2009 after being remixed by DJ Klaas. Gotta Be, his sixth full-length, appeared in 2011.