Nadja Benaissa

Nadja Benaissa (born 26 April 1982) is a German singer, songwriter and television personality. She first gained public recognition in 2000 as a contestant on the German adaption of the reality television show Popstars, through which she became a member of No Angels, one of the most commercially successful girl groups of European origin.

Following the reunion of No Angels in 2007, Benaissa remained with the group until 2010. That year, she departed after legal proceedings that resulted in a suspended sentence related to personal conduct, an episode that temporarily affected her public career. She subsequently published her autobiography Alles wird gut and withdrew from the entertainment industry for much of the remainder of the decade. Benaissa returned to music in 2019 as a member of the a cappella group Medlz, recording two studio albums with the ensemble, but left in 2021 to rejoin No Angels for their 20th anniversary celebrations.

Life and career Early life Born in Frankfurt, Benaissa is the second child born to a Moroccan father, Muhamed Benaissa, and a mother of mixed Serbian and German ethnicity, Sabina. Raised alongside her brother Amin who is three years older, she spent much of her childhood in Langen, where her parents worked in the catering business, and she attended the Geschwister-Scholl-Schule.

At the age of nine, Benaissa began playing instruments, learning the piano and the flute. Her early musical interest grew after having auditioned and won a role in the school stage musical Tabaluga during her first year at the Dreieich-Schule-Langen. On 25 October 1999, Suffering from the separation from her daughter, Benaissa burned out within months, a subject on which she later commented:

Nevertheless, Benaissa decided to remain with the band, and in the following years No Angels released another two number-one studio albums, Now... Us! and Pure, a live album and a successful swing album branded When the Angels Swing, totalling twelve singles altogether – including four-number one singles. Eventually selling more than five million singles and albums worldwide, No Angels became the best-selling German girl band to date and the most successful girl group of continental Europe between the years of 2001 and 2003. decided to focus on her recovered motherhood the following months. she decided to postpone the release in favour of a reunion of No Angels on their fourth studio album Destiny in early 2007. However, as all four band members had settled on the continuation of solo projects, Benaissa entered Berlin recording studios in January 2008 to record at least 15 new demo songs, including material she already penned in 2003. While she finished the album recordings with a second session in March 2008, it was left unused though Benaissa later leaked several songs to her MySpace account.

Benaissa in 2008 On 11 April 2009, shortly before the release of the band's fifth studio album Welcome to the Dance, Benaissa was arrested on suspicion of having had unprotected intercourse on several occasions in 2004 and 2006 without beforehand informing her partners that she was HIV-positive, allegedly infecting one partner with HIV. She was remanded into custody, after a judge ruled there was a danger she might repeat the alleged offence, but eventually released on 21 April 2009, subject to unnamed conditions. Although her lawyers tried to ban the media from reporting on Benaissa's previously unknown HIV infection, One of her three partners, with whom she had sex between 2000 and 2004, became infected with HIV as a result. In May 2010, No Angels began their five-date acoustic An Intimate Evening With tour in Munich, their first concert tour in eight years. Benaissa did not take part in the tour as she had called in sick a week before, prompting the remaining trio to re-arrange their set at the last minute. On 26 August 2010, she was found guilty on one count of causing grievous bodily harm and two of attempted bodily harm and was given a two-year suspended sentence.

In September 2010, after months of speculation, the singer announced via MySpace that she had quit the band for good, leaving No Angels as a trio. In her statement, Benaissa claimed she felt that she had become bigger than the group, stating: "The scandal, the trial – they were overwhelmed by it [...] They'll be fine without me." After her conviction, Benaissa and her daughter relocated to Berlin. In November 2010, in a show of solidarity, she was invited to perform two Rio Reiser songs at the Reminders Day Award, an awards ceremony for extraordinary commitment in the fight against HIV and AIDS. In 2011, she largely withdrew from the public eye to obtain her high school diploma at Berlin-Kolleg and began training as an event manager.

2018–2025: Return to the limelight After a few years away from the public, in 2018, Benaissa began making occasional appearances as a singer again. In December 2018, she, along with The Real Rogers & Friends gospel band, served as a backing vocalist at singer Mariah Carey's Christmas concert in Berlin. In October 2019, she co-starred in rapper Mellow Mark's music video for his song "Stay Humble." The same month, Benaissa was announced as the new member of the all-female Dresden a cappella band Medlz. The quartet was expected to embark on a concert tour in April 2020, though the series was delayed following the outbreak and subsequent spreading of the COVID-19 virus.

In late 2020, BMG Rights Management acquired the catalog of No Angels' former label Cheyenne Records. Released to strong streaming numbers in November 2020, a revived interest from the media and their fan base prompted Benaissa and her former band mates to launch an official Instagram account through which they began sharing private photos and hosted several livestreams in the weeks following. With BMG interested in issuing updated versions of their early catalog, the quartet re-formed in January 2021 to record 20, their first full-length album release since 2009, with plans to expand the anniversary celebrations. Released in June 2021, the album debuted at number one on the German Albums Chart, becoming No Angels' first chart topper in nearly two decades. In June 2022, the band kicked off their Celebration Tour at the Kindl-Bühne Wuhlheide.

In November 2023, Benaissa released the single "Ich halt dich nicht auf," a duet with singer Noël André. The song is planned to precede her yet-to-be-titled second solo album which Benaissa was expecting for release in 2024. On 27 March 2024, Benaissa co-starred as Maria in the RTL live action musical Die Passion, based on the Passion of Jesus and filmed in Kassel. While the live show was broadcast to highly critical reviews, From April to May 2024, she competed as Elgonia on the tenth season of the German adaption of the reality singing competition television series The Masked Singer, finishing in fourth place. In 2025, she reteamed with former No Angels collaborator Peter Plate to record the song "Der Krieg ist aus," the lead single from the soundtrack album Romeo & Julia – Liebe ist Alles. To promote the release, she performed two standalone concerts in Berlin and Cologne, her first solo live appearances in several years. On May 8, 2026, she self-released the single "Es könnte nicht besser sein," co-written with Philippe Bühler.

Released: 24 February 2006 Label: Universal Music Urban Formats: CD, digital download 71

Singles + List of singles, with selected chart positions Title Year Peak positions Album GER "Es ist Liebe" 2005 64 — Schritt für Schritt "Ich hab dich" 36 60 "Won't Forget These Days" (with Music Team Germany) 2006 48 — "Ich halt dich nicht auf" (with Noel Andre) 2023 — — "Der Krieg ist aus" 2025 — — "Es könnte nicht besser sein" 2026 — — "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Appearances + List of appearances Title Year Other artist(s) Album "Liebe & Verstand" 2001 Sisters Keepers Lightkultur "Know Your Emotion"2005 "Ich hab dich" "Won't Forget These Days"2006 Music Team Germany project Charity CD single "Dirty Dancing"2007 DJ Sakin Vinyl single "Unlock My Chains" Superlounger Islands Vol. 04 "Mein Jahr" 2008 FlerFremd im eigenen Land "Schüffelma Skit SketchKennsduskitsketwarumnich? "Wir sind keine Kinder mehr" 2009 Samy Deluxe, Xavier Naidoo Diss wo ich herkomm