Imperio (band)
| Company type | Music group |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1994 |
| Founder | Norbert Reichart |
| Defunct | 1997 |
| Headquarters | Austria |
| Products | Eurodance, dream trance music |
Imperio was a Eurodance and dream trance ensemble from Austria, established in 1994 by the producer Norbert Reichart.
Musical career
The group launched their first album, Veni Vidi Vici, in 1995, which yielded four singles. The original lineup included vocalist Manuela Ray alongside rapper Michael Harris. Harris departed within the same year and was succeeded by Lawrence Madia. Their sophomore album, Return To Paradise, was released in 1996, preceding the group's dissolution in 1997.
After the breakup, it was revealed that the vocals credited to Ray and Harris were actually performed by Austrian singer Tini Kainrath—who later joined The Rounder Girls and represented Austria in Eurovision 2000—and Portuguese rapper Paulo Martins. Contrary to earlier assumptions, Madia did not provide vocals on Return to Paradise, since the album featured no rap sections following Martins' exit.
Both Kainrath and Martins also took part in Reichart’s other Eurodance venture, Decadance.
Members Timeline
Live Performers:
- Manuela Ray (1994–1997)
- Lawrence Madia (1995–1997)
- Michael Harris (1994–1995)
Recording Vocalists:
- Tini Kainrath (1994–1997)
- Paulo Martins (1994–1995)
Studio albums
| Album | Information | Highest chart rankings | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUT | SUI | |||||||||||||
| Veni Vidi Vici |
|
27 | — | |||||||||||
| Return to Paradise |
|
11 | 26 | |||||||||||
| "—" indicates albums that did not enter the charts | ||||||||||||||
Singles
| Year | Track | Peak chart positions | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUT | GER | SPA | SUI | |||
| 1994 | "Veni Vidi Vici" | 3 | — | — | — | Veni Vidi Vici |
| 1995 | "Quo Vadis" | 6 | 33 | — | — | |
| "Nostra Culpa" | 3 | — | — | — | ||
| "Amor Infinitus" | 10 | — | — | — | ||
| 1996 | "Cyberdream" | 6 | 43 | 1 | — | Return to Paradise |
| "Atlantis" | 7 | 40 | 5 | 31 | ||
| "Return to Paradise" | 14 | — | — | — | ||
| 1997 | "Wings of Love" | 20 | — | — | — | |