Mr. President (band)
| Company type | Music group |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music, entertainment |
| Founded | 1991 in Bremen, Germany |
| Founder | Jens Neumann, Kai Matthiesen |
| Defunct | 2008 |
| Headquarters | Bremen , Germany |
| Products | Eurodance music, albums, singles |
Mr. President was a German Eurodance ensemble primarily recognized for their 1996 international hit "Coco Jamboo". The group also achieved notable popularity across Europe with dance tracks such as "Up'n Away", "I'll Follow the Sun", "I Give You My Heart", "4 on the Floor", and "Jojo Action". Their discography includes the albums Up'n Away – The Album and We See the Same Sun.
Established in 1991 in Bremen by producers Jens Neumann and Kai Matthiesen, the initial lineup consisted of German vocalists Judith Hildebrandt (known as T-Seven), Daniela Haak (Lady Danii), alongside American rapper George Jones (Sir Prophet). In 1994, British rapper Delroy Rennalls (Layzee Dee) took over from Jones. Hildebrandt departed in 2000 to pursue a solo path and was replaced by Nadia Ayche, who was shortly succeeded by Myra Beckmann in 2001. Following Beckmann’s exit in 2003, Franziska Frank (Franzi) joined the group. Mr. President officially ceased activities in 2008.
Following the group's dissolution, Rennalls has toured Europe under the name LayZee, formerly of Mr. President, releasing solo projects and, since 2014, performing live alongside Hungarian vocalist Erika Kovács. Together, they continue to bring Mr. President’s classic hits to audiences globally.
Formation and Early Years (1991)
In 1991, German DJs Jens Neumann and Kai Matthiesen created Satellite One, a duo combining live rap and singing with American rapper George Jones and German vocalist Daniela Haak. The group expanded into a trio with the addition of German singer Judith Hildebrandt. Each member adopted a stage persona: Hildebrandt as "T-Seven," Jones as "Sir Prophet," and Haak as "Lady Danii."
After several years performing club gigs without major commercial breakthroughs, Neumann and Matthiesen assumed roles as managers and producers, rebranding the act as Mr. President. Under this new identity, they released the underground club track "MM" in 1993—an acronym for Marilyn Monroe.
Breakthrough with "Up'n Away" (1995)
Following their initial underground success, Mr. President launched Up'n Away. In mid-1994, Jones was replaced by British rapper Delroy Rennalls (Layzee Dee). Their debut album, Up'n Away – The Album (1995), featured an updated rendition of "Up'n Away" including Rennalls' rap verses and contained the single "I'll Follow the Sun".
Global Recognition via "Coco Jamboo" (1996)
In 1996, Neumann and Matthiesen embraced a reggae-infused style with "Coco Jamboo", which became an international crossover sensation. The single climbed to No. 8 on UK charts and reached No. 21 on the US Billboard Hot 100. This track was part of their album We See the Same Sun, which also featured hits like "I Give You My Heart" and "Show Me the Way".
Night Club and Space Gate Era (1997–1999)
Following up on We See the Same Sun, Mr. President released Night Club in 1997, which included the hit single Jojo Action. This track reached No. 3 in Austria and maintained their European popularity, though it did not chart significantly in the US market. During this period, Lady Danii temporarily left to embark on a solo career with Reset, returning after several months.
In 1997, rumors emerged alleging that Haak, Hildebrandt, and Rennalls did not provide their own vocals; instead citing Caren Miller, Anne Schroeder, and William King III as the actual singers. On German television, Matthiesen and Neumann refuted these claims by confirming that Daniela Haak’s and Judith Hildebrandt’s voices were indeed used but had been pitch-modified during production. Studio singer Caren Miller acknowledged her involvement as co-composer and background vocalist but supported the frontwomen’s stage presence; she left alongside Hildebrandt in 2000.
In 1998, Mr. President issued Space Gate, reverting to their earlier musical style. Singles such as "Give a Little Love" and "Simbaleo" experienced moderate reception but did not replicate the success of their mid-90s hits.
Compilation release and hiatus (2000)
Following a six-month pause from the studio in 1999, Mr. President made a comeback with A Kind of... Best!, their inaugural singles collection. The lead single, Up N' Away 2k, did not achieve chart success, including in Germany. Amidst this downturn in commercial performance and diminishing audience engagement, Judith Hildebrandt departed in February 2000 to embark on a solo path. Subsequently, the group concentrated on issuing another compilation titled Golden Super Hits, which was released towards the end of 2000.
Personnel shifts and Forever & One Day era (2001–2004)
At the beginning of 2001, Mr. President resurfaced with classical vocalist Nadia Ayche. Despite live appearances and initial recording sessions, Ayche was dismissed in 2002 due to artistic disagreements. She was succeeded by Myra Beckmann, prompting the band to commence work on their forthcoming album.
After nearly twelve months of production, Forever & One Day debuted in summer 2003, spearheaded by the single Love, Sex and Sunshine, which climbed to No. 23 on the German charts after a four-year hiatus from charting. The subsequent single, the title track Forever & One Day, reached No. 51. Early into the tour, Beckmann exited owing to health concerns, leaving Haak and Rennalls to continue as a duo until Franziska "Franzi" Frank was brought on as the lead singer.
Closing singles and disbandment (2005–2008)
Following the tour's conclusion, plans for a new album were announced but never came to fruition; however, the band sustained live performances at events such as Hit Giganten through 2006. In 2005, they issued an iTunes-exclusive single featuring Frank’s vocals—a rendition of Inner Circle’s "Sweat (A La La La La Long)". The following year saw another iTunes-only release titled "Megamix 2006", which combined their most popular tracks into a single medley.
After releasing "Megamix 2006", Mr. President entered a period of inactivity with occasional performances until 2008 when Lazy, Frank, and Haak officially declared the group's dissolution. Since then, Lazy has performed '90s nostalgia shows with various female singers covering Mr. President material; T-Seven has pursued a solo career touring with her "90s Unplugged" show; other former members have retired from the music industry.
LayZee formerly of Mr. President (2008–present)
Beginning in 2008, Rennalls has toured throughout Europe and South America under the name LayZee, formerly of Mr. President. In 2014, he incorporated Hungarian vocalist Erika Kovács into his live ensemble. Together, Rennalls and Kovács continue to perform Mr. President’s hits worldwide. Additionally, Rennalls produces solo projects through his independent label DieZel Records, having released seven singles including "Tonight", "Summertime", "Copacabana", "Come On Everybody", and "Calling in Sick".
Band line-up
- Lady Danii (Daniela Haak; 1991–2008)
- T-Seven (Judith Hildebrandt; 1991–2000)
- Sir Prophet (George Jones; 1991–1994)
- Lazy Dee (Delroy Rennalls; 1994–2008)
- Caren Miller (1994–1999) (ghost singer for T-Seven)
- Anne Schroeder (1994–1999) (ghost singer for Lady Danii)
- William King III (1995–2003) (ghost singer for Lazy Dee)
- Nadia Ayche (2001–2002)
- Myra (Myriam Beckmann; 2002–2003)
- Franzi (Franziska Frank; 2003–2008)
Timeline
Studio albums
| Album Title | Release Information | Highest Chart Rankings | Certifications | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GER |
AUT |
FIN |
JPN |
NL |
SWE |
SWI | |||
| Up'n Away – The Album |
|
37 | — | 4 | — | — | — | 38 |
|
| We See the Same Sun (Released as Coco Jumbo in Japan) |
|
16 | 15 | 1 | 10 | 80 | 56 | 9 | |
| Night Club (Known as Joe Joe Action in Japan) |
|
10 | 15 | 10 | 17 | — | — | 11 |
|
| Space Gate |
|
5 | 22 | 32 | 48 | — | — | 11 | |
Compilation albums
| Compilation Title | Release Details | Peak Chart Position | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JPN | |||||||||||||
| Mr. President (Exclusive to U.S. market) |
|
94 | |||||||||||
| Happy People (Japanese market only) |
|
— | |||||||||||
| A Kind of...Best! |
|
— | |||||||||||
| Forever & One Day (Japan exclusive release) |
|
— | |||||||||||
| "—" indicates albums that either did not chart or were not made available. | |||||||||||||
Singles
| Title | Year | Highest chart rankings | Certifications | Album | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GER |
AUS |
AUT |
FIN |
FRA |
NDL |
SWE |
SWI |
UK |
US | ||||
| "MM" | 1993 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | |
| "Up'n Away" | 1994 | 12 | — | 6 | 17 | — | — | 24 | 17 | 156 | — |
|
Up'n Away – The Album |
| "I'll Follow the Sun" | 1995 | 23 | — | 18 | 15 | — | — | — | 16 | — | — | ||
| "4 On the Floor" | 38 | — | — | 20 | — | — | 36 | — | — | — | |||
| "Gonna Get Along (Without Ya Now)" | 31 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Coco Jamboo" | 1996 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 28 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 21 | We See the Same Sun | |
| "I Give You My Heart" | 7 | — | 12 | 9 | — | — | 47 | 6 | 52 | — |
| ||
| "Show Me the Way" | 28 | — | 18 | 19 | — | — | 59 | 21 | — | — | |||
| "Coco Jamboo (Christmas Version)" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Gonna Get Along" [re-release] | "—" indicates singles that did not chart or were not released. | ||||||||||||
| "Jojo Action" | "1997" | "78"|"3"|"8"|"—"|"—"|"—"|"5"|"73"|"—" |
|
"Night Club" | |||||||||
| "Take Me to the Limit" | "—"|"16"|"18"|"—"|"—"|"—"|"21"|"—"|"—" | ||||||||||||
| "Where Do I Belong" (featuring Münchener Freiheit) |
"—"|"25"|"—"|"—"|"—"|"—"|"—"|"—"|"—" | ||||||||||||
| "Happy People" | "1998" | "—"|"16"|"—"|"—"|"—"|"17"|"—"|"—" | |||||||||||
| "Give a Little Love" | "1999" | "—"|"8"|"—"|"—"|"—"|"18"|"—" | 'Space Gate' | ||||||||||
| "Simbaleo" | "—"|"40"|"—"|"—"|"—"|"24" | ||||||||||||
| "Up'n Away 2K" | '2000' | '—'|'—'|'–'|'–'|'–'|'–'|'–'|'–' | 'A Kind of... Best' | ||||||||||
| 'Love, Sex & Sunshine' | '2003' | '–'|'35'|'–'|'–'|'–'|'–'|'–'|'–' | 'Forever & One Day' | ||||||||||
| 'Forever & One Day' | '–'|'48'|'–'|'–'|'–'|'–'|'–'|'–' | ||||||||||||
| 'Sweat (A La La La La Long)' | '2005' | '–'|'–'|'–'|'–'|'–'|'–'|'–' | |||||||||||
| 'Megamix 2006' | '2006' | '–'|'–'|'–'|'–'|'–'|'–' | |||||||||||
External links
- Official Mr. President website
- Mr. President on MySpace
- Profile of Mr. President at Euro Dance Hits.com