Tic Tac Toe (band)
| Company type | Girl group |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1995 |
| Founder | Liane "Lee" Wiegelmann, Ricarda "Ricky" Wältken, Marlene "Jazzy" Tackenberg |
| Defunct | 2007 |
| Headquarters | Germany |
Area served | German-speaking countries, Netherlands, Eastern Europe |
| Products | Pop-rap music |
Tic Tac Toe was a German girl group established in 1995, recognized for their distinctive pop-rap sound. Their initial two albums, Tic Tac Toe and Klappe die 2te, achieved multi-platinum certification and delivered major hits such as "Ich find' dich scheiße", "Verpiss' dich", and "Warum?". The group enjoyed widespread acclaim across German-speaking countries, the Netherlands, and parts of Eastern Europe. After experiencing internal disputes and scandals, they disbanded in 2001. A brief reunion in 2005 produced the successful single "Spiegel" but concluded with their ultimate dissolution in 2007.
1995–1996: Formation and debut album
The trio was formed in 1995 by Liane "Lee" Wiegelmann, Ricarda "Ricky" Wältken, and Marlene "Jazzy" Tackenberg, all hailing from Germany’s industrial Ruhr region. Their manager, Claudia Wohlfromm, collaborated with Torsten Börger to co-write the entirety of their material. To resonate with younger listeners, the band was marketed as teenagers, although only Ricky was an actual teenager at the time of formation.
Their first single, "Ich find' dich scheiße" (1995), attracted media attention due to its provocative title ("I Think You're Shit") but nevertheless became a hit throughout Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. The debut album, bearing the group's name, was released in spring 1996, climbing into the top 5 charts and earning multi-platinum status. Follow-up singles included "Funky" and "Leck mich am A, B, Zeh," which promoted safe sex awareness. The edgy fourth single "Verpiss' dich" ("Fuck Off") marked their first number one hit in both Germany and Switzerland. During this time, their public feud with German rapper Sabrina Setlur garnered significant media attention.
1997–1998: Second album and controversies
In 1997, Tic Tac Toe launched their sophomore album, Klappe die 2te, which replicated their prior success by achieving multi-platinum sales and topping charts in Germany and Switzerland with over 1.1 million copies sold domestically. The lead single "Warum?", inspired by a friend’s fatal drug overdose, reached number one across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland and remains their most successful track. The reggae-flavored "Mr. Wichtig" followed as a top ten hit, while subsequent singles like "Bitte küss' mich nicht", tackling sexual harassment themes, charted lower outside the top 20.
This era also brought negative publicity revealing discrepancies about the members’ real ages and fabricated backstories. Personal struggles emerged publicly; notably, Liane Wiegelmann faced tragedy with her husband’s suicide alongside reports concerning her past drug use and involvement in child prostitution at age sixteen. Internal friction intensified as Ricky Wältken reportedly suffered from stress-related health issues. A 1997 press conference aimed at repairing their image instead exposed conflicts among members, culminating in Lee leaving visibly upset. As a result, the group’s popularity declined sharply. Ricky departed shortly thereafter to embark on a solo career; she released several singles that met with modest success but her solo album failed to chart.
1999–2009: Comeback and definitive split
Following Ricky’s exit, Lee and Jazzy continued as a duo until Sara Brahms joined them. Together they released the successful 1999 single "Nie wieder" under the name Sara @ Tic Tac Two; this track later appeared on Sara’s solo project. In 2000, the band issued their third studio album Ist der Ruf erst ruiniert..., featuring Sara but reverting to the original Tic Tac Toe name. Three singles were released to promote the album with "Isch liebe disch" achieving the greatest success. However, overall sales fell short compared to earlier works leading to the group’s breakup in 2000.
The original members reunited in 2005 when Ricky rejoined the lineup. Their comeback single "Spiegel" reached the top ten charts reigniting public interest. Shortly after, former label Sony BMG issued a greatest hits compilation in early 2006. The band followed up with their fourth studio album Comeback, which had limited chart impact. The subsequent single "Keine Ahnung" failed to enter charts and due to weak demand, their comeback tour was cut short. Tic Tac Toe officially disbanded again in early 2007.
Rumors circulated about a 2009 reunion featuring Brahms replacing Lee but these plans never materialized. Lee retired from music and was reported to be employed as a cashier at a zoo in Cologne. Jazzy has since released solo material intermittently while also engaging in musicals and television appearances.
Members
- Lee – Liane Claudia Wiegelmann, born Springer (born 29 July 1974 in Iserlohn): active 1995–2001, then again from 2005–2007
- Jazzy – Marlene Victoria Tackenberg (born 4 August 1975 in Gelsenkirchen): participated 1995–2001 and 2005–2007
- Ricky – Ricarda Priscilla Nonyem Wältken (born 24 February 1978 in Dortmund): member between 1995–1997 and returned 2005–2007
- Sara – Sara Brahms (born 24 July 1978 in Brighton): part of the group from 1998 to 2001
Studio albums
| Album | Details | Highest chart rankings | Certifications | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GER | AUT | EUR | HUN | NLD | SWI | |||
| Tic Tac Toe | 3 | 3 | 15 | — | — | 4 |
| |
| Klappe die 2te |
|
1 | 2 | 5 | 27 | 43 | 1 |
|
| Ist der Ruf erst ruiniert... |
|
34 | 50 | 100 | — | — | 92 | |
| Comeback |
|
25 | 26 | 73 | — | — | 43 | |
Compilations
| Compilation title | Details | Top chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GER | AUT | ||
| The Best Of |
|
51 | 35 |
Singles
| Year of release | Song title | Peak chart rankings | Certifications | Associated album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GER | AUT | EUR | NLD | SWI | ||||
| 1995 | "Ich find' dich scheiße" | 3 | 4 | 15 | 38 | 6 |
|
Tic Tac Toe |
| 1996 | "Funky" | "14" | "13" | "37" | "—" | "9" | ||
| "Leck mich am A, B, Zeh" | "21" | "—" | "77" | "—" | "18" | |||
| "Verpiss' dich" | "1" | "3" | "9" | "—" | "1" |
|
Tic Tac Toe | |
| 1997 | "Warum?" | "1" | "1" | "4" | "5" | "1" |
|
Klappe die 2te |
| "Mr. Wichtig" | "6" | "6" | "19" | "—" | "10" |
| ||
| "Ich wär' so gern so blöd wie du" | "32" | "33" | "—" | "—" | "—" | |||
| "Bitte küss' mich nicht" | "47" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "—" | |||
| 1999 | "Nie wieder" (Sara @ Tic Tac Two) | "4" | "4" | "13" | "—" | "4" |
|
Spiesserparadies (Sara album) |
| 2000 | "Ist der Ruf erst ruiniert..." | "27" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "—" |
Ist der Ruf erst ruiniert... | |
| "Isch liebe disch" | "11" | "6" | "73" | "—" | "38" | |||
| "Morgen ist heute schon gestern" | "96" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "—" | |||
| 2005 | "Spiegel" | "7" | "7" | "30" | "—" | "10" |
Comeback | |
| 2006 | "Keine Ahnung" | "—" | "—"
|
Comeback | ||||
External links
- Women hip-hop groups
- German girl groups
- German hip-hop groups
- German musical trios
- Pop-rap groups
- Music controversies
- Musical groups disbanded in 2007
- Musical groups formed in 1995
- Musical groups originating from North Rhine-Westphalia
- Musical groups reunited in 2005
- World Music Awards recipients
- Musical groups disestablished in 2007