Wir sind Helden
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 2000 in Hamburg, Germany |
| Headquarters | Berlin , Germany |
| Products | Music albums, singles, EPs |
Wir sind Helden (translating to "We are heroes" in German) was a German pop rock ensemble established in 2000 in Hamburg and later based out of Berlin. The group consisted of lead vocalist and guitarist Judith Holofernes, drummer , bassist , and keyboardist/guitarist .
Their commercial breakthrough arrived in 2002 with the single "Guten Tag", which was released independently prior to securing a recording contract. Their first album, Die Reklamation, reached number two on the German charts and achieved sales exceeding 500,000 units. Subsequent releases—Von hier an blind, Soundso, and Bring mich nach Hause—consistently attained top positions, either No. 1 or No. 2, on charts in Germany and Austria.
Drawing significant inspiration from the Neue Deutsche Welle, especially evident on Die Reklamation, Wir sind Helden integrated social critique into songs such as "Guten Tag" and "Müssen nur wollen". In April 2012, the band declared an indefinite pause in their activities.
2000–2002: Formation and early development
Prior to creating Wir sind Helden, singer-songwriter Judith Holofernes performed solo across Berlin venues and independently released the EP Kamikazefliege in 1999. The band formed in 2000 after Holofernes met drummer Pola Roy and keyboardist/guitarist Jean-Michel Tourette during a pop music workshop held in Hamburg. Shortly thereafter, bassist Mark Tavassol became part of the group.
The choice of band name was intended to reclaim the term "Helden" ("heroes") for antiheroes, inspired by the German band Die Helden—the first live act that Holofernes attended—and also influenced by David Bowie's track "Heroes".
In 2002, Wir sind Helden independently released the EP Guten Tag. Although they had not yet signed with a label, the title song received notable airplay on German radio stations as well as rotation on MTV Germany. This exposure drew attention from record companies, culminating in a contract with Labels, an EMI subsidiary. As their prominence grew, Holofernes made an appearance on the well-known German late-night program Die Harald Schmidt Show.
2003–2004: Die Reklamation
The debut single from Wir sind Helden, titled "Guten Tag", was issued in February 2003, followed by "Müssen nur wollen" in May of the same year.[1] Both tracks, which critique consumer culture and societal expectations, attracted media attention and reached positions No. 53 and No. 57 on the German singles chart.[2][3]
Their first album, Die Reklamation, released in July 2003,[1] combined punk-inspired songs like the singles with more reflective pieces such as "Die Zeit heilt alle Wunder".[4] The album was highlighted by Spiegel Online as a significant release of 2003, noting its fusion of New Wave and Neue Deutsche Welle styles.[5] Stefan Friedrich from laut.de commended Holofernes for her clever and insightful German-language lyrics.[6]
Upon release, Die Reklamation entered the German albums chart at No. 6, eventually reaching a peak position of No. 2 and achieving sales exceeding 500,000 copies.[7][1] At the 2004 ECHO music awards, the group was honored with three awards.[8]
2005–2006: Von hier an blind
Released in April 2005, Von hier an blind represented a transition toward a more introspective approach compared to their debut. Holofernes explained that the album delves into what internally hinders happiness ("Ich habe mich gefragt, was mich tief im Inneren davon abhält, glücklich zu sein).
Musically, this record reduced the emphasis on keyboards and moved away from Neue Deutsche Welle influences, while including a swing number titled "Gekommen um zu bleiben," which was performed with a live orchestra during the 2005 ECHO awards.
The album debuted at No. 1 on the German albums chart, maintaining a top 10 presence for twenty consecutive weeks, and also secured the top position in Austria. Singles such as "Gekommen um zu bleiben" and another track both reached the German top 30.
In 2005, Wir sind Helden headlined Germany’s Rock am Ring festival and participated in Berlin’s Live 8 concert series. The following year, Holofernes and Roy married and started a family.
2007–2009: Soundso
The band's third studio album, Soundso, launched in May 2007, attained the No. 2 spot on both German and Austrian album charts. Tavassol described its themes as examining role assignments, individuality, and personality traits within those roles.
This release marked an evolution in their sound by downplaying Neue Deutsche Welle elements and integrating components such as brass instruments, glam-style guitars, and virtual orchestral arrangements. Additionally, it introduced what they termed "musical humour," featuring duophonic guitars alongside synthesized saxophones to create a unique character.
The leading single, "Endlich ein Grund zur Panik," fused energetic synthpop with swing and ska influences. Though it divided some fans, it reached No. 34 on the German singles chart.
2010–2011: Bring mich nach Hause
After a three-year interval, Wir sind Helden made their comeback in August 2010 with their fourth studio album, Bring mich nach Hause. Following the dissolution of Labels, the group signed with Sony Music and transitioned from producer Patrik Majer to the English producer Ian Davenport.
This album marked a shift towards acoustic instrumentation rather than electronic synthesizers, featuring instruments such as the accordion, oud, banjo, and glockenspiel. Additionally, Jörg Holdinghausen, bassist from the German band Tele, contributed both as a guest musician and vocalist.
Holofernes characterized Bring mich nach Hause as a blend of both somber and uplifting tones, illustrated by its lead single "Alles," which peaked at No. 36 on the German singles chart. The album secured top chart positions, reaching No. 1 in both Germany and Austria.
2012: Indefinite hiatus
On 4 April 2012, Wir sind Helden declared an indefinite break, attributing this decision to factors including geographical separation, family responsibilities, and signs of fatigue. Subsequently, in February 2014, lead singer Holofernes embarked on a solo career with the release of her album Ein leichtes Schwert.
Musical style
The German media typically categorize the band within pop or pop rock genres. Roy acknowledged their musical inspirations stem from Neue Deutsche Welle and indie rock influences, with songwriting approaches drawing from artists like Elvis Costello, Bob Dylan, and Rio Reiser.
International activities
Wir sind Helden held two sold-out shows in London in 2005 and returned for a performance at the 2007 iTunes Festival hosted by the Institute of Contemporary Arts. Their international touring circuit also encompassed Austria, Belgium, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Switzerland.
In 2007, the iTunes Store's "Foreign Exchange" initiative paired Wir sind Helden with the American band +44 to create cross-language covers of each other's songs—German renditions by Wir sind Helden and English versions by +44.
Their tracks "Guten Tag" and "Endlich ein Grund zur Panik" were featured in EA Sports' video game soundtracks for FIFA Football 2004 and FIFA 08, respectively.
Two compilation albums were released abroad: Sa Itte Miyo targeting the Japanese market and Wir sind Helden for France, including select tracks re-recorded in Japanese or French.
Band members
- Judith Holofernes (Judith Holfelder von der Tann) – lead vocals, guitar
- Pola Roy (Sebastian Roy) – drums
- Mark Tavassol – bass
- Jean-Michel Tourette (Jens Eckhoff) – keyboards, guitar
Studio albums
| Year | Album details | GER | AUT | SWI | NLD | Certifications |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Die Reklamation
|
2 | 3 | 38 | — | * GER: 5× Gold
|
| 2005 | Von hier an blind
|
1 | 1 | 5 | 72 | * GER: 2× Platinum
|
| 2007 | Soundso
|
2 | 2 | 11 | — | * GER: Gold
|
| 2010 | Bring mich nach Hause
|
1 | 1 | 13 | — | * GER: Gold |
Note: Limited edition versions of Die Reklamation, Von hier an blind, and Soundso included bonus DVDs. Additionally, Bring mich nach Hause was issued as an unplugged album.
Compilation albums
| Year | Album information | Highest chart rankings | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GER | AUT | SWI | FRA | JPN | ||
| 2006 | Wir sind Helden
|
— | — | — | — | — |
| 2008 | Sa Itte Miyo
|
— | — | — | — | — |
| 2011 | Tausend wirre Worte – Lieblingslieder 2002–2010
|
12 | 50 | 87 | — | — |
Singles
2006 rowspan=3 |2007 rowspan=2 |2008 rowspan=2 |2010 rowspan=2 |2011| Year | Single title | Album name | Highest chart rankings | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GER | AUT | SWI | NLD | JPN | |||||
| 2003 | "Guten Tag" | Die Reklamation | 53 | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Müssen nur wollen" | 57 | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "Aurélie" | 47 | — | — | — | — | ||||
| 2004 | "Denkmal" | "Die Reklamation" | 26 | 41 | — | — | |||
| 2005 | "Gekommen um zu bleiben" | "Von hier an blind" | 24 | 4 | 39 | ||||
| "Nur ein Wort" | "Von hier an blind" | 28 | 13 | ||||||
| "Von hier an blind" | "Von hier an blind"
42 53 | ||||||||
| "Wenn es passiert" | "Von hier an blind"
41 34 — 24 — | ||||||||
| "Endlich ein Grund zur Panik" | "Soundso"
34 32 — — — | ||||||||
| "Soundso" | "Soundso"
62 — — — — | ||||||||
| "Kaputt" | "Soundso"
69 — — — — | ||||||||
| "Die Konkurrenz" | "Soundso"
— — — — — | ||||||||
| "Sa Itte Miyo" | "Sa Itte Miyo"
— — — — 85 | ||||||||
| "Alles" | "Bring mich nach Hause"
36 — — — — | ||||||||
| "Bring mich nach Hause" | "Bring mich nach Hause"
90 — — — — | ||||||||
| "Alles auf Anfang" | "Bring mich nach Hause"
63 — — — — | ||||||||
| "Die Ballade von Wolfgang und Brigitte" | "Bring mich nach Hause"
99 — — — — | ||||||||
Additional releases
- Guten Tag (2002) – independently issued EP containing five tracks, with a production run of 3,000 units
- iTunes Foreign Exchange #1 (2007) – single distributed via iTunes platform
- iTunes Festival: London 2007 (2007) – six-track EP available on iTunes
- Live @ Rockpalast (2012) – live concert video album
Awards
- ECHO
- 2004: National Newcomer Award (Deutsche Phono-Akademie), National Newcomer Award (audience vote), National Newcomer Video for "Müssen nur wollen"
- 2006: National Group of the Year
- Eins Live Krone (radio award)
- 2003: Outstanding Newcomer
- 2004: Best Live Performance
- 2005: Best Album for Von hier an blind
- European Border Breakers Award
- 2005: Awarded for Die Reklamation
Further reading
- Wir sind Helden (2007). Liederbuch. Muss das so? (in German). Bosworth Music. .
- Wir sind Helden (2008). Informationen zu Touren und anderen Einzelteilen (in German). Fischer Taschenbuch Verlag. .
External links
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedlaut - ↑ "Wir sind Helden – Guten Tag – Single"
- ↑ "Wir sind Helden – Müssen nur wollen – Single"
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedamboss - ↑ ["Abgehört 2003: Die wichtigsten CDs des Jahres"]
- ↑ Friedrich, Stefan.
- ↑ "Wir sind Helden – Die Reklamation – Album"
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedLippitz