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MIA.

About:

MIA. Was founded in 1997 in Berlin as a schoolband. Singer Mieze and Andi Ross hooked up with Sarah Kuttner, Robert Schütze and Ingo Puls. In the first year they changed names a lot but finally they stuck with MIA. Which is short for Me In Affairs although nowadays they claim it stands for Musik ist Alles. The first demo’s were released on the small label R.O.T.

1999 the band signed a distribution deal with the major label BMG and released the English sung single ‘Sugar My Skin’, which was the official song for the YOU-Jugendmesse of that year. The band toured extensively but it took a while before a follow up single 'Factory City' was released in 2001. The electropunk remix of this song (mixed by producer Nhoah) turned out to be a big hit in the clubs. For their first album the group dropped the English lyrics in favour of their native tongue. The first album, 'Hieb und StichFEST', was a reasonable succes, also thanks to the video clips accompaing the singles 'Alles Neu' and 'Verrückt'. Reactions from the main public differed from enthousiastic for the energetic live act to annoyed due to the performance of frontlady Mieze.

In September 2003 their single ‘Was es ist’ led to controversy in Germany. The lyrics describe a positive, almost loving relationship with Germany, which many extreme leftists, who had previously thought MIA. to be part of their movement saw as nationalism and a return to ‘Fatherland Romanticism’, generally associated with the extreme right. MIA. refused this interpretation of the song but from then on they were targeted as enemies of the left movement. The protests peaked in 2004 with an incident at a free concert they gave in support of the student protests. Students threw eggs and tomatoes at the band. After this the protests subsided although the band themselves started playing at a lot of anti-Nazi-festivals to show what they really think.

On 19 march 2004 MIA. entered the pre selection for Eurovision Song Contest 2004 with the song ‘Hungriges Herz’. Although they didn’t succeed to get the first place it was the moment when the main public got to know the band and they received the Goldene Stimmgabel for best pop group (female).

In October 2005 the documentairy MIA. – ‘Keine Zeit zu verlieren’ was premiered at the Internationalen Leipziger Festival für Dokumentar- und Animationsfilm. Moviemakers Gerd Breiter and Piet Schmelz follow the band during the live concerts and in the studio. In 2006 they had a big summer hit with the single ‘Tanz der Moleküle’ that preceded the accompanying album Zirkus that entered the second place in the Albumcharts.

Up until now MIA. did not enter the Eurovision pre-selection again but did take part in the ´Bundesvision Songcontest´ on 9 February 2007 which is a sort of anti-Eurovision initiated by German TV personality Stefan Raab. In it the federal states of Germany face off against each other with songs. MIA. represented Berlin with their song 'Zirkus' and came in fourth place. In april 2008 the band opens the new T-Mobile-Forum in Bonn with a set and a new song called ´Mein Freund´. The song is the new single for the album 'Wilkommen im club' which is released later that year. A period of lengthy touring follows which the band sows the popularity they build up the past years. It would take four years to record the fifth album in which the band refines an balances their symbiosis of pop, rock and electronics. Three years later this balance is discarded for a full electro-rock album with a high emphasis on electro.

(with thanks to Karsten from the German fanclub for improving above text)

On the web:

- MIA.'s website: http://www.miarockt.de
- MiA.'s official German fanclub: www.miaplus.de

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What do we think:

DB: Great new German group. And if you ask me more interesting that generation members Wir Sind Helden, and certainly much more interesting then the internationally overrated Guano Apes. OK, I have admit that listening to 'Stille Post' on the headphones in Berlin's Saturn it didn't immediatelly appealed to me. MIA. has to grow on you, but after that you can't get the songs out of your head for days. Energetic and punky MIA. taps into electronics, rock and german pop. And they do get better by the album so I'm looking forward for their next one.

PR: New Europop representatnts from Germany! Interesting songs, very modern production and a front woman with an attitude. The Nena of the new millennium? Their yet small oeuvre sounds promessing... Definitely a band I expect some great creative output from in the future!

Albums:

♪♪- Hieb & Stichfest - 2002

♪♪♪ - Stille Post - 2004

♪♪♪♪- Zirkus - 2006

♪♪♪♪- Willkommen im club - 2008

♪♪♪♪ - Tacheles - 2012

♪♪♪- Biste Mode - 2015

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♪♪♪♪♪ = outstanding album, an absolute must-have
♪♪♪♪ = great album, highly recomended
♪♪♪ = nice album
♪♪ = be careful, requires listening before buying
♪ = best to be avoided