The 80’s – The Peace Movement, New Wave and – Sandra. There are very few artists who manage to stamp such a lasting impression on an era as the singer from Saarland (Germany) did. Who hasn’t still got “Maria Magdalena” pumping through their body and stuck in their head? Who still doesn’t get teary-eyed when listening to her version of “Hiroshima”? Eight studio albums and countless singles, a total of over 15 million record sales, have marked the progression of a career, which has turned her into the most successful international German artist. In 2002 the endearing singer celebrated a superb ‘come-back’ victory when her first album released after a seven year break went straight into the Top 10. The first single from the album, “Forever”, was instantly recognisable as typically Sandra, thanks to the unbelievably creative and professional music video, amongst other things. Sandra became an international star with “Maria Magdalena”, before she was stalked by the paparazzi, and before she was mobbed by fans, who even set up camp in the front garden of her Munich home. She was just little girl, 12 years old, born in Saarbrücken, when a specific personality trait helped her to achieve her first career break. Sitting in the audience of a talent competition, Sandra was so disappointed with the singing entries that she went out to the car, picked up an Olivia Newton-John tape, gave it to a technician and climbed up onto the stage. When she returned to her parents after giving her unscheduled performance, a music producer was already sitting there, negotiating with them. Following this signing, “Andy, Mein Freund” (Andy, My Friend), a song about her dog, was the first Sandra single released, under the pseudonym “Sandra Ann”. Die-hard collectors have been willing to pay the best part of a 3 figure sum in Euros to get their hands on these limited edition copies. The next stage of her career, being a part of the all-girl trio, Arabesque, brought young Sandra great success. Not just on her own doorstep, though, but also in the distant land of Japan. Arabesque had recorded 9 studio albums by 1984, raising them to true Spice Girl status in Japan. At the beginning of the 80’s, while still with Arabesque, fate led Sandra to meet the keyboard player Michael Cretu. At that time the famous producer was still struggling to make a living as a studio session musician. He realised the singer’s enormous talent and started to produce her. Their first collaboration, a German cover version of Alphaville’s classic “Big In Japan” did not earn them immediate acclaim. But in July 1985 nothing could stop it happening: “Maria Magdalena” was being played in all the favourite German holiday resorts in all the 3 hippest discos, and when the tourists got back home they descended upon the record shops making the song a mega-hit: 5 million records were sold worldwide. “Maria Magdalena” stayed at No. 1 in the German charts for 9 weeks. The legend, Sandra, was born. From then on Michael Cretu produced one hit single after another from the studio in the cellar of their Munich home. A few examples: “In The Heat Of The Night”, the single which gave birth to Sandra’s first properly directed music video, “Little Girl”, which was accompanied by one of the most expensive videos of that time, and “Everlasting Love” which had a video requiring Sandra to change outfits over 20 times. Further albums followed the debut in yearly intervals: “Mirrors” came out in October 1986, including the Top 10 single “Hi! Hi! Hi!” amongst others. Exactly one year later “Ten On One” was released, producing the singles “Everlasting Love” and “Stop For A Minute”. Both of these singles also achieved Top 10 positions. 1988 was another extremely important year for Sandra. She married her long-term producer and partner Michael Cretu, and together they fled from their high-profile life in Munich to the sun and solitude of the Mediterranean island, Ibiza. The album completed that same year was called “Into A Secret Land” and influenced by the move to Ibiza, contained a whole new meaning of its own. Even though Sandra could now lead a peaceful life, the laid-back lifestyle did not lull her into lethargy. Her fifth album “Paintings In Yellow” was released in March 1990, producing hits like “Hiroshima” or “Johnny Wanna Live”. At the same time she lent her voice to a new project of her husband’s: Enigma was born. “Sadeness - Part One” featuring Sandra’s erotic, husky chanting became an international mega-hit – and Sandra demonstrated once again, that she is bold enough and strong enough to veer off the beaten track. The time that followed became one of the most creative periods of Sandra’s entire career to date. The videos for her singles “Don’t Be Aggressive” and “I Need Love”, from the 1992 album “Close To Seven”, clearly demonstrate the high artistic standards the adoptive Spaniard set herself. As testimony to this Sandra received Bravo’s golden Otto award for the fourth year running for best singer. Sandra recorded “Fading Shades” in 1995 in the late stages of pregnancy. She appeared before the camera for the video to “Nights In White Satin” shortly before the birth of her twin sons, declaring afterwards that it was now time to devote herself to her family. Even after a seven year break nothing could dent her creativity and expressiveness: “The Wheel Of Time”, the first album following the long ‘baby-break’, slipped effortlessly into the Top 10, and the video for the single “Forever” summarises a retrospective of over 27 successful years, both behind the microphone and in front of the camera. The 23 video clips in "The Complete History" DVD bear you off on a journey through time. The flamboyant fashions of the 80’s spring back to life, the experimental 90’s document the emergence of the new world of technology, and in “Forever” we see the Sandra of the new century. However, all the video clips, old and new, have one thing in common: They show an artist, who has become an international superstar through talent and courage, and who has always used this to try and break new ground. This makes this collection of video clips a timeless documentary of the career of a singer who made her dreams come true: Sandra. Text extract from "The Complete History" DVD. Available in this page for promo support.