Sarah Terenzi, better known by her stage name Sarah Connor, is a German singer,
songwriter, and television personality. Connor debuted in 2001 under the
guidance of artist manager George Glueck and became the first solo act to ever
have four consecutive chart-topping hits on the German Singles Chart. Following
success in mainland Europe with her single "From Sarah with Love" and her
debut album Green Eyed Soul, a series of hit records established her position as
the most successful German pop female vocalists to emerge in the 2000s with
sales in excess of over 15 million copies worldwide. Her seventh studio
album Real Love, was released in October 2010, amid her engagement as judge on
the German reality television show X Factor. Her first German album
Muttersprache released on May 22, 2015 debuted on the top of the German and
Swiss Albums Chart. Awarded with several prizes and
accolades, Connor has received four Comets, a Top of the Pops Award, a
Goldene Kamera, a Goldene Europa, a World Music Award, and two Echos. She
married the American pop-rock musician Marc Terenzi in 2004, with whom she
appeared in two reality shows, Sarah & Marc in Love and Sarah & Marc Crazy in
Love. They ended their relationship with divorce in 2008.
Early life Connor is the eldest of six siblings
born to Michael Lewe, an advertising writer of American descent, and his wife
Soraya Lewe-Tacke, a former fashion model and homemaker of Scottish, Irish
and German heritage, in Hamburg. She has four sisters: Anna Maria, Marisa,
Sophia-Luisa, and Valentina; and one brother, Robin. Her maternal
half-brothers Mick and Lex were born in 2008.
Connor grew up listening to soul music, mostly influenced by her paternal
grandfather who was born in New Orleans. A church choir became her first
experience in the gospel music field at a very young age. In her teen years
Connor tried out and was accepted to a performing arts school. Although all
students were required to choose an instrument, Connor was the only one
allowed to study voice. She took vocal lessons once a week and worked as a
waitress in a hotel to pay for them. In 1997, Connor was picked to sing with
the backing choir during the performance of "Heal the World" at Michael Jackson's
HIStory concert tour in Bremen, Germany. Overwhelmed by a personal meeting with
Jackson at the end of the show, she signed a contract with her first
management the following year, that resulted in her pseudonym Sarah Gray and
the recording of a number of demo tapes, including cover versions such as "Silent
Night" and "This Christmas" and the local radio success "Ula la Ula." In
1999, she provided the leading vocals for producer Marc van Linden's dance
remix of the 1982 record "Last Unicorn," which reached number 86 on the German
Singles Chart. Unhappy with her management though, Connor teamed up with
manager Carlo Vista, who got her signed as Sarah Connor with producer George
Glueck's label X-Cell Records a short time after. As a direct consequence, she
decided to quit school and leave home at the age of 19.
Career = 2001–2003: Breakthrough with From
Sarah With Love= Connor fluctuated between Hamburg,
Hannover and Berlin to work on her debut album, involving producers such as
Bülent Aris, Toni Cottura, Diane Warren, and the production duo Rob Tyger and Kay
Denar. Green Eyed Soul, which was eventually released on November 26, 2001
in German-speaking Europe, yielded her first two singles "Let's Get Back to Bed
– Boy!", a collaboration with American R&B singer TQ, and "French Kissing", a
song based on BLACKstreet's "No Diggity". However, it was the album's
third single "From Sarah with Love" co-written with Brian Lighthouse; which
reached the top position in Germany, Poland, Portugal and Switzerland and
raised Connor's fame all over Europe. The song garnered the singer a Comet and
an ECHO Award. Album reviews were generally positive, with laut.de
especially praising Connor's vocal strengths.
Only ten months later, her second album Unbelievable was released in Europe.
Wyclef Jean wrote, produced and rapped on the album's lead single, "One Nite
Stand", which once again entered the top 5. Unbelievable simultaneously achieved
gold status in Germany within 48 hours and spawned another three singles,
including "Skin on Skin", "He's Unbelievable" and "Bounce".
In October 2003, Connor released a live DVD branded Sarah Connor Live – A Night
to Remember: Pop Meets Classic, whose performance had been recorded at the
Alten Kasselhaus in Düsseldorf on January 24, including individual
performances of own songs with a classical orchestra backing her up. In
November 2003, in spite of being heavily pregnant with her first child, Connor
released her third album called, Key to My Soul. The album's first single,
"Music Is the Key" featuring New York a cappella singers Naturally 7, became her
second number-one hit in Germany. "Just One Last Dance", the album's second and
final single, was a re-recorded edition of the album's original version,
including new vocals by Marc Terenzi's band Natural. The duet once again
reached number-one in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland and the top 20 on a
composite World Top 40. The album Sarah Connor featured the
first single, "Bounce". It was released in many countries. including Japan,
Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States. In Germany, the single
made it to #14 on the charts. In England and Ireland it peaked at number 14 and
was certified gold in Australia. In America, the song only managed a #54 on
the Billboard Hot 100. The album made it to number 106 and took off in the U.S.,
selling almost 100.000 copies. = 2004–2008: International success=
After a lengthy hiatus that saw the birth of her son Tyler, Connor returned
to music in fall 2004 with the release of her single "Living to Love You." The
ballad reached number-one in Germany and Switzerland, becoming her third
consecutive chart-topper, and preceded her fourth album Naughty But Nice.
Connor re-teamed with longtime contributors Booya, Kay Denar und Rob
Tyger to work on the album, whose release coincided with the broadcast of
her ProSieben reality series Sarah & Marc in Love. Her highest-charting
effort yet, Naughty But Nice debuted on top of the German Albums Chart and
reached the top three in Austria and Switzerland, selling 100,000 copies
within the first two days of its release. Critical reaction towards the
album was generally mixed, with Allmusic rating it three starts out of five, and
laut.de summing it as "underclass music for the disco around the corner."
Spawning just one another single, "From Zero to Hero" was picked to be used as
the theme song to the computer-animated movie Robots,The song became her fifth
chart-topping single in Germany and the fourth number-one hit single in a row.
In fall 2005, Connor embarked on the Naughty but Nice concert tour. Compiling
twenty-three dates in Austria, Germany and Switzerland, the tour concluded a
month later. In December 2005, she released a holiday album named Christmas
in My Heart. Containing a mix of traditional but contemporary English
standards and re-written German songs in English language, both the album and its
same-titled lead single reached number four on the charts. Eventually certified
platinum by the IFPI, the album was re-released the following year,
including the previously unreleased single "The Best Side of Life," another
top four success. Returning from yet another hiatus after
the birth of her daughter Summer in 2006, Connor released her sixth studio
album Soulicious in March 2007. Mainly made up of 1960s and 70s Motown covers,
but also including two original songs, recording for the entire album took
place at the former main building of the Berliner Rundfunk, where Connor was
backed by a symphonic orchestra of forty-eight musicians. Upon its release,
the album reached the top ten in Austria, Germany and Switzerland, where
it each reached gold status. Critics, again, gave Soulicious a mixed response,
with CDStarts.de calling it "a sterile soul adaption for The Dome stage."
Leading single "The Impossible Dream," which was featured in a publicity
campaign for the comeback fight of German boxer Henry Maske, and "Sexual
Healing," a duet with American singer Ne-Yo, reached the top ten and top
twenty of the singles charts respectively.
Heading into a new musical direction, Connor intensified work on her next
original album with producers such as Remee, Thomas Troelsen and J. R. Rotem.
In May 2008, it was announced Connor and her family would once again participate
in an eight-part reality show titled Sarah and Marc: Still Crazy in Love" on
ProSieben. The special began airing on July 3, 2008, and followed the recording
and promotional events for the new album, branded Sexy as Hell. Its first
single, "Under My Skin," co-written by Troelsen, was released on August 1,
2008, in German-speaking Europe, with the album following on August 22, 2008.
Subsequently, she was nominated for an ECHO.
= 2009–present: X-Factor, Real Love and Muttersprache=
In 2009, Connor contributed to a re-recorded version of Enrique Iglesias'
duet "Takin' Back My Love," replacing American singer Ciara's original vocals
on the song. Released as the second single from Iglesias' 2008 Greatest Hits
album in German-speaking Europe, Poland and the Czech Republic, it reached the
top ten of the German Singles Chart. In April 2010, it was announced that Connor
would appear alongside mentor George Glueck and musician Till Brönner as a
judge on the debut series of X Factor, broadcast on the German VOX network.
Connor was given the 16-24s category but failed to reach the final show when her
contestant Mati Gavriel was eliminated in his seventh week and Edita Abdieski
was crowned the winner of X Factor instead. Amid her appearances on X
Factor, Connor released her eighth studio album Real Love on October 22,
2010. It earned a lukewarm reception by critics, and debuted at number eight on
the German Albums Chart. Altogether, Real Love produced two singles,
including "Cold as Ice," which reached the top twenty on the German Singles
Chart, and its title track, both of which became her lowest-charting singles
in years. Connor returned for the second and third X Factor series in 2011 and
2012 and was given the groups and over 25s categories, respecitvely. Again, her
contestants Nica & Joe and Björn Paulsen each placed third, losing to David
Pfeffer and Mrs. Greenbird. Following a hiatus, in 2014, Connor
appeared in the reality television series Sing meinen Song - Das
Tauschkonzert, the German version of the The Best Singers series. In 2015, Connor
released her ninth studio album Muttersprache, her first album to be
entirely recorded in German. Encouraged to record songs in her native language,
following her performances on Sing meinen Song, Connor worked with a
smaller range of producers on the album, including Daniel Faust, Peter Plate, and
Ulf Leo Sommer. Upon its release, Muttersprache debuted on top of on the
German Albums Chart, becoming her second number-one album following 2005's
Naughty but Nice. With first week sales of more than 100,000 copies in Germany,
Muttersprache was certified gold by the Bundesverband Musikindustrie just days
after its release. It has since been certified platinum. The album also
debuted at number-one on the Swiss Albums Chart, her first album to do so.
"Wie schön du bist" became Connor's highest-charting single in a decade,
reaching number two on the German Singles Chart, and sold over 260,000
copies. Personal life
Connor met Marc Terenzi, the lead singer of American boy band Natural, at the
Bravo Happy Holidays festival in Rust, Germany in July 2002. The pair began
dating and in June 2003, it was announced they were engaged and
expecting their first child, Tyler Marc Terenzi, who was born on February 2,
2004 in Orlando, Florida. On February 29, 2004 the couple invited their
friends to a dinner supposedly to celebrate the birth of their son;
however they announced that they in fact had eloped. The couple renewed their
vows this time with a wedding ceremony on August 18, 2005 in Altafulla,
Tarragonès, near Barcelona, Spain. The wedding was the subject of their
ProSieben reality show Sarah and Marc in Love. On June 23, 2006, Connor gave
birth to their second child, a girl, named Summer Antonia Soraya. In November
2008, Connor announced her separation from Terenzi.
In April 2010, Connor announced that she is in a relationship with her manager,
Florian Fischer, the singer of the 1990s pop group The Boyz. In February 2011,
the two confirmed that they were expecting a child. Their daughter
Delphine Malou was born in September 2011.
Awards 1Live Krone
2005 – Best Female Artist Bravo Otto
2001 – Female Singer – Silver 2003 – Female Singer – Bronze
2004 – Female Singer – GOLD 2005 – Female Singer – GOLD
2006 – Female Singer – GOLD 2007 – Female Singer – Bronze
2008 – Female Singer – GOLD Comet
2001 – Best National Newcomer 2005 – Best Female Artist
2007 – Best Female Artist 2009 – Best Female Artist
DIVA-Award 2005 – Music Artist of the Year
ECHO 2002 – Best National Newcomer –
nominated 2002 – Best National Female Pop/Rock
Artist – WON 2002 – Best National Single – From Sarah
with Love – nominated 2003 – Best National Female Pop/Rock
Artist – nominated 2004 – Best National Female Pop/Rock
Artist – nominated 2006 – Best National Female Pop/Rock
Artist – nominated 2007 – Best National Female Pop/Rock
Artist – nominated 2008 – Best National Female Pop/Rock
Artist – nominated 2009 – Best National Female Pop/Rock
Artist – nominated 2011 – Best National Female Pop/Rock
Artist – nominated 2015 – Partner of the Year – WON
Goldene Europa 2002 – Most Successful German Female
Singer Goldene Kamera
2005 – Pop National MAXIM
2002 – Woman of the Year – Pop Star Neo Award
2004 – Most Downloaded Album – Key to mMy Soul
Radio Regenbogen Award 2002 – Best Hit 2001 – From Sarah with
Love Top of the Pops Award
2001 Best German Newcomer World Music Award
2004 – Best Selling German Artist World of Music Award
2008 – Best National Female Artist Discography
Tours Green Eyed Soul Tour
Sarah Connor Live Naughty but Nice Tour
Sexy as Hell Tour Christmas in My Heart Live
Muttersprache Live References
External links Official website
Complete discography page