Peter René Cipiriano Baumann
(born January 5 1968) better known as DJ BoBo
, is a successful Swiss singer, songwriter, dancer and music producer. DJ BoBo has sold 14 million records world-wide [1] and has released 10 studio albums as well as a few compilation albums which have included his previous hits in a reworked format. He has also released as many as 34 singles to date, some of which have charted quite high, not only in German speaking countries, but also in other European territories.
As a dance music producer, his first big success came with the single "Somebody Dance With Me" [2], which borrows its melody from Rockwell's Somebody's Watching Me. After this, he charted well with the singles "Keep on Dancing", "Take Control", "Everybody", "Let the Dream Come True", "Love is All Around", "Freedom", "Pray" and "What a Feeling", as well as "Chihuahua", almost all of which comprised fast-paced Eurodance techno sound with female catchy refrains and rap performed by René. Between 1992 through 2007, he had 27 single chart-hits in Switzerland and Germany, and has won 10 World Music Awards for being Switzerland's best selling artist [3]. René has received numerous Gold and Platinum certifications for his songs and has found success in Europe, (primarily Germany, Switzerland) Asia and South America.
|
DJ BOBO TICKETS
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Life and Music career
1985–1991: Early beginnings
Peter René Baumann was born in
Kölliken,
Switzerland, to Italian father Luigi Cipriano and Swiss mother Ruth Baumann. Initially, Baumann wanted to work in the area of confectionery and bakery
[4]. This, however, did not last long as his desire for dancing clicked with the development of breakdancing after his high-school graduation. Having been involved within numerous dance-contests, René managed to reach the top-10 of the German dance-contest "Disco Kings" with his acrobatic dance style.
Baumann began his DJ career in 1985, a year after which he was a runner-up in the Swiss DJ Championships
[5] . He continued to work as a DJ at numerous night-clubs such as Don Paco and the Hazyland, both in Switzerland, through which he gathered enough experience and later decided to produce his own record
. His first single "I Love You" came out in late 1989 during which time he would still spin records as a DJ but focused on future releases of his own production. In 1991, DJ BoBo released two other singles, "Ladies in the House" and "Let's Groove On"
.
1992–1996: Career breakthrough
René gained immense international popularity when he released his Europe-wide smash hit "Somebody Dance With Me" in November, 1992.
Employing catchy refrains by
Emel Aykanat as well as rap performance by himself, the single landed in the Top-10 of many countries including the German and Swedish official single-charts.
His second hit "Keep on Dancing", which followed the same technique as its predecessor, reached the top-10 both at home and abroad and earned him a Gold status in Germany (with sales of 250.000 sold singles).
[6] [7] The long awaited album
Dance With Me
was released in October, 1993 and remained in the charts all over Europe for quite some time which was followed by another single, "Take Control", again from his debut album, earning him a Gold in Germany,
and reaching the top positions on the charts of many other countries.
[8] While, DJ BoBo appeared to have already separated himself from one-hit wonders, he released his next single "Everybody", in the summer of 1994, which climbed as high as number 2 in Germany and was certified Platinum for selling 500,000 units.
[9] The single, however, differed from the other singles released so far in terms of its structure, which diverged from techno leaning towards house and hip-hop with female catchy refrains and rap performed again by René.
In the fall of 1994, his second studio album "There is a Party" saw light which was introduced by the hit-single "Let the Dream Come True".
[10] [11] While the follow-up second single "Love is All Around" entered the top-20 in Switzerland, Austria, Belgium, Sweden, and Norway,
[12] it was awarded in Germany with the sixth Golden Record in a row.
During the course of this ongoing success, in 1995, DJ BoBo represented Switzerland in the World Music Awards in Monaco with his "Everybody" for being the "World's Best Selling Swiss Artist of the Year."
In the summer of 1995, DJ BoBo went on a tour which took place in most parts of Asia which was followed by a promotional tour in Australia. Later that year, DJ BoBo also traveled all over Europe performing before as many as 400,000 spectators.
DJ BoBo released his first ballad "Love is the Price" in January, 1996, which was introduced in
Thomas Gottschalk's TV show
Wetten, dass..?. Baumann, later that year, ended up again at the World Music Awards in Monaco for being the "World's Best Selling Swiss Artist of the Year" performing there his single "Freedom" (which was his eighth Golden Record in a row in Germany) as well as his newly released ballad "Love is the Price".
1996–1999: Popularity established
The release of the album
World in Motion
in September, 1996, proved not only DJ BoBo's consistent presence within the charts, but with this he managed to break all his previous records. It took only a few weeks for the album to reach the number 3 position in Germany which quickly was awarded Platinum for selling 500,000 units.
In Switzerland, the album jumped from 0 to number 1 and was awarded Double-Platinum for selling 100,000 units which was ranked in the top 40 albums of all-time, after remaining on the Swiss album chart for a staggering 67 weeks.
[13] [14] [15] Shortly after the release of
World in Motion
, Baumann went on a promotional tour in Asia for twenty days, which was then followed by another one month-tour in Brazil, Chile and Colombia.
In April 1997, DJ BoBo received his third World Music Award in Monaco for being the "World's Best Selling Swiss Artist of the Year" where he performed his single "Respect Yourself".
DJ BoBo persevered with his original sound and experimented with new sounds and vocal arrangements, as he introduced his singing skills first in his single "Where is Your Love", which was released in March, 1998. A month thereafter, in April 1998, his album
Magic
was released which managed to stay in the number one position for four consecutive weeks in his native country.
[16] In May of that the same year, DJ BoBo received the World Music Award for being the "World's Best Selling Swiss Artist of the Year" once again for the fourth time. Soon after, his single "Celebrate" representing his
The Ultimate Megamix '99
, was released in October 1998 in the course of his and his crew's busy "Life on Tour" concert as well as the shows of the
Magic
, which were watched by 250,000 people in 35 concert arenas in Europe. Shortly thereafter, DJ BoBo was rewarded with yet another World Music Award for being the "World's Best Selling Swiss Artist of the Year" for the fifth time in a row.
1999–2001
Baumann's sixth album entitled
Level 6
was released in October, 1999 and immediately hit the number one position in the Swiss album charts which eventually went Platinum at his home as well as Gold in Germany.
[17] Two singles were released off this album, "Together" and "Lies". DJ BoBo's success continued, as once again in the spring of 2000, he received the World Music Award for the sixth time in a row for being Switzerland's Best Selling Atist of the year (which is a unique record and which certainly may not be broken in the near future).
René and his co-producer Axel Breitung managed to complete DJ BoBo's next album "Planet Colors" within a period of seven months which they released on the 5th of February, 2001.
The first single "What a Feeling" featuring
Irene Cara from this album, which was the cover version of her original hit
Flashdance... What a Feeling, peaked at number 2 in Switzerland, number 11 in Austria and in Germany it peaked at number 3.
[18] [19] Two other singles were followed "Hard to Say I'm Sorry" and "Colors of Life". His tour "Planet Colors-The Show" was enjoyed by more than a million spectators within Europe.
2001–2003: 10 Year Anniversary
As a way of celebrating his 10 year anniversary in the music business, René made the cover version of
Kool and the Gang's "Celebration", reviving it with modern instrumentation. The single was to represent his collection album consisting of previous hits, which he also called
Celebration
. The album
Celebration
, released in April, 2002, comprised the previous hits all of which were re-recorded featuring mostly German renowned artists such as
No Angels on "Where is Your Love",
Melanie Thornton on "Love of My Life",
Emilia on "Everybody" and
A Touch of Class on "Together". Besides DJ BoBo being Switzerland's Best Selling Recording Artist at the World Music Awards in 2002 for the seventh time, in 2002, René and Axel Breitung were recognized as "Best Producers of 2001" at
Echo awards for being the most-talented musical team.
[20]
DJ BoBo's next studio album called
Visions
, released in February 2003, brought somewhat a new side to his music which aside from the usual dance-sounds, portrayed him in more acoustic elements, the good examples of this would be the songs like "Angel" and "Do You Remember" wherein one could notice guitars coming into the picture. The Album
Visions
eventually became a Platinum record in Switzerland.
[21] In 2003, DJ BoBo received yet another World Music Award for being Switzerland's Best Selling Artist of the year.
One of Baumann's most successful singles turned out to be his single "Chihuahua" which initially was released in 2002 and later re-released again Europe-wide. The track was produced upon the request of Coca-Cola in Spain.
They were in search of an artist who could produce an attention-drawing mambo-song for their new campaign. However, the condition was that it had to be done within the period of ten days.
This task was completed and handed over to Coca-Cola by René and his co-producer Axel Breitung within the given time-limit. It took only a couple of weeks for the single "Chihuahua" to reach the number one position on the Spanish single chart. The song eventually became number one in Switzerland and France also.
[22] The song was certified Platinum in Switzerland and Double Gold in France.
[23]
2005–Forward: 10th World Music Award
The next studio album
Pirates of Dance
, released in February 2005, which included two singles called "Pirates of Dance" and "Amazing Life" shot straight to number 1 in Switzerland.
[24] DJ BoBo and his crew began The Pirates of Dance Tour in April 2005. The tour took off in Switzerland, followed by Germany and Poland, which concluded with two concerts at Disneyland Paris. 2005 was the year that made DJ BoBo Switzerland's Best Selling Recording Artist of the Year for the 10th time.
René released his
Greatest hits
album in 2006, which contained his previous hits, some re-recorded and some remaining in their original format. The single "
Secrets of Love", released before the album, was a pleasant pop-dance duet with '80's mega-star
Sandra. The song's music video was filmed at
Disney Resort Paris. His
Greatest hits
compilation album eventually earned him a Gold certification in Switzerland.
[25]
DJ BoBo released his next album
Vampires
on May 11, 2007 which climbed as high as number 2 within the Swiss album chart
[26]. The first single, "Vampires Are Alive", reached the number 3 position in Switzerland and charted moderately in the rest of the German speaking countries, but gained success in Finland, eventually reaching the number seven spot
[27]. Two other singles were released, "We Gotta Hold On" and "Because of You" of the album
Vampires
.
In 2007, René was chosen to sing the official 2008
UEFA European Football Championship song. On the DJ BoBo website, he put a poll on to choose which song out of two would be the official song. The public chose 'Ole Ole' over 'Let The Games Begin'. On 11 April 2008, Olé Olé was released as a single, being accompanied by an album called "Olé Olé - Party". Olé Olé - Party included 5 new songs, 9 party hits, a medley, a newly remixed version of DJ BoBo's mega-hit "Everybody" and a new version of "Vampires Are Alive" (EAPM Remix).
2007 Eurovision Song Contest
On
October 11 2006 DJ BoBo announced in a press conference that he had applied to represent
Switzerland at the
Eurovision Song Contest 2007.
[28]
In past years, Switzerland's entry has not necessarily been a Swiss national. Most notably, Canadian
Celine Dion won the
Eurovision Song Contest 1988 representing Switzerland. In DJ BoBo's press conference, he told reporters that "It's a shame for Swiss tax payer money from the TV licence fees go to fund a foreign act, and the people should resist that."
In December 2006 the Swiss TV Council announced that they had chosen BoBo out of over 200 applicants to represent Switzerland in
Helsinki. The council earned some negative comments for the selection as not having been fair towards lesser known Swiss artists.
On
February 21 2007, DJ BoBo revealed both the song and the video he would enter in the
Eurovision Song Contest in
Helsinki, "
Vampires Are Alive."
Despite being one of the favorites to win the contest according to many bookmakers, the song failed to get past the semi-final stage on May 12. It finished twentieth out of twenty eight semi-finalists.
World Food Programme
DJ BoBo became a
United Nations World Food Programme National Ambassador Against Hunger in October 2006, becoming the first Swiss celebrity to take up the role. He was also a participant in the 2006 Geneva
Walk the World event.
[29]
Family
From 1989–1994, DJ BoBo was married to Daniela Bock. In 1993 René met Nancy Rentzsch; she joined his team in 1995. René and Nancy got married on 9 August 2001. René and Nancy have two children. Jamiro-René was born on the 8th of October 2002 and Kayley-Nancy was born on 29 September 2006. In 2008 his family moved to a new house in Kastanienbaum, canton Lucerne.
Discography
Albums
Year
| Album
| Chart positions
|
SWI
| GER
| AUT
| FIN
| SWE
| POL
|
1993
| Dance with Me
| 4
| 18
| 16
| -
| 15
| -
|
1994
| There is a Party
| 4
| 9
| 17
| -
| 41
| -
|
1995
| Just for You
| 5
| 25
| 26
| 28
| -
| 1
|
1996
| World in Motion
| 1
| 3
| 2
| 9
| -
| -
|
1998
| Magic
| 1
| 5
| 8
| -
| -
| -
|
1999
| The Ultimate Megamix '99
| 2
| 17
| -
| -
| -
| -
|
1999
| Level 6
| 1
| 11
| 24
| -
| -
| -
|
2001
| Planet Colors
| 2
| 4
| 27
| -
| -
| -
|
2002
| Celebration
| 2
| 4
| 18
| -
| -
| -
|
2003
| Visions
| 3
| 11
| -
| -
| -
| -
|
2003
| Chihuahua
| 1
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
|
2003
| Live in Concert
| 28
| 36
|
| -
| -
| -
|
2005
| Pirates of Dance
| 1
| 13
| -
| -
| -
| -
|
2006
| Greatest Hits
| 1
| 11
| 58
| -
| -
| -
|
2007
| Vampires
| 2
| 15
| 74
| -
| -
| -
|
2008
| Olé Olé
| 11
| 85
| -
| -
| -
| -
|
Singles
Year
| Single
| Chart positions
| Album
|
SWI
| GER
| AUT
| SWE
| FIN
| NL
| NOR
| AUL
| FRA
| BEL
| ITA
|
1989
| I Love You
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
|
1990
| Ladies in the House
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
|
1991
| Let's Groove On
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| Dance with Me
|
1992
| Somebody Dance With Me
| 1
| 4
| 3
| 1
| -
| 3
| 3
| 13
| -
| -
| -
|
1993
| Keep on Dancing
| 2
| 5
| 7
| 7
| 1
| 9
| 9
| 54
| -
| -
| -
|
1994
| Take Control
| 4
| 12
| 9
| 21
| -
| 18
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
|
Everybody
| 3
| 2
| 24
| 20
| -
| 12
| -
| 85
| -
| -
| -
|
Let the Dream Come True
| 1
| 4
| 6
| 11
| -
| 11
| -
| 49
| -
| -
| -
| There is a Party
|
1995
| Love is All Around
| 16
| 10
| 13
| 14
| -
| 36
| 17
| 24
| 42
| 18
| -
|
There is a Party
| 13
| 17
| 29
| -
| -
| 24
| -
| 89
| 35
| 9
| -
|
Freedom
| 4
| 8
| 7
| 31
| 7
| 22
| -
| 93
| -
| -
| -
|
1996
| Love is the Price
| 11
| 11
| 13
| -
| 12
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| Just for You
|
Pray
| 2
| 3
| 6
| -
| 2
| -
| -
| -
| -
| 15
| -
| World in Motion
|
Respect Yourself
| 16
| 31
| 23
| -
| 7
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
|
1997
| It's My Life
| 7
| 16
| 16
| -
| 17
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
|
Shadows of the Night
| 7
| 23
| 25
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
|
1998
| Where is Your Love
| 3
| 21
| 20
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| Magic
|
Around the World
| 23
| 55
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
|
Celebrate
| 8
| 48
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| The Ultimate Megamix 99
|
Year
| Single
| Chart positions
|
SWI
| GER
| AUT
| SWE
| FIN
| NL
| NOR
| AUL
| FRA
| BEL
| ITA
|
1999
| Together
| 4
| 26
| 34
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| Level 6
|
Lies
| 48
| 73
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
|
2001
| What a Feeling (with Irene Cara)
| 2
| 3
| 11
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| Planet Colors
|
Hard to Say I'm Sorry
| 25
| 60
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
|
Colors of Life
| 37
| 75
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
|
2002
| Chihuahua
| 1
| 19
| 48
| 10
| 12
| 41
| 15
| 73
| 1
| 8
| 2
| Chihuahua
|
Celebration
| 14
| 29
| 48
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| Celebration
|
2003
| I Believe
| 13
| 18
| 61
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| Visions
|
2005
| Pirates of Dance
| 3
| 16
| 43
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| Pirates of Dance
|
Amazing Life
| 27
| 48
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
|
2006
| Secrets of Love (with Sandra)
| 5
| 13
| 39
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| Greatest Hits
|
2007
| Vampires Are Alive
| 3
| 24
| 62
| -
| 7
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| Vampires
|
We Gotta Hold On
| 24
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
|
Because of You
| -
| 47
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
|
2008
| Olé Olé
| 12
| 58
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| Olé Olé
|
References
- German)"''edel.de''.
- [1]''dutchcharts.nl''.
- [1]''djbobo.ch''.
- German)"''chart-radio.de''.
- [1]''vh1.com''.
- DJ BoBo-Keep on Dancing
- [1]''musikindustrie.de''.
- [1]''dutchcharts.nl''.
- German Top 20 - The Chart Of August 1994
- DJ BoBo-Let the Dream Come True
- German Top 20 - The Chart Of October 1994
- DJ BoBo-Love is All Around
- [1]''dutchcharts.nl''.
- [1]''esctoday.com''.
- Swiss Certifications 1997
- [1]''swisscharts.com''.
- Swiss Certifications 1999
- DJ BoBo & Irene Cara-What a Feeling
- German Top 20 - The Chart Of February 2001
- Die Preisträger 2002
- Swiss Certifications 2003
- DJ BoBo-Chihuahua (Single)
- Les Certifications depuis 1973
- DJ BoBo-Pirates of Dance (Album)
- Swiss Gold/Platinum Awards 2006
- [1]''swisscharts.com''.
- [1]''swisscharts.com''.
- Official: DJ BoBo enters Swiss selection
- DJ BoBo takes up the fight against world hunger for WFP