Dance/Pop Star Cascada

Dance/Pop Star Cascada Talks About Her Album Perfect Day, And Hit Single “What Hurts The Most” By Jayne Moore Share Cascada Following up her 2006 worldwide smash single “Everytime We Touch,” European pop star Cascada has just released her second album, Perfect Day, on the Robbins Entertainment label. Named the Best Selling German Act at the 2007 World Music Awards, Cascada has enjoyed tremendous success with her exciting, melodic dance pop productions and her live performances. Even two years later, “Everytime We Touch” continues to get strong airplay, and has sold three million units worldwide. With her new Perfect Day album, Cascada has again collaborated with her producer/writers, DJ Manian and Yanou Pfeiffer. The first U.S. single from the new album is a high-energy dance cover of “What Hurts The Most,” which was a #1 hit for country group Rascal Flatts in 2006. Cascada has performed her version of “What Hurts The Most” at the latest World Music Awards, and it has become an international success. Cascada (who was born with the name Natalie Horler) grew up in Bonn, Germany, but her parents are British, so she speaks both English and German fluently. Her father, David, is a successful jazz musician with the WDR Big Band in Cologne, and from him, Cascada says she got her passion for music at a very young age. “I used to go into his studio at home and record jazz and Disney songs. I knew from a very young age that I wanted to be a singer. I also took different kinds of dancing lessons, like step dance, jazz, hip-hop, and street dance." Although just released in the U.S., Perfect Day has already sold over 300,000 copies in the U.K., and the single “What Hurts The Most” has become a Top 5 hit in several European countries. After a brief visit to the U.S., Cascada will be embarking on a world tour, starting with large venues in the U.K. “We’ve put a lot of sweat and tears into this new album,” she said. “The energy is very much like the first album and we think the kids will really love it. It’s very upbeat and it makes you feel good.” Cascada discussed the recording of “What Hurts The Most”: “It was presented to me by my label, and I thought it was a very pretty song. I sing it as sincerely as I can, and I think putting a dance beat behind it just gives a great song new life.” Although she has currently not had any input from Rascal Flatts on her cover of their song, Cascada said she would be quite intrigued to hear what they think of it. She’s not certain what the next single will be from the album. “I think different parts of the world may choose different songs and I’m not sure what will come of it.” While many European acts try unsuccessfully to break into the U.S. music industry, Cascada was able to break through fairly easily due to the smash success of “Everytime We Touch.” “We were excited when ‘Everytime’ started to happen in the States, so we came over to promote the record and we played some gigs,” said Cascada. “I love performing in the U.S. because I can sing in English, and you can all understand the words and sing along. I also love how mad you all are, yelling and screaming and having such a good time.” Cascada credits the internet with her tremendous success. “With My Space and YouTube, people can hear the songs instantly and it’s literally caught fire. (Her MySpace page has attracted over 25 million visitors). I don’t think we’d be nearly as successful without that.” However, she remains very humble. “I just keep doing what I do, carrying on with my life. I don’t worry about all that. I just do like everybody else - working hard, doing my business and hopefully it all stays where it is for as long as possible.” Cascada believes that a strong drive to succeed combined with a bit of talent, is a good start for ambitious new singers. “Now that we have all this technology and shows like Pop Idol and American Idol, there’s a much better platform to get your music heard and hopefully enjoyed. Believe in yourself and get your talent out there every chance you can. That Simon Cowell can be a bit mean, but if he sees real talent, he’ll get behind you.”