The No Angels are back. After their big comeback concert at the Wuhlheide, Nadja Benaissa, Sandy Mölling, Lucy Diakovska and Jessica "Jess" Wahls will be in Switzerland in October.
We talked to Lucy and Jess.
What memories do you have of Switzerland?
Jessica: There was this autograph session in a department store (2001 in Tivoli Spreitenbach, editor's note) where we had to stop after ten minutes and run out because there were so many people that the escalators were cracking. We love Switzerland and even know how to pronounce "Chäschüechli" and "Chuchichäschtli".
Interview: Christoph Soltmannowski.
What is fundamentally different today?
Lucy: Everything we do today happens in a completely different context. It used to be all about sales figures. Today we are more aware of what we and our music mean to people.
Jess: The pressure is no longer as noticeable as it used to be. Nevertheless, we have higher expectations today, and that's probably also due to our age.
Lucy: But we also have expectations of the people we work with. Today, we work much more directly and closely together. We can have much more of a say today than 20 years ago. That's why the responsibility we bear today is somehow also greater.
Jess: We are much more relaxed today. But of course we also have expectations of ourselves. And of course we want to give the best we can somehow.
Lucy: Sure, we want a sold-out tour!
If I may pay you a compliment: You don't look much older today than in the pictures from before!
Jess: Thank you! But to be honest, there's always a bit of retouching involved in the pictures.
Lucy: I think we've all just been lucky as far as that goes. In any case, we have good genes.
Are you healthy?
Jess: Oh yes, yes. Nadia has been vegan for almost four years. I think so now. And Nadia and Sandy do a lot of sport and eat very healthily. I try to avoid potato chips. Which isn't always easy with a teenager in the house - there's always a bag of potato chips somewhere. And I just love them! You can almost chase me with chocolate. But anything that's salty, I can hardly go past it. And yes, and in general, we also realized very early on that when we were on the road, we replaced all the sugary drinks and said we only wanted water in our cabin - and please take away all the sweets! We'd rather have some good bread or fruit and maybe some raw vegetables.
Lucy: I think the more time passes, the more disciplined life becomes. But it remains dynamic. You don't really have much time to just stand still and you can't really let yourself go.
Did you never lead a real, wild rock star life?
Jess: Well, we didn't smash up rooms in the past, but of course we used to party a lot. We were young too. There were great after-shows, you might have overdone it and then been completely knocked out the next day. Everything has its time - of course it's not like that anymore. But we still like to sit together and party.
Do you sometimes argue?
Lucy: Today it's much more harmonious, we know each other better and our appreciation for each other has taken on a completely different form.
Jessica: I think that comes with being an adult, that you can just bring things up and then talk about them. Things are addressed and clarified directly, that's the way it is among us No Angels - and we do the same with our best friends or family members.
Lucy: We have a deep-rooted bond that has grown over the years. Yes, we know that we are all quite different - but we have one constant - we are the No Angels.
