"Queensberry"
"Queensberry"
Queensberry is a German girl group, founded in late 2008. Formed during the seventh season of the German version of the international television talent show Popstars - Just 4 Girls, the original line-up composed of singers Leonore Bartsch (Leo), Gabriella De Almeida Rinne (Gabby), Antonella Trapani (Anto), and Victoria Ulbrich (Vici). On July 7, It was announced that both Anto & Vici had left the group.
The band's debut album Volume I was released in December 2008 and reached gold status in Germany. It produced the two singles "No Smoke" and "I Can't Stop Feeling," both becoming top thirty successes on the charts. In February 2008, Queensberry served as the opening act for the Pussycat Doll's World Domination Tour in selected European countries. In November 2009, the second studio album "On My Own" was released.
For the soundtrack of the film Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, Queensberry recorded "The Song" featuring The Chipettes in December of 2009.
Formation on Popstars
The Queensberry members were selected on the ProSieben channel's seventh installment of the Popstars series, entitled Popstars: Just 4 Girls, which set about producing a four-piece girl group. Following the initial success of previous all-female Popstars acts such as the No Angels (2000) and Monrose (2006). No stranger to Popstars Leo had already taken part in the Monrose season and was the last contestant to leave before the finale. In June and July 2008, over 2,300 hopefuls turned up to open auditions in Dortmund, Dresden, Hamburg, and Rust which required both singing and dancing experience. The judges consisted of dancer and choreographer Detlef Soost, Dutch singer Loona, and German rapper Sido. Danish singer Kate Hall served as this season's vocal coach.
After numerous elimination rounds, sixteen candidates flew to Sharm El Sheik, Egypt, where they intensified their training in singing, dancing, and fitness. In the end, twelve girls made in into the band house near Munich, of which six started work on the band's debut album. Beforehand the top eight contestants released as 'Popstars - Just 4 Girls' the single "I Believe in X-Mas" promoted with a music video. While Leo, half Brazilian Gabriella, and Victoria, of whom the latter one had gone into hiatus for four weeks due to her mother´s sudden death, managed to make it into the Queensberry lineup prior to the season's live finale in Hilversum, Netherlands, with all of them having won special stage performances, fourth member, Swiss-born half Italian, Antonella was not announced until December 18, when it was resumed, based on her having sold most of her version of the group's debut album Volume I (which had been released in three different versions a week prior to the finale and featured one finalist each) and her winning a public televoting over fellow campaigners Patricia Ivanauskas and Katharina Kobert (KayKay). Ironically, although each of the Queensberry girls had already performed together with all of her future bandmates at some point throughout the season, it coincidentally never occurred that all four of them made up one working group (varying from duets to quartets) together. However, a couple of times three of the future band members were featured in one quartet, but then still with either Leo or Antonella not being part of it.
2008-2009: Volume 1 and On My Own
With the final members of the group in place, the quartet signed a recording contract with Warner Music sub-label Starwatch Music. In January 2009, Volume I was certified gold by the IFPI, and February the band released their first single, a double A-single consisting of the ballad "I Can't Stop Feeling" and their promotional song "No Smoke," a cover version of the 2008 record by Canadian Idol winner Eva Avila. The single has also been covered by Nicki French. The song reached a moderate number 23 on the German Singles Chart, the lowest-chart peak for any Popstars winner's debut single, while "No Smoke" made it to the top thirty in Switzerland based on downloads only. In February 2009, the band served as the official opening act of the Pussycat Doll's World Domination Tour in selected European countries such as Austria, Germany, and the Netherlands. In June the same year a deluxe edition of Volume I with additional tracks (including the "Too Young" single) and remixes was released.
On May 6, 2009 it was announced that the girls were working on their second studio album. The track list included their previous summer song-single called "Too Young", the second album's first single "Hello (Turn Your Radio On)" and one song, which was performed live by former Popstars - Just 4 Girls' participant Patricia, called "Scandalous". The album was released on 6 November 2009, with its promotional single "Hello (Turn Your Radio On)" released on 23 October 2009. This album is planned to be the bands first US-album.. On 18 June 2010 the girls released 2 new songs as the soundtrack for Hanni und Nanni movie!
2010-Present: Line-up Changes
On July 7, The girls announced on their website that Anto & Vici have both departed the group. Selina Herrero and Ronja Hilbig have been brought in as the new members. The first appearance of the new quartet will be on 15.07.2010 on VIVA Life. The girls are going to shot a reality show which will be shown all over the USA. The show is called A Day In The Life of Queensberry