Sandra is a German pop singer from Saarbrücken, known as Sandra Ann Lauer and later Sandra Cretu. She is associated with euro-disco, eurodance, europop, pop and synth-pop, and becomes widely popular across Europe in the 1980s and early 1990s.

Career

Before her solo career, Sandra sings with the all-female disco group Arabesque as lead singer. The group finds particular popularity in Japan and the Soviet Union. After leaving Arabesque, she begins recording as a solo artist in the mid-1980s, with many of her releases produced by her husband and collaborator Michael Cretu. She also contributes vocals to Enigma recordings between 1990 and 2003.

Notable recordings

Her best-known singles include “(I’ll Never Be) Maria Magdalena”, “In the Heat of the Night”, “Everlasting Love”, “Secret Land”, “Hiroshima” and “Don’t Be Aggressive”. Her albums The Long Play, Mirrors, Into a Secret Land, Paintings in Yellow, Close to Seven, Fading Shades, The Wheel of Time, Reflections, The Art of Love, Back to Life and Stay in Touch make up her studio catalogue. Into a Secret Land and Close to Seven receive positive critical reception.

Reputation

Sandra becomes one of the prominent European pop performers of the 1980s, particularly in continental Europe. Several of her singles achieve significant chart success in multiple countries, and her recordings sell tens of millions of copies worldwide.