Sandra

Musician

Forfans of 1980s pop, synthpop and new-age-tinged pop music.
1 Reviews 2 Definitions 1 Charts

The Profile

German pop singer who rose to prominence in the 1980s, best known for hits produced in collaboration with Michael Cretu.

Birth name Sandra Ann Lauer. Rose to international fame in the 1980s with hits including "(I'll Never Be) Maria Magdalena". Longtime collaborator (and formerly married to) producer Michael Cretu. Noted for a clear voice and a catalogue spanning 1980s synthpop and later pop/new-age-influenced recordings.

The supplied review praises Sandra's 1990 album Paintings in Yellow as a standout in her discography for mature songwriting, strong arrangements and expressive vocals. The reviewer judges much of her earlier and later output as uneven, but highlights several tracks (Hiroshima, Johnny Wanna Live, The Skin I'm In). Production by Michael Cretu is noted as significant, with one criticized coda on The Journey.

Notable Quotes

❝ A beautiful voice and undeniable stage presence are important, almost indispensable traits for a pop singer, but obviously, they are not enough to make a complete artist; many, far too many times, we've witnessed the rise to the celebrity Olympus of figures who didn't even possess these basic requirements, but that wasn't the case for Sandra Lauer/Cretu, internationally recognized, also rightly, as a "minor" icon of '80s pop and nothing more.