Origins and formation Torsten Fenslau, who initially wanted to become an architect, had been working as a DJ at the
Frankfurt nightclub
Dorian Gray since 1982 (and remained for 11 years), when in 1989 he decided to form Culture Beat with his friends Jens Zimmermann and Peter Zweier. Versions in English and French were also released (titled "Cherry Lips" and "Les lèvres cerises", respectively). An instrumental version was also played in clubs in the
United Kingdom, where it reached number 55. Shortly afterwards, Culture Beat recruited
New Jersey-born rapper
Jay Supreme and singer Lana Earl to front the act. While the second single "I Like You" reached number 22 in the Netherlands, their fourth single "
No Deeper Meaning" managed to reach as high as number 4 in the Netherlands and number 3 on the Canadian
RPM Dance Chart. They released their first album,
Horizon, in 1991 which went with only minor success.
1993–1994: Serenity and international success Lana was replaced by
British singer
Tania Evans in 1993, and the act took a harder
Eurodance sound. "
Mr. Vain" became their biggest hit to date, reaching number one in 13 countries including
Germany,
Australia and the United Kingdom. It was also their first mainstream hit in the
United States, peaking at number 17 on the
Billboard Hot 100. The single was certified three times Gold in Germany for selling over 750,000 units, it also managed to reach a Gold status in several other countries including US. This also got Torsten Fenslau nominated in the same year at the
Echo for being the
Best Producer of the Year, who also walked away as a winner.
2001–present: Singles and present status Three years later, Jacky Sangster replaced Kim as the fourth female lead singer for Culture Beat. The single called "Insanity" was released in 2001 which flopped in Germany; however, reached number 1 in Israel. ==Band members==