Zweitfrau

German-language pop/rock trio Zweitfrau broke through to mainstream success in 2007 with a couple hit singles, "Alles Dreht Sich" and "Intensiv," whose videos garnered a lot of airplay for the up-and-coming band. Founded in 2004 in Vienna, Austria, the core of the band is comprised of Diana Lueger (vocals), Martin Pauser (guitar), and Lex Machat (bass); during live performances, the trio is bolstered by Markus Gradlschnig (drums) and Piotr Szwarczewski (keyboards).

Key to the band's popularity is leggy frontwoman Lueger, the visual embodiment of the band, front and center in its videos, photos, and interviews. Her résumé is too varied to list in detail; Zweitfrau is just one of many projects in which she's been involved. Most notable is her affiliation with the well-regarded G-Stone Recordings label, home to a stable of downtempo electronic music producers including Richard Dorfmeister (of Kruder & Dorfmeister and Tosca renown), whom she worked with on several occasions during the mid-2000s.

Zweitfrau made their recording debut in 2005 with the five-track EP Erstkontakt. One of the songs from the EP, "Schnitt," was also released as a four-track single including different versions of the song, most notably a remix by Dorfmeister in conjunction with Madrid de los Austrias. The band took some time off in 2006 as Lueger collaborated with goth rocker Samsas Traum on his album Heiliges Herz: Das Schwert Deiner Sonne (2007). Zweitfrau re-emerged in 2007 with their major-label debut, Alles Dreht Sich, a maxi-single released by Warner Music Group.

A one-off single released in February, "Alles Dreht Sich" was a Top 30 hit, but no immediate follow-up single was forthcoming. It wasn't until over a half-year later, in October, that Zweitfrau released their next single, "Intensiv." Promoted with an award-winning video, "Intensiv" proved even more popular than "Alles Dreht Sich," breaking into the Top 20 by the end of the year. A couple months later came Rückendeckung (2008), the band's debut full-length album, released independently on Strange Cat Records; it peaked at number 32 on the Austrian albums chart during its first week of sales.