Real name: Melody Hollaender

Effective period / Period of releases: 1966

American-born singer Katja Holländer signed to the Polydor label in her family’s German homeland in 1966, where she cut a number of tunes with some of the country’s top songwriters. She was born Melody Hollaender on 20 March 1944 in Hollywood, California, in the United States.

Her father was composer Friedrich Hollaender, who is known for having composed over 100 film scores, and who penned Marlene Dietrich’s Ich Bin Von Kopf Bis Fuss Auf Liebe Eingestellt / Nimm Dich In Acht Vor Blonden Frauen. Melody came to Europe in the 1950s, and in 1966 she landed a contract with the Polydor label in Germany. At that time, the country was smitten with Nancy Sinatra, whose release These Boots Are Made For Walkin' had just spent six weeks at the top of the charts, and a German version of the song, performed by fellow US singer Eileen (2), had also proved a hit. Polydor bosses decided that their new signing – who had been renamed Katja Holländer – would be the perfect front for a Teutonic take on this sound. Katja was teamed with top lyricist and producer Kurt Feltz and composer Werner Scharfenberger, the pair behind many big hits by artists such as Gitte, Mina and Connie Francis.

The first single to be released from this collaboration was Er Heißt Peter, with Wenn Ich Deinen Namen Hör, a version of the Jackie DeShannon-penned Come And Stay With Me (a hit in the UK for Marianna Faithfull), on the reverse. The single failed to sell, but the label pushed ahead with its plans for Katja to cut an album. The resultant LP, Hallo, Katja, full of catchy tunes and tongue-in-cheek lyrics, it is now much sought after by fans of the genre. However, despite promotional appearances on German TV, it didn’t attract much attention from audiences of the day.

The following year, Katja switched to the smaller Populär label for one final German release, Weine nicht um einen Boy, issued under the alternative spelling of Katja Hollaender. When this release failed to sell as well, Katja moved back to California, to manage her father’s musical legacy.