Roger Cicero

Roger Cicero
Roger Cicero performing live at the Eurovision Song Contest 2007
Background information
Birth name	Roger Marcel Cicero Ciceu
Born	(1970-07-06) July 6, 1970 Berlin, Germany
Origin	Germany
Genres	German jazz, pop
Occupation(s)	Singer, songwriter
Years active	2003-present
Labels	Starwatch
Website	Official site

Roger Marcel Cicero Ciceu (born July 6, 1970 in Berlin) is a German jazz and pop musician and the son of the Romanian pianist Eugen Cicero.

Biography

He made his first appearance at the age of eleven supporting German singer Helen Vita. He appeared on television for the first time aged 16, alongside the RIAS-Tanzorchester, then under the direction of Horst Jankowski. Cicero joined the Hohner Conservatory in Trossingen when he was 18, where he received coaching in piano, guitar and singing. Between 1989 and 1992, he appeared alongside the Horst Jankowski Trio, the Eugen Cicero Trio (his father’s group) as well as with the Bundesjugendjazzorchester (German Youth Jazz Orchestra), which was then directed by Peter Herbolzheimer. From 1991 to 1996, he studied jazz singing at the Amsterdam Academy of Arts (Amsterdamse Hogeschool voor de Kunsten) at Hilversum. Since then, he has been a guest singer with the groups Jazzkantine and Soulounge with whom he took part in the Montreux Jazz Festival. In 2003, he founded the Roger Cicero Quartet, as well as continuing to perform with his eleven-piece big band. His style is predominantly that of 1940s and 1950s swing music, combined with German lyrics.

In 2006, Cicero was involved with the album Good Morning Midnight by jazz pianist Julia Hülsmann, and released his first solo album Männersachen in May of the same year. He working alongside thirteen composers (predominantly Matthias Haß and Frank Ramond). "Schieß mich doch zum Mond" is the German version of Frank Sinatra’s classic "Fly Me to the Moon". The covered track "Zieh die Schuh aus" ("Take your shoes off"), which deals ironically with the battle of the sexes, reached number 71 in the German singles chart. The album Männersachen made it to number three.

Cicero was Germany's participant for the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 in Helsinki but finished only 19th in the rankings. With his song Frauen regier'n die Welt (Women rule the world) he won the preliminary decision in a competition against Monrose and Heinz Rudolf Kunze. Although he won with Frauen regier'n die Welt it peaked at number seven in the hit parade; it stayed in the Top 10 for one week and dropped out of the Top 30 after four weeks.

On 7 July 2007, he performed at the German leg of Live Earth in Hamburg. On May 1, 2008, he became father to a son, Louis.

Cicero made his film debut in "Hilde" (2009) and received good notices for his performance as musician Ricci Blum. Directed by Kai Wessel, the film is a biography of the German singer and actress Hildegard Knef, who is played by Heike Makatsch. He appeared as the singing and speaking voice of Prince Naveen in "Küss den Frosch", the German dubbed version of The Princess and the Frog.

His third studio album, Artgerecht, was released on April 3, 2009. On March 20, 2009, the first single from the album, "Nicht Artgerecht", was released.

He was one of the participating artists at the concert in honor of the Dalai Lama in August 2009 in Frankfurt.

Cicero and his Big Band headlined at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland on 12 July 2010. This performance introduced an English version of his song "Murphy's Gesetz" (“Murphy’s Law”), and “That you and I feeling”, a new version of his song, "Ich hab das Gefühl für dich verlor'n". The concert was recorded for a DVD, Roger Cicero - Live at Montreux 2010.

In October 2010, Cicero published a book, Weggefährten: Meine Songs fürs Leben (Companions: My Songs for Life) reflections on songs that have personal meaning for him, revealing his memories associated with the songs, and exploring the history of the songs and their composers. The book describes Cicero’s youth in West Berlin, his musical studies in the Netherlands, and a formative trip he made as a teenager with his father to his paternal family’s native Romania, then under the rule of Ceauşescu’s government.

After appearing in promotional talks for Weggefährten at the Frankfurt Book Fair, Cicero toured in a series of concerts with his pianist and musical director Lutz Krajenski. The Roger Cicero Solo programme featured the duo performing songs from their albums, including jazz numbers Cicero and Krajenski recorded as part of the group After Hours. Along with swing and jazz, they showcased rock and soul songs in English and German, and presented new arrangements of “Every little thing she does is Magic”,”What’s Going On”, ”Let’s Stay Together”, and Prince’s “Forever in My Life”. During some of the numbers, Cicero accompanied himself on piano and guitar.

Cicero's song "Für nichts auf dieser Welt" (For nothing in this world), from his fourth album "In diesem Moment" was chosen by the German football association as the official fan song to support the German team for the Euro 2012 tournament. Cicero performed the song at a Germany-Israel friendly football match in Leipzig on May 31, 2012.

In December 2012, Cicero appeared along with the American actor and singer Robert Davi in the French/German Arte TV program Durch die Nacht mit.... The episode was shot in the Little Italy area of New York City and features conversation between Cicero and Davi and solos of Sinatra standards by both performers.

In 2014 he was one of the stars of the Vox television show "Sing meinen Song – Das Tauschkonzert" (Sing my song - the exchange concert) along with Xavier Naidoo, Sasha, Andreas Gabalier, Sandra Nasić and Gregor Meyle.

Cicero has appeared in advertisements and videos for the animal rights organization PETA; he has supported their campaign against the wearing of fur.

Discography

Albums

• 2003: The Essence of a Live Event (with Soulounge)
• 2003: Jam It Up! (with Nils Gessinger)
• 2004: Home (with Soulounge)
• 2005: There I Go (by After Hours and Roger Cicero)
• 2005: Sunrise & Rainbow, Song: "Can You Feel It" (Rivera Rotation)
• 2006: Good Morning Midnight (with Julia Hülsmann)
• 2006: Changing Colours, Song: The Look Into Your Eyes (Matthias Vogt Trio)
• 2006: Männersachen (GER #3, AUT #28, SWI #40)
• 2007: Beziehungsweise (GER #2, AUT #7, SWI #17)
• 2009: Artgerecht (GER #2, AUT #4, SWI #8)
• 2009: A Tribute to Die Fantastischen Vier, Song: Geboren
• 2011: In diesem Moment (GER #4, AUT #8, SWI #18)
• 2012: Giraffenaffen, Songs: Wir sind da (Giraffenaffensong), Die Affen rasen durch den Wald
• 2014: Was immer auch kommt (GER #4, AUT #3, SWI #11)
• 2015: The Roger Cicero Jazz Experience
• 2015: Cicero Sings Sinatra – Live in Hamburg (GER #14, AUT #24, SWI #73)

Singles

• 2006: Zieh die Schuh aus (GER #71)
• 2006: So geil Berlin
• 2006: Ich atme ein (GER #74)
• 2006: Murphys Gesetz (Promo Single)
• 2007: Frauen regier'n die Welt (GER #7, AUT #51, SWI #64)
• 2007: Guess who rules the world (Online Single)
• 2007: Die Liste
• 2007: "Bin heute Abend bei dir" (Online Single)
• 2008: "Wovon träumst du nachts?" (Online Single)
• 2008: "Alle Möbel verrückt" live
• 2009: "Nicht Artgerecht"
• 2009: "Seine Ruhe"
• 2010: "Tabu"
• 2011: "In Diesem Moment"
• 2012: "Für nichts auf dieser Welt"
• 2014: "Wenn es morgen schon zu Ende wär'"

DVDs

• 2007: Roger Cicero: Männersachen Live! (Recorded on Feb. 18th, 2007 in Frankfurt/Main)
• 2008: Roger Cicero - Beziehungsweise Live (Recorded on Feb. 13, 2008 in Berlin)
• 2010: Roger Cicero - Live at Montreux 2010 (Recorded on July 12, 2010 at the Montreux Jazz Festival)

Films

• 2009: Hilde
• 2009: Küss den Frosch (German dubbed version of "the Princess and the Frog")

Books

• 2010: Weggefährten. Meine Songs fürs Leben, Rowohlt, Berlin ISBN 978-3-499-62652-4.

External links

• Official website (in German)
• Official MySpace page (in German and English)
• Video of the song "Frauen regier'n die Welt"
• Amsterdamse Hogeschool voor de Kunsten

Preceded by Texas Lightning with No No Never

Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007

Succeeded by No Angels with Disappear