# Haddaway
**Haddaway** is the stage name of Nestor Alexander Haddaway, a singer born in Trinidad in 1965 who built his career in Germany and became one of the defining voices of [Eurodance](https://www.edgepedia.org/eurodance) with the 1993 single "What Is Love"[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1658362/bio/) • [2](https://www.bmg.com/news/bmg-acquires-100-of-haddaway-in-coconut-music-deal). The song reached number one in 13 countries, sold 2.6 million copies, and has been streamed more than a billion times[2](https://www.bmg.com/news/bmg-acquires-100-of-haddaway-in-coconut-music-deal).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1965 in Trinidad (West Indies); birth name Nestor Alexander Haddaway[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1658362/bio/) |
| Signature hit | "What Is Love" (1993): number one in 13 countries, 2.6 million copies sold, number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100[2](https://www.bmg.com/news/bmg-acquires-100-of-haddaway-in-coconut-music-deal) |
| UK chart record | "What Is Love" peaked at number 2 (16 weeks on chart); four UK Top 10 singles in total[3](https://www.officialcharts.com/songs/haddaway-what-is-love/) • [4](https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/28906%2Fhaddaway/) |
| Label | Signed to Coconut Record (Cologne) in 1992; the label was founded in 1981 by Karin Hartmann and Tony Hendrik[2](https://www.bmg.com/news/bmg-acquires-100-of-haddaway-in-coconut-music-deal) • [5](https://universalmusic.fr/artistes/20000185778) |
| Education | Degree in political science and history from George Washington University, Washington, D.C.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1658362/bio/) |
| Catalogue rights | BMG acquired his recorded royalties in 2022 and 100% control through the Coconut Music deal in March 2024[2](https://www.bmg.com/news/bmg-acquires-100-of-haddaway-in-coconut-music-deal) |
| Recent work | Album *The Sun*, released March 17, 2026[6](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/haddaway/1251593) |
## Early life
Haddaway was born in Trinidad, the son of a Trinidadian nurse and a Dutch oceanographer (described in a 1994 Los Angeles Times profile as a marine biologist)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1658362/bio/) • [7](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-03-13-ca-33314-story.html). After his parents divorced in the early 1970s he lived with his father in Europe and later with his mother in the United States; he was raised in Chicago and the Washington, D.C., area[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1658362/bio/) • [7](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-03-13-ca-33314-story.html). He studied political science and history at [George Washington University](https://www.edgepedia.org/george-washington-university) and, after graduating in 1987, moved to Cologne[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1658362/bio/) • [8](https://www.nporadio2.nl/muziek/artiesten/ff659e1d-c40a-4d70-b4ec-7252a9dfcea7/haddaway). There he worked in bars and event promotion, played [American football](https://www.edgepedia.org/american-football) professionally for the Cologne Crocodiles, and worked as a producer at the Coconut label's own studios[8](https://www.nporadio2.nl/muziek/artiesten/ff659e1d-c40a-4d70-b4ec-7252a9dfcea7/haddaway) • [9](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1993/MM-1993-05-01.pdf).
## "What Is Love" and the 1993–94 peak
Haddaway signed with Coconut Record in 1992[5](https://universalmusic.fr/artistes/20000185778). "What Is Love" was originally written as a ballad but released in a dance arrangement[8](https://www.nporadio2.nl/muziek/artiesten/ff659e1d-c40a-4d70-b4ec-7252a9dfcea7/haddaway). In the UK it entered the Official Singles Chart on 5 June 1993, peaked at number 2 for two weeks in July, and spent 16 weeks in the Top 100[3](https://www.officialcharts.com/songs/haddaway-what-is-love/). In the Netherlands it spent six weeks at number one in the spring of 1993[8](https://www.nporadio2.nl/muziek/artiesten/ff659e1d-c40a-4d70-b4ec-7252a9dfcea7/haddaway), and it reached number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States[2](https://www.bmg.com/news/bmg-acquires-100-of-haddaway-in-coconut-music-deal).
**Follow-up hits.** The debut album *Haddaway* (also issued as *The Album*) reached number 9 on the [UK Albums Chart](https://www.edgepedia.org/uk-albums-chart) in February 1994[4](https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/28906%2Fhaddaway/). Four singles from this period reached the UK Top 10: "Life" (number 6, September 1993), "I Miss You" (number 9, December 1993), and "Rock My Heart" (number 9, April 1994), alongside "What Is Love"[4](https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/28906%2Fhaddaway/). In total he spent 19 weeks in the UK Top 10 across six [Top 40](https://www.edgepedia.org/top-40) singles[4](https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/28906%2Fhaddaway/).
## Later career
The 1995 album *The Drive* produced two smaller UK hits, "Fly Away" (number 20) and "Catch a Fire" (number 39)[4](https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/28906%2Fhaddaway/). Later albums, described by Universal Music France as closer to house and soul, did not recapture the early success: *Let's Do It Now* (1998), *My Face* (2001), *Pop Splits* (2005), and *Gotta Be* (2011)[5](https://universalmusic.fr/artistes/20000185778).
The signature song itself kept generating returns. In 2008 it was covered by artists including [LL Cool J](https://www.edgepedia.org/ll-cool-j) and [Missy Elliott](https://www.edgepedia.org/missy-elliott) for a Pepsi advertising campaign[5](https://universalmusic.fr/artistes/20000185778). A 2009 remix by the Dutch DJ Klaas re-entered European charts, reaching number 5 in France, and in 2012 Haddaway returned to the dance charts with "Up and Up", a duet with The Mad Stuntman[5](https://universalmusic.fr/artistes/20000185778). In 2010, Eminem's "No Love" with [Lil Wayne](https://www.edgepedia.org/lil-wayne), which samples "What Is Love" in its chorus, sold one million downloads[2](https://www.bmg.com/news/bmg-acquires-100-of-haddaway-in-coconut-music-deal).
## Legacy and rights
"What Is Love" became a template for later pop: in 2023, "Baby Don't Hurt Me" by [David Guetta](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-guetta), Anne-Marie, and [Coi Leray](https://www.edgepedia.org/coi-leray), built on the song, charted in more than 30 countries and was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Pop Dance Recording[2](https://www.bmg.com/news/bmg-acquires-100-of-haddaway-in-coconut-music-deal). BMG, which had acquired Haddaway's recorded royalties in 2022, bought the Coconut Music catalog outright in March 2024, taking 100% control of the recording rights[2](https://www.bmg.com/news/bmg-acquires-100-of-haddaway-in-coconut-music-deal).
Haddaway continues to perform at 1990s dance-music festivals and tours across Europe[10](https://www.2mgroup.es/artistas/haddaway), and released a new album, *The Sun*, in March 2026[6](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/haddaway/1251593).
## References
1. [Haddaway – Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1658362/bio/)
2. [BMG acquires 100% of Haddaway in Coconut music deal (March 7, 2024)](https://www.bmg.com/news/bmg-acquires-100-of-haddaway-in-coconut-music-deal)
3. [WHAT IS LOVE – HADDAWAY, Official Charts Company](https://www.officialcharts.com/songs/haddaway-what-is-love/)
4. [HADDAWAY songs and albums, full Official Chart history](https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/28906%2Fhaddaway/)
5. [Haddaway – Biographie, Universal Music France](https://universalmusic.fr/artistes/20000185778)
6. [Haddaway – Apple Music](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/haddaway/1251593)
7. [HADDAWAY: Singer Won't Stay Long in Dance-Music Genre, Los Angeles Times (March 13, 1994)](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-03-13-ca-33314-story.html)
8. [Haddaway – Biografie, NPO Radio 2](https://www.nporadio2.nl/muziek/artiesten/ff659e1d-c40a-4d70-b4ec-7252a9dfcea7/haddaway)
9. [Marketing The Music, Music & Media (May 1, 1993)](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1993/MM-1993-05-01.pdf)
10. [Haddaway · Cantante · 2M GROUP](https://www.2mgroup.es/artistas/haddaway)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Individual musical biographies › Pop and R&B singer-songwriters › Dance and disco singers, 1970s to 1990s*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license