Before “What Is Love” became an eternal dance hit, Alexander Nestor Haddaway was born in Tobago, West Indies on January 9th, 1965 and grew up around music in Maryland City, Maryland.
Eventually, Haddaway attended George Washington University, where he studied Political Science and History. While he was in Washington D.C., Haddaway performed with a small local band, though he saw music as more of a hobby than anything.
After graduating college in 1989, Haddaway moved to Germany, where he played American football in the German Football League. Haddaway also installed carpets, worked as a fitness instructor and as he had time, performed music.
Within a few years, Haddaway got a big break when in 1992, he was discovered and signed to a record deal. Almost overnight, he was propelled to fame throughout Europe and soon after, would make his mark in the U.S.
“What Is Love” was released in the United States in the fall of 1993, where it reached #11 on the charts after spending nineteen weeks on the Top 40. “Life” was the second single off of the self titled album “Haddaway” and nearly cracked the Top 40 in the U.S., but fell one song short, at #41.
While “What Is Love” was certainly popular at the time it came out in 1993, the song is even more remembered in America from subsequent appearances throughout pop culture.
Most recently, Eminem has sampled the song on the track called “No Love,” which features Lil Wayne and came out in late 2010.
In 2008, Diet Pepsi Max used the song for a commercial.
And in 1998, the track was featured on the soundtrack of A Night at the Roxbury.
A self described “fitness junkie” who calls Sting and Prince his musical heroes, Haddaway has had eight albums come out since his initial success in 1993, including a new effort in 2010.
You can check out his new materials on his website, www.haddawaymusic.com
