She was the queen of disco, today she is over 60 years old. This is how Sandra, the author of the hit “Maria Magdalena” looks like

Although her full name was Sandra Ann Lauer, and later – Sandra Cretu, she became so recognizable that she could introduce herself by her first name. She was active in the music industry even in the 2000s. The peak of her popularity was in the 80s, when she appeared on the covers of hundreds of magazines.

She won a talent show without being a contestant

Although she earned millions thanks to music, not everything indicated that she would become an international star. She came from a poor family, and the family business was a wine store and a shoe store. From an early age, however, she showed that she wanted to take a different path. She took ballet lessons as a five-year-old, and five years later she began taking guitar lessons. Dance, vocals and instrumental background helped her launch her career, although personality was also important. 13-year-old Sandra went with her mother to watch a local talent show. Before the jury discussed the results, she burst onto the stage and with an unannounced performance – performing a German-language version of a song from the repertoire known from “Grease” by Olivia Newton-John – won not only the victory, but also the release of her debut single later. Then she joined the Arabesque team. It was during this period that she met the love of her life.

The road to perfection

Sandra’s chosen one was Michael Cretu, a keyboard player associated with the band Enigma. They were meant for each other – they were born on the same day – January 7th. He took care of the development of her solo career and produced all the best-selling singles of the singer, including “(I’ll Never Be) Maria Magdalena” (1985), “In the Heat of the Night” (1985), “Everlasting Love” (1987), “Secret Land” (1988), “Hiroshima” (1990) and “Don’t Be Aggressive” (1992). After the success of the first song from these, which reached the top of the charts in as many as 21 countries, she did not rest on her laurels and started learning to play the drums, as well as taking English lessons for six months at the London Berlitz School of Languages ​​to be able to communicate more freely across borders and improve your accent.

Burnout has occurred

In the first half of the 90s, after the release of the fifth album, Sandra’s career began to fade – she was pregnant with twins and began to cut off coupons from the past, releasing e.g. new version of “Maria Magdalena” in techno style.

She closed the decade with the album “My Favorites”, where she returned to old hits. In 2007, she felt it was time to step off the stage. The singles from the album “The Art of Love” released at that time did not gain recognition even in their native Germany, although the cover of “All You Zombies” by The Hooters became popular in… Poland.

The singer’s partner, Michael Cretu, devoted himself to Enigma, which was the reason for the final breakup of the musicians’ relationship. Sandra took a new musical direction, trying Latino and R&B, but to no avail. She hasn’t been in touch with the industry since 2012’s Stay in Touch and hasn’t released anything. In 2017, she defeated breast cancer and devoted herself to family life. The star, who will turn 61 this year, has almost completely disappeared from the media.