Die Happy

Born in the early 1990s in Ulm in southern Germany, Die Happy gradually established themselves on the German‑language rock scene around the voice of Czech singer Marta Jandová, who has lived in Germany since her teens. Formed with Thorsten Mewes on guitar, Ralph Rieker on bass and a changing rhythm core, the band developed an alternative rock with pop overtones, characterised by direct riffs, a dynamic often close to post‑grunge and songwriting centred on melodic choruses. After beginnings on the German club and festival circuit, Die Happy released Dirty Flowers in 1996 and Better Than Nothing in 1998, before broadening their audience with Supersonic Speed in 2001 and Beautiful Morning in 2003; these albums introduced a more melodic sound without sacrificing the energy of the early recordings. Bitter to Better (2005), No Nuts No Glory (2006) and VI (2008) refined this approach by alternating powerful tracks and ballads, while Red Box (2010) and Everlove (2014) confirmed a deliberate shift toward a pop‑rock contour, sung mostly in English with occasional forays into German. Alongside her work with Die Happy, Marta Jandová has taken part in numerous guest collaborations, notably with Oomph! and Apocalyptica, which helped anchor the band within a network of European rock acts, before the release of Guess What in 2022, which extended this stylistic continuity.