Junia
Junia (born 18 June 1984 in Weimar) is the early stage name of Jacqueline Zebisch (Ella Endlich), a bubblegum dance project from Germany. Junia released a self-titled album "Junia" in 2000, under the label Columbia Records. She is best known for her 1999 singles "It's Funny" and "My Guy."
The name "Junia" was derived from her birth month and the date she signed her first record deal (when she was 14 years old). 3 music videos were filmed for the project, "It's Funny," "My Guy" and "Skaterboy." Junia tracks have appeared on a number of compilation albums, particularly "It's Funny" which appeared on 7 dance compilation albums in 1999. "Skaterboy (Bishop Radio Mix)" also appeared on Chartmix 7 in 2000.
Junia's music is influenced by 60's pop, with a modern twist. Her album consists of many 60's inspired songs, including a cover of the popular song "Kissin' In the Backrow of the Movies." As quoted in the inside of the CD booklet, it's "Something old - something new - something borrowed - something blue."
Biography
At the age of five years, Zebisch moved with her mother from Weimar to Berlin , where her father, Norbert Finally , worked as a producer. In 1994, she sang for the first time in the musical background of a recording studio. During her school years she was taking singing and dancing classes. On 18 June 1998, on her 14th birthday, she signed her first record deal. With reference to this date and the month they were born they chose "Junia" as her artist name.
Junia's first single "It's Funny" reached number 17 in the German singles charts in 1999 and number 21 in Switzerland. The follow up singles could not repeat the initial success. "My Guy" reached place 54 on the charts, and the third single "Who's The Other Woman" was only in the rear seats of the top 100, while the fourth and last song "Skaterboy" (2000) failed to reach more placement.
After Junia, and after finishing high school she went to the Academy of Music and Drama at the Bavarian Theatre Academy. Her dance training includes ballet, jazz, hip-hop, modern, African and Step. In 2005 she received her diploma at the Bavarian Theatre Academy August Everding in Munich.
From 2005 to 2009 she had various roles in stage musicals and went by the name Ella Endlich. Musicals include Heidi (Role: Tinette), Sweet Charity (Role: Betzy), Grease (Role: Sandy), Princess Lillifee and the magic of Rose (role: Lillifee), Best of Musicals (rolls Christine from Phantom of the Opera , Satine from Moulin Rouge , Ariel from The Little Mermaid , Elphaba from Wicked , Cosette from Les Misérables) and in the play Der Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse.
Under her stage name Ella she finally published the single "Kiss me, hold me, love me" on 27 November 2009. This song got an instant in the airplay charts and advanced to number 12 in the German charts. In October, she released her second album Meilenweit.
