Boy (duo)

Boy (stylized BOY) is a Swiss–German pop duo founded in 2007 by Swiss singer Valeska Steiner and German bassist Sonja Glass. The two met while at a pop-music course at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg in 2005.[1] The band initially played concerts exclusively,[2] before being discovered by and signed to Herbert Grönemeyer's label, Grönland Records, in 2011.[3]

Boy
BOY in December 2015.
Background information
OriginZürich, Hamburg
GenresIndie music
Years active2007–present
LabelsGrönland Records
MembersValeska Steiner
Sonja Glass
Websitelistentoboy.com

Their debut album, Mutual Friends (Gold-certified in Germany), was produced by Philipp Steinke and released in the autumn of 2011.[1] The band sings entirely in English in a style reminiscent of that of Leslie Feist.[2][4]

In the UK, Mutual Friends was released by Decca in June 2012. The North American release of the album was in February 2013 on Nettwerk Records.[5]

Boy won the Hamburg Musician Prize HANS in 2011 in the category Hamburgs Newcomer of the Year, and their album Mutual Friends won the 2012 European Border Breakers Award (EBBA).[6][7]

The duo's song "Little Numbers" was also featured in the Lufthansa Airline's Business Class advertisement in mid-2012. In 2013 the song was at No. 4 in the Japan Hot 100.[8]

The duo's first-ever US tour launched on March 1, 2013, with a sold-out performance at Joe's Pub, New York City.

After a two-year hiatus to focus on songwriting, the duo released their second studio album We Were Here in 2015.

The first new music in many years, a song called "Fit Back In", was released in 2021.[9]

History

Valeska Steiner was born in Zurich on October 28, 1985.[10] She grew up surrounded by music, taking piano and singing lessons from the age of seven. She took part in several bands of various styles all through her adolescence, ranging from heavy metal to African music, though at the time she thought of music more as an important part of her life than as a career path. With Glass, she declared it was the first time she felt she was creating something, instead of copying from what already existed.[11]

Sonja Glass was born in Munich on November 30, 1976.[10] She played the cello until she was "about 18", when a guitar player saw her on the street with the cello after a concert and asked her to play in his band. There she met some girls who were bass players and became interested in the instrument. She did not finish high school,[12] but did study bass in the Netherlands, where she says it is easier to be accepted than in Germany.

The duo met at a six-week music course, but then Steiner returned to Switzerland and the two kept in touch rather irregularly. Glass occasionally sent Steiner songs she had just written, but for some time the two did not know what to write about together. The band was formed two years later.[11]

Discography

Albums
Title Album details Peak chart positions
SWI
[13]		 AUT
[14]		 BEL
(FL)
[15]		 BEL
(WA)
[16]		 FRA
[17]		 GER
[18]		 US Heat
[19]		 US Indie
[20]
Mutual Friends 6641001211229533
We Were Here 35166——3——
"—" denotes album that did not chart or was not released

EPs
Title EP Details
Hungry Beast[21]
  • Released: 2010
  • Label: 380grad

Singles
List of singles, with selected chart positions, showing year released and album name
Year Title Peak chart positions Album
SWI
[13]		 BEL
(FL)
[15]		 FRA
[17]		 GER
[18]		 JPN
[22]		 US
AAA
[23]
2011 "Little Numbers" 569113965417 Mutual Friends
2012 "Oh Boy" ——————
"Waitress" —126————
2015 "We Were Here" 74——57—— We Were Here
"Hit My Heart" ——————
2016 "Fear" ——————
2021 "Fit Back In" —————- Fit Back In
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Promotional singles
Title Year Album
"Drive Darling"[24] 2012 Mutual Friends

Photos

References
  1. Ganz, Markus (2011-10-12). "Der Musik die nötige Zeit lassen: Das Frauenduo Boy präsentiert sein Debütalbum in der Alten Börse - Pop und Jazz Nachrichten". Neue Zürcher Zeitung. Retrieved 2014-03-09.
  2. "Interview Valeska Steiner, Boy: über 1. Album, Herbert Grönemeyer – Schweizer Illustrierte" (in German). Schweizer-illustrierte.ch. Retrieved 2014-03-09.
  3. "Grönland Records angelt sich Boy | Musikmarkt" (in German). Musikmarkt.de. Archived from the original on 2012-09-04. Retrieved 2014-03-09.
  4. "– Kein Kind von Traurigkeit | Musik | Züritipp Online". Zueritipp.ch. 2011-11-15. Archived from the original on 2011-11-17. Retrieved 2014-03-09.
  5. "Boy To Release Mutual Friends In North America". Nettskinny.com. Archived from the original on 2014-03-10. Retrieved 2014-03-09.
  6. "Boy | European Border Breakers Awards". Archived from the original on 2011-11-07. Retrieved 2020-03-23.
  7. "Eurosonic Noorderslag: Act". Archived from the original on 2012-04-06. Retrieved 2020-03-23.
  8. "Japan Hot 100 : Page 1". Billboard. 2 January 2013. Retrieved 2014-03-09.
  9. "BOY on Facebook". Facebook. Archived from the original on 2022-04-27.
  10. "Die Musikerinnen der Band "Boy" im Interview ohne Worte über ihren außergewöhnlichen Musikstil und Rituale vor Konzerten". Sz-magazin.sueddeutsche.de. Retrieved 2017-11-24.
  11. "BOY interview - Valeska & Sonja (part 1)". YouTube. 2015-12-17. Retrieved 2017-11-24.
  12. "UNICUM trifft: BOY". UNICUM ABI. 2012-05-29. Retrieved 2017-11-24.
  13. "Discography BOY". swisscharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  14. "Discographie BOY". austriancharts.at. Hung Medien. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  15. "Discografie BOY". ultratop.be. Hung Medien. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
  16. "Discographie BOY". ultratop.be. Hung Medien. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
  17. "Discographie BOY". lescharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  18. "BOY - Germany Albums". Billboard.com. Archived from the original on 2016-08-03. Retrieved 2016-06-09.
  19. "BOY - Billboard Alternative". Billboard.com. Archived from the original on 2016-08-03. Retrieved 2016-06-09.
  20. "BOY - Billboard Independent". Billboard.com. Archived from the original on 2015-12-27. Retrieved 2016-06-09.
  21. "Hungry Beast". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2015-03-09.
  22. "BOY - Japan Hot 100". Billboard.com. Archived from the original on 2016-08-03. Retrieved 2016-06-09.
  23. "BOY - US Triple A". Billboard.com. Archived from the original on 2016-08-03. Retrieved 2016-06-09.
  24. "Drive Darling". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2015-03-09.
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