BERLIN, the groundbreaking synth-electro-pop band fronted by the enigmatic TERRI NUNN, has announced the release of their seventh studio album, Animal, set for release on September 17th via Something-Music/INgrooves Fontana. Animal incorporates modern electronic dance music, yet remains true to the groundbreaking synth-electro-pop sounds and amazing vocals that continue to define BERLIN.
Animal is the result of NUNN’s re-ignited love affair with current electronic music, and the feeling that BERLIN could make a unique statement in the EDM [electronic dance music] milieu. “It’s still my favorite medium. I’ve loved it since I met John [Crawford, original Berlin bassist) in 1979, when he wanted to bring electronic music to America, because it wasn’t here yet,” she recalls.
The first single from Animal, “It’s the Way”, is a vulnerable ballad written in that distinctive BERLIN style. Co-written with and produced by Bryan Todd (Josh Kelley, Big Time Rush, Ashley Tisdale, Jordin Sparks), the single is very personal to NUNN, “It’s about my fear of connection; of saying how I feel to my partner. I haven’t been very good at that in my life. It scares me. What I learn as I get older is that it’s not about money or ‘making it.' It’s about connection; that’s where the real joy, passion and bliss comes from. I’ve been afraid to tell the truth, afraid to trust someone. But I know it’s the only way to bliss.”
Enter John King, one-half of award-winning producers The Dust Brothers (Beastie Boys, Rolling Stones, Beck). When NUNN and King began writing, “[It] felt like the beginning of the album to me,” she explains, “working with John, his sound was exactly what I was looking for.” Old friend, Marti Frederiksen (Aerosmith, Sheryl Crow) introduced NUNN to a young writer named Derek Cannavo. “I lost my mind!” recalls NUNN of Cannavo’s work. “We did seven songs, we went crazy. It was so intense… the writing was done so intimately and so fast, great music collaborations ARE intimate, creative and intense and hard and wonderful and exciting; everything a love relationship is.” Additional creative input came courtesy of pioneering mixers John Alicastro and Mike Lauri (Goo Goo Dolls, Train). Carlton Bost, BERLIN’s guitarist (Orgy, Deadsy) also produced four tracks and on the album.
BERLIN will forever be recognized as the American progenitor of electro-pop artistry with sensually appealing lyrics. Few bands emerging from the era of BERLIN have achieved as far-reaching and long-lasting an impact and, rarely, such a timeless array of musical grooves. The Los Angeles-based band made its first national impression with the provocative single "Sex (I'm A...)" from the platinum-selling debut EP Pleasure Victim in 1982. “The Metro” and “No More Words” were also chart toppers, but it was the unforgettable, intimate, and strikingly beautiful love song, “Take My Breath Away” that took the band to another level. The ballad’s defining role in the Tom Cruise film, Top Gun, helped solidify BERLIN’s everlasting place in American pop-culture. The song was a #1 international hit and received both the Golden Globe and Academy Award for “Best Original Song” in 1986.
Since the band’s formation, TERRI NUNN and BERLIN have received a total of twelve gold and platinum album awards and NUNN’s unyielding influence has earned her the #11 spot on VH1.com’s “100 Greatest Women in Rock.” Currently, NUNN also hosts the radio show Unbound with Terri Nunn on 88.5 FM KCSN Los Angeles with co-host Wendy Liebman. During the show, the two provide their listening audience with a Saturday night soundscape of great music, interviews and NUNN’s personal take on a wide variety of lively topics.
A major fall tour will be announced shortly. Joining NUNN on the road will be Carlton Bost on guitars (Orgy, Deadsy) keyboardist, Dave Schulz (Goo Goo Dolls, General Public) and long-time drummer, Chris Olivas.