Niobe

by William Ruhlmann
Born in Frankfurt, Germany, to German and Venezuelan parents and based in Cologne since 1994, singer Yvonne Cornelius took her stage name, Niobe, from the character in Greek mythology, the daughter of Tantalus, king of Sipylos, who turned to stone while crying over the loss of her children. She was a frequent collaborator with Mouse on Mars, appearing, for example, on the band's album Radical Connector. She released her debut solo album, Radioersatz, on Tomlab Records in 2001. Concerts in Germany, France, and Mexico helped expand her audience. The Cologne label Sonig issued her follow-up, Tse Tse (2003), and her third album, Voodooluba (2004), before she returned to Tomlab for White Hats, released in Europe on June 26, 2006, and in the U.S. on October 31, 2006.