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During the '80s, it was not common for women to front synth pop bands. As the lead singer of
Propaganda,
Claudia Brücken inserted a strong female voice in the male-dominated world of electronic dance music. As a teenager,
Brücken was in a group called Haarstrauben; she was also a member of the Toppolinos. When
Brücken joined
Propaganda, she originally shared vocal duties with Suzanne Freytag. In 1985,
Propaganda released their first LP, A Secret Wish. The provocative single "Duel" reached number 21 on the U.K. charts. However, the band began having problems with their label, ZTT, and
Brücken's marriage to ZTT co-founder
Paul Morley caused friction with the other members.
Brücken left
Propaganda in 1986. After
Propaganda,
Brücken formed Act with
Thomas Leer, recording the album Laughter, Tears and Rage. But Act didn't receive the attention or airplay that
Propaganda once did. In the early '90s,
Brücken released her solo debut, Love: And a Million Other Things. However, shifting personnel at Island Records killed its potential of finding an audience. In 2000,
Brücken toured America with
Paul Humphreys of
OMD, performing both
OMD classics and
Propaganda covers.
Brücken also started co-writing songs with
Humphreys.
Brücken eventually reunited with Freytag and
Michael Mertens as
Propaganda and recorded new material. ~ Michael Sutton