Denalane scored her first chart entry in 1999, when she was featured on hip hop group Freundeskreis's single "Mit dir", a duet with future husband Max Herre, that became a top ten hit in Germany.

[1] Its success led to a recording deal with the Four Music label, which released her debut album Mamani in 2001.

[1] Following a longer hiatus in which she recorded collaborations with others musicians such as Herre, Afrob, and Common, Denalane released her second album Born & Raised in 2006.

A breakaway form her previous album, it was entirely recorded in English language and took Denalane's work further into the rhythm and blues and hip hop genres.

Produced by Roberto Di Gioia, it marked the first project by a German artist to be released by the label as well as her third English language album.