A Berlin based pop group, Germanys Paula formed in 1997 when founders Berend Intelmann and Elke Brauweiler met at a Pet Shop Boys show in London. The pair released their first album, Himmelfahrt (in English, "Ascension"), in 2000 and released a pair of singles. In 2001, the follow-up, Liebe (or "Love," in English), was released, which was soon followed by Warum Berlin (or, "Why Berlin"). In 2005, Intelmann and guitarist Benjamin Schlez took their leave, and Brauweiler moved into a more active role with instrumentation. A larger band roster was explored for live shows, but no settled line-up was in place until around 2008, when Daniel Baumann took over on instrumentation and Barotti Marco took on drums. The original lineup was in place for 2005s Ruhig Blut ("Quiet Blood"), while 2008s So Wie Jetzt ("Just as Now") featured the new membership.