Ivana Karaja, known professionally as Karaja, was born in 1978 in Berlin and is a German singer. The daughter of two professional dancers, Karaja began her career in dance at an early age. At the age of 16, she moved to London to pursue formal training in dance. By 1997, she was working as a dancer and background singer in West End productions. Karaja's breakthrough moment came in 2001 when she successfully auditioned as a background dancer for Shaggy's performance on the ITV show The Record of the Year. This caught the attention of producer Maik Schott, with whom she released her debut electronic singles "Love Me" and "She Moves (La La La)" that same year. The latter, featuring lyrics by Jackie Bredie, became a European hit, reaching Number 10 in France, Greece, and Spain. It was also included in various dance compilations from Ministry of Sound, Sony Music, and EMI. The accompanying music video for "She Moves (La La La)", directed by Patric Ullaeus, showcased Karaja in a futuristic setting and was filmed in Gothenburg. In 2002, Karaja released two more singles, "What About Us" and "Hurt So Much".
