1995–1996: Formation and debut album

The band was established in 1995 by three young women from the industrial Ruhr area: Lee (Liane Wiegelmann), Ricky (Ricarda Wältken) and Jazzy (Marlene Tackenberg). Claudia Wohlfromm was the group's manager, and together with her partner Torsten Börger co-wrote all the songs for Tic Tac Toe.^[1] To appeal to young audience, the official band biography stated that all girls were in their teens, although only Ricky was actually a teenager when the group was formed.

Their first single was "Ich find' dich scheiße" in 1995, which caused a media stir due to its explicit title which translates "I Think You're Shit". The song became a major hit in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and was followed by the band's self-titled debut album in the spring of 1996. It was a commercial success, reaching top 5 in the charts and going multi-platinum. The album spawned further singles, "Funky" and "Leck mich am A, B, Zeh", the latter song being about safe sex.^[2] However, it was the fourth single, provocatively titled "Verpiss' dich" (English: "Fuck Off"), that became the band's first number 1 hit in Germany as well as Switzerland. Their public feud with fellow German rapper Sabrina Setlur was widely reported by the music press.^[3]

1997–1998: Second album and controversies

In 1997 the band released their second album, Klappe die 2te. It became another multi-platinum success, topping German and Swiss albums charts, and has sold over 1.1 million copies in Germany alone.^[4] The lead single was "Warum?", whose lyrics were based on the story of a friend who had died of drug overdose.^[5] The track went to number 1 in Germany, Austria and Switzerland and remains Tic Tac Toe's biggest hit.^[6] Reggae-influenced "Mr. Wichtig" was released as the second single and reached the top 10. Two following singles, including "Bitte küss' mich nicht", a song about sexual harassment,^[2] charted outside the top 20.

During this time the press began writing unflattering articles about the band. The band members' true ages were revealed, and their biographies were reported to have been fabricated by the group. Liane Wiegelmann's marital status was made public when her husband committed suicide.^[7][8] It was also reported that Wiegelmann was using drugs, and that she had been involved in child prostitution when she was 16 years old.^[9] Tensions between the band members escalated, and Ricky Wältken was reported to be struggling with stress-related issues.^[10] To prevent further damage to the band's image, their record company called a press conference in Munich in November 1997 to contradict the scandalous revelations and demonstrate the band's unity. However, the event took an unexpected turn when Ricky clashed against the rest of the band and the girls started to publicly argue and blame each other.^[11] The conference ended with Lee leaving the room in tears. As a result, Tic Tac Toe's popularity dramatically decreased. Ricky immediately left the band and embarked on a solo career releasing several modestly successful singles, although her solo album failed to chart.

1999–2009: Comeback and definitive split

Lee and Jazzy performed as a duo for some time, before Sara Brahms joined the band. They recorded a single "Nie wieder" as Sara @ Tic Tac Two which was a chart success in 1999 and was later included on Sara's solo album. In 2000, the band released their third studio album, Ist der Ruf erst ruiniert..., recorded with Sara under their original moniker Tic Tac Toe. Three singles promoted the album, of which the most successful was "Isch liebe disch". The album itself didn't fare as well in the charts as its predecessors and still in 2000 the trio disbanded.

Tic Tac Toe reformed in the original line-up in 2005, after Ricky had rejoined. At the end of the year the single "Spiegel" was released which was a top 10 chart success and brought the band back into the spotlight. To cash-in on the unexpected success of the song, their former label Sony BMG released a greatest hits album in early 2006. The following month, Tic Tac Toe's fourth studio album Comeback was released to modest chart success. The next single "Keine Ahnung" was their first to fail to enter the charts. The comeback concert tour was shortened due to lack of interest and in early 2007 Tic Tac Toe officially disbanded again.^[12]

Another reunion was rumoured in 2009, with Brahms replacing Lee,^[13] but in the end the project was abandoned. Lee has since completely withdrawn herself from the music business and in 2009 was reported as working as a cashier in a Cologne zoo.^[14] Jazzy has released solo music sporadically, and has taken part in musicals and TV shows.^[15]

Studio albums

Compilations

Singles