Indigo Peak

Indigo Peak are an alternative pop duo consisting of brothers Yannik and Andre Cassenove. To date, the pair are noted for fourteen of their twenty one singles hitting the number one spot and five of their six studio albums sharing the same accolade, three of which are certified diamond - making them the most successful group in Urapopstar history.

Following a decade long hiatus, the duo announced a musical comeback in November 2020, returning Indigo Peak to the top of the charts with their album 'Never Really Gone'.

Formation and Discovery (2005-2008)
Indigo Peak formed in early 2005, initially as a fourpiece and later a duo consisting of brothers Yannik and Andre Cassenove. Prior to forming the group, both brothers had experienced minor success writing songs for various acts in their native Bulgaria. Moving to London, England in 2006 - the brothers secured a selection of performances in and around Londons nightclub scene, becoming particular favourites of G-A-Y, who showcased the pair on three seperate occasions as a warm up act. In 2007, the duo self funded 'Mix Tape', a selection of songs written and produced by the duo, with limited copies distributed in independant music stores. NME were among the first press to review the duo when they listed them as "2008's one's to watch" during an end of year round up in 2007. The brother's hand delivered copies of 'Mix Tape', to various labels, with Wired Records being the first to reply, offering Indigo Peak a one single deal, which eventually became a remastered version of "Mix Tape," track 'Beat Junkie'.

Sex Sells (2008)
Main article: Sex Sells 'Beat Junkie' proved an unexpected success when it debuted at number four during March 2008. Seeing their potential, Wired offered the duo a three album deal and Indigo Peak began writing and recording tracks for their debut LP 'Sex Sells'.

A second single featuring a then relatively new face China was released the following June. 'Song 4 China'/'Forget Me' became the brothers breakthrough hit when it rose to number one on it's second week of release. Its album also took the top spot, earning diamond certification for over 1000,000 copies sold almost a year later.

The third single to be lifted from 'Sex Sells', was Izzy collaboration 'Active Duty'/'Fever', providing Indigo Peak with their second number one and the highest selling single of 2008. The track 'Fever', was a vague cover of the Peggy Lee hit of the same name, containing retooled lyrics and additional verses. Supporting this release was 'Social Rehab', a collaborative covers album.

Following soon after was their third number one, 'Dr. Go Faster', a firm fan favourite which also featured in the highest selling singles of 2008. Alongside this came a re-release of 'Sex Sells', containing new tracks and mixes. This re-release returned the duo to the top of the albums charts.

Although content with their success, the brothers publicly fell out with Wired when the label pressured the duo into recording tracks similar or almost identical to the tracks on 'Sex Sells.' The duo toured briefly to critical acclaim before leaving their contract early in a much publicised legal battle and signing a new deal with Ensemble Entertainment.

Arcadium (2008-2009)
Main article: Arcadium 'Arcadium', the second studio album from the duo featured 16 new tracks, many of which had been brought over from sessions with Wired and remastered to fit with the duo's desired sound. Though many critics feared a rush released second album would prove a negative factor in Indigo Peak's then short career, it's lead single 'Grand Theft Auto' served as their fourth number one single, whilst the album became their second to also hit the top spot.

'Kissing A Cobra', was chosen as the second single. It too hit the number one spot upon release giving the duo their fifth chart topping single, and was quickly followed up with 'Filthy Preacher'/'Shoot to Kill', a collaboration with then label mate Alesha.

During promotion for the single, the trio's antics and attitude towards their peers generated negative press, however despite fears and the fact that they had branded various celebrities "Paedophiles," the single still managed a number one position, at the same time propelling a re-release of 'Arcadium' to the top spot as well. Soon after, 'Arcadium' was certified diamond and succeeded in selling more copies than its predecessor.

The final single to be lifted from 'Arcadium' was 'Red Raw'. The track had originally been intended as a collaboration with Jack Stevens, however scheduling conflicts left the brothers to record the track on their own. 'Red Raw' also hit the number one position despite a much publicised chart battle with Alex Washington. Supporting 'Red Raw' was a remix album, 'Cut The Fuck Up', which reached the number two position upon release.

Long Live (2009)
Main article: Long Live Early July 2009 saw the brothers announce a new single when 'Cold War' was revealed via Popjustice. The single premiered to extremely positive reviews, many noting a creative shift to a harder edge as a standout factor. 'Cold War' became the duo's eighth number one when it debuted on the official UK top 40 during the first week of August 2009. Having been knocked off the top spot by Sophie Ramone's 'Suck My Tits', the single returned to the number one position the following week - beating competition from Jack Stevens.

'Long Live' became the duo's third LP to debut at the number one spot when it charted in August 2009.

'Finger! Button! Push!' and 'Space Invaders' became the second single to be lifted from the third LP debuting at #1 in September 2009, making the release the duo's ninth consecutive number one.

The third single to be taken from 'Long Live' was a remixed version of Izzy collaboration 'Electric Eccentric', which was partially rewritten to include additional vocals from Jack Stevens. Coinciding with the single was 'Scraps: Volume One', a compilation of the duo's b-sides and rare tracks to date. 'Electric Eccentric' became the duo's tenth number one single and as a result Indigo Peak now hold the record for most number ones held by a group.

'Long Live: The Motion Picture', became the duo's first feature film when it was released to critical acclaim in October 2009. The DVD featured a video story set to the soundtrack of their album of the same name as well as interpolations of the official music video's from that era.

The fourth single to be lifted from Long Live was the China collaboration 'Fire! Scream!'/'Pornographic', the former of which had been included on China's third album 'Fortune Favours The Bold'. The single was released on December 14th, 2009 in a race for the Christmas number one against competition from Ben Johnston and newcomer Logan Cross. The trio won gaining Indigo Peak their eleventh number one and second Christmas number one for Yannik.

A re-release of 'Long Live' and a new single 'Killing Games' were cancelled in early 2010 with the duo favouring a short hiatus prior to recording their fourth studio album.

Brand New Blindfold (2010)
Main article: Brand New Blindfold In late March 2010, it was announced via the duo's official website that a new studio album was in process of recording, with a reported nine tracks completed. Later the same week, official release schedules were updated with a slated single and album release for May 24th and 31st respectively. The site reported a move towards a clubbier sound, incorporating trademark Indigo Peak electropop with house, new wave and warmer electronica.

The album was a critical failure, whilst it's only single 'Manhunt' saw moderate success when it debuted at number 3. A lack of promotion and management choices led to a decreased popularity in the group. After disappointing performances of both the album and single, the duo scrapped the project. In a 2020 interview with Music Week member Andre revealed that the album had been rush recorded and primarily formed of previously discarded tracks.

What You Leave Behind (2010)
Main article: What You Leave Behind The second half of 2010 saw the duo announcing their first hits collection in the form of 'What You Leave Behind' accompanied by it's lead single 'By Any Other Slave'.

The collection, the first album in their new deal was universally praised by critics though the controversial decision to effectively erase 'Brand New Blindfold' from their discography drew some negative press.

The collection included a selection of new and previously unreleased tracks, with NME praising the duo on a "return to form," noting "the duo's departure from Ensemble has been a blessing in disguise [...] breathing new life into the group."

The Times dubbed the collection "a solid body of work," additionally praising 'By Any Other Slave', calling it "an arms in the air celebration of a whirlwind three years."

Both the single and album propelled Indigo Peak back into the top three when they both debuted at #2 on their respective charts.

The second single to be released from the collection was the Putanovska collaboration of 'Insanity' doubled up with a re-recorded version of Putty's track 'Young Blood'. The single was released to the highly competitive Christmas chart at the end of 2010 where it debuted at number two remaining in the top ten for three weeks in total.

Revised interest in the group saw the duo bring forward their planned studio album from March to February 2011.

Hunter/Prey and hiatus (2011)
Main article: Hunter/Prey In a November 2010 interview with Muse, Yannik Cassenove confirmed that following the success of their greatest hits collection - the duo had returned to the studio to work on new material for a fifth studio album, with an official announcement in January 2011.

Writing and recording for the album began as early as May 2010, when the duo visited Sweeden during their hiatus. Unsuitable tracks would go on to be used for 'What You Leave Behind'.

Though keeping the project secret for some time prior to announcing their deal with Saturdays, demo's and leak's arose leading fans to speculate that the duo had returned to the studio.

'Hunter/Prey' was released February 14th 2011 alongside it's lead single 'Hold Me Back'. Early reviews heralded a return to their critical peak with NME commenting on the duo's "return to the music that made them sucessfull initially." The Times highlighted the single as "a slow burning track that gathers as much speed towards the end as the duo's quick return to form."

Critically, the album saw great success and garnered Indigo Peak their best review's since 2009's 'Long Live'.

'Hold Me Back' debuted at number two whilst 'Hunter/Prey' became the duo's highest charting album in over 12 months when it took the number one position upon release.

'Love Is Violence' was announced as the second single, released on April 25th 2011. The single mix featured an interpolation of 'The Hunted', a hit for previous collaborator Alesha. The duo unexpectedly scaled back and cancelled most of their scheduled promo resulting in the poor performance of the track when it peaked at number 12, the lowest of their career. Following this the brothers stepped away from the public eye beginning what would become a ten year hiatus.

Never Really Gone (2020-Present)
Main article: Never Really Gone Following a decade long hiatus rumours began to circulate that Indigo Peak were poised to make a musical comeback. These rumours were confirmed, when in November 2020 the duo announced their first new material since 'Hunter/Prey'. The first single 'Cocaine' premiered on December 1st of that year to critical acclaim. The pair announced they would be self financing the project, releasing music via their own label IPR, whilst teaming with Semble Management for all PR related endeavours. In an interview with Fault Magazine during December 2020 the duo revealed their sixth studio album would be titled 'Never Really Gone'.

On December 18th 2020, the duo performed a free online gig Intimate and Live, during which they debuted new tracks alongside previous hits.

'Cocaine', became the duos twelfth number one single when it debuted at the top spot in January 2021. The single holds the record for longest break between number one singles at eleven years and twelve days.

Following the release of 'Cocaine', Indigo Peak announced that the title track 'Never Really Gone' would serve as the second official single, coinciding with the release of the LP on February 5th, 2021. Both the single and album debuted at the top of the UK charts with the album selling over 200,000 copies in its first week alone.

Sonically, their new material was heavily influenced by 1990's rave culture, incorporating such genre's as Dance, EDM and Electronica.

Critical reception of 'Never Really Gone' was highly favourable, garnering the duo some of their best reviews to date. Becky Rogers of NME dubbed the album "a journey in nostalgia for anyone who misses a good old fashioned dancefloor," highlighting 'These Words', 'The Target', 'Never Really Gone', 'Villains', and 'Sleeping Dogs/Getaway Car', as standout tracks. Many reviewers complimented singer Yannik Cassenove's vocals whilst others praised the digital exclusive instrumental edition for showcasing Andre Cassenove's production skills.

In mid February 2021, Yannik Cassenove revealed via his official Twitter account that a third single was in the planning stages, and that it would be one of the collaborative efforts included on the LP. This was later revealed to be 'Bad Son (Hyperion Mix)', a new mix of their collaborative track with Lena Moskalyova. The duo were also nominated for three awards at the Critics Choice Awards, winning 'Best Group' and 'Comeback of the Year'. 'Bad Son' became the duo's fourteenth number one single upon release.

In mid-April 2021, Indigo Peak announced the release of 'Emperor EP', the fourth single to be lifted from 'Never Really Gone' and a collaboration with Alesha. The release included five previously unreleased tracks co-written and produced by Alesha. In support of the EP, Indigo Peak and Alesha performed a one off gig, Emperor Live at London's O2 Arena. Limited to 5000 seats as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the event showcased the acts performing tracks from the aforementioned EP as well as previous material.

Legacy
Indigo Peak have cemented their status as one of the most influential acts of the late 2010's. During their critical peak, the duo wrote and produced tracks for other successful acts including Emily Henning and China. A 2009 The Times article reported the group as being among the highest earners worldwide in the music industry.

Their 2020/21 musical comeback was met with critical acclaim and their sixth studio album 'Never Really Gone' sold over 500,000 copies in its first three weeks.

Yannik Cassenove
Yannik Cassenove was born September 28th, 1986 in Varna, Bulgaria to Luciana (a painter) and Elian Cassenove. He is the frontman, main vocalist and lyricist of Indigo Peak.

Personal Life
Yannik is openly gay and was once married to veteran popstar Jake. The two separated in 2012 with divorce papers citing "irreconcilable differences," as the reason. Neither party has publicly addressed the subject. Together, they have one son Thomas Pikachu McQueen born in July 2009.

In 2020 media speculation that the star had embarked upon a relationship with Justyce proved true when the pair went public with their situation in November of that year. Their engagement was announced during an episode of Cassenove’s ‘Wine Time with Yannik’ podcast in April 2021.

Andre Cassenove-Stevens
Andre Cassenove-Stevens, born April 26th 1984 in Varna, Bulgaria to Luciana (a painter) and Elian Cassenove is the producer and programmer behind Indigo Peak.

Personal Life
Andre is bisexual and has had a number of high profile flings during his career. His most famous and public relationship with Jack Stevens was purported to be nothing more than a PR tactic. The two shared a torrid relationship from 2009 culminating in their marriage and divorce during the same week of August 2010.

The pair remained friends, eventually reigniting their relationship officially in late 2020. In December 2020 Cassenove proposed to Stevens and the pair revealed they would marry a second time. In April 2021, Cassenove was involved in a bicycle collision in the London borough of Chelsea, where he collided with a taxi who's driver had failed to observe a red light. Cassenove required minor corrective surgery following a broken nose.

Cassenove married fiancé Jack Stevens on April 29th 2021 in a surprise ceremony at London's O2 arena. Following their nuptials, Cassenove adopted the double barrelled surname Cassenove-Stevens, though opting to continue with just Cassenove for his professional endeavours.

Andre is a Vegan and regularly attends meat eating debates.

Discography
Main article: Indigo Peak Discography


 * Studio albums
 * Sex Sells (2008)
 * Arcadium (2008)
 * Long Live (2009)
 * Brand New Blindfold (2010)
 * Hunter/Prey (2011)
 * Never Really Gone (2021)


 * Other releases
 * Social Rehab (2008)
 * Cut The Fuck Up (2009)
 * Scraps: Volume One (2009)
 * What You Leave Behind (2010)
 * What We Left Behind: Live at the O2 (2011)


 * DVDs
 * Active Duty - Live in London (2008)
 * Arcadium Live (2009)
 * Long Live: The Motion Picture (2009)

Awards

 * Urapopstar Awards 16
 * Best Single 'Grand Theft Auto' - Nominated
 * Best Album 'Arcadium' - Nominated
 * Best Group - Won
 * Best Pop/Dance - Nominated
 * Best Newcomer - Won
 * Best Video 'Active Duty' - Nominated
 * Best Collaboration 'Active Duty"/"Fever' - Nominated
 * Best Collaboration 'Partners In Crime'/'Not Tonight Santa' - Won
 * Best Promotion - Nominated
 * Best Songwriter - Won
 * Best Banner 'Active Duty'/'Fever' - Nominated
 * Best Artwork 'Arcadium' - Won
 * Best Live - Nominated


 * Urapopstar Awards 17
 * Best Single 'Cold War' - Nominated
 * Best Album 'Long Live' - Nominated
 * Best Group - Won
 * Best Pop/Dance - Nominated
 * Best Video 'Cold War' - Nominated
 * Best Collaboration 'Filthy Preacher'/'Shoot to Kill' - Nominated
 * Best Live - Nominated
 * Best Songwriter - Nominated
 * Best Album Artwork 'Arcadium' (Filthy Preacher Edition) - Won
 * Best Banner 'Cold War' - Nominated
 * Best Misc Art 'Stage Invaders 2010' - Nominated
 * Best Promotion - Nominated


 * Urapopstar Awards 18
 * Best Group - Won


 * Critics Choice Awards 2021
 * Comeback Of The Year - Won
 * Best Duo Or Group - Won
 * Best Single Artwork 'Cocaine' - Nominated

Trivia

 * Both Yannik and Andre Cassenove are classically trained musicians