German pop group MIA. started when singer Mieze Katz befriended guitarist Andy Penn (who later became Andi Ross), and the two began writing songs together. Soon they added bassist Robert Schütze, guitarist and trumpeter Ingo Puls, and drummer Hannes Schulze to fill out their sound. Initially they called themselves "Me in Affairs," but after they signed to indie label R.O.T., the band decided to just go by the acronym MIA. instead. Their third album, Zirkus, came out in 2006 and hit number two on German charts. ~ Marisa Brown