Klaus Nomi is the debut album by German countertenor Klaus Nomi, released in 1981 by RCA. The album combines his technique as an opera singer with rock influences. Background Klaus Nomi had relocated from Germany to New York City in 1972, and by the late 1970s he had become a well-known face on the city's gay circuit as well as its performance art scene. He made his first public performance in 1978, and was soon after approached by songwriter and keyboardist Kristian Hoffman (Mumps, the Swinging Madisons), who offered to help Nomi put together a band. Hoffman, an active figure in New York's no wave scene, would become Nomi's musical director and also write some of the songs Nomi was most identified with, such as "Total Eclipse", "Nomi Song" and "After the Fall". A set of songs was put together consisting of operatic arias, original electronic pop songs, and offbeat covers adapted to Nomi's operatic singing style. With a band featuring Hoffman, Joey Arias (vocals, dancing), Tony Frere (vocals, dancing), George Elliott (guitar), Joe Katz (bass), Page Wood (drums), and others, Nomi gained attention in New York playing popular venues such as Danceteria, Hurrah's, Max's Kansas City, and the Mudd Club. Besides unusual costumes, the shows would also include dancers and elaborate sets. Nomi's big break came when he and Arias were introduced to David Bowie one night at the Mudd Club, and the two were subsequently hired by Bowie as backing singers for a Saturday Night Live performance in December 1979. The exposure lead to Nomi signing a record deal with the European branch of Bowie's label RCA. By the time Nomi recorded his debut album, his management had discarded his original band in favour of session musicians. Klaus Nomi was released in late 1981 as a Europe and Japan-only release and showcased a wide-ranging musical repertoire that drew from pop, new wave, post-punk, opera, and cabaret. The album is dedicated to Anders Grafstrom, who was a Swedish-born film maker and friend of Nomi's. He filmed many of Nomi's early performances and directed the 1980 art film The Long Island Four, in which Nomi had a role. Grafstrom was killed in a car accident in Mexico at the age of 23 a few months after completing the film. Songs and musical style The first thing Kristian Hoffman did when he started working with Klaus Nomi was to suggest covering