Sky (Canadian band)
Encyclopedia
Sky was an R&B-influenced pop music group from Montreal
, Quebec
, Canada
. The duo originally consisted of James Renald and Antoine Sicotte. Both were songwriters, producers and multi-instrumentalists, who met in 1992 at a music engineering school in Montreal. Anastasia (2000–2003) replaced James as the lead singer after he left, and Karl Wolf
(2003–2005) was the last lead singer of the group.
Their first EP was released on their own Phat Royale label in 1997. Both members co-wrote, co-produced and co-played every instrument on that record. Quebec radio stations began playing their music and eventually 43 stations in that province had added their songs to their playlists. Canada’s MusiquePlus
, the French
equivalent to English-language MuchMusic
, began playing the video for their song "America".
In February 1998, Sky signed a major-label record deal with EMI Music Canada
. With the recording sessions for their upcoming major-label debut, two world-famous producers, Peter Mokran (Maxwell
, R. Kelly
, Michael Jackson
) and Euro-Syndicate Productions, were brought in for two recording sessions at Gallery Studios in New York and Metalworks in Toronto
. Legendary guitar player Wah-Wah Watson was featured as a guest performer as well.
Piece of Paradise
, the duo’s major-label debut, was launched in 1999. The album debuted at #6 on the Canadian album charts. The group’s debut single, "Some Kinda Wonderful", was released in 1998, gained international success, hitting the top ten in Canada, and #1 in Thailand
.
The group’s follow-up single "Love Song" was also a major hit in Canada, but achieved mediocre success in the U.S. This was followed by the next single "Push" and finally "All I Want".
Sky then signed a major deal with Arista Records
in the U.S.
, United Kingdom
and Japan
. The label released a reworked version of Piece of Paradise on June 29, 1999, with two additional tracks, "Strange" and "Dreamin'". Those tracks were also added to the Canadian version of the album, and was re-released on June 1, 1999. Renald announced in 2000 that he was leaving the duo due to camera-shyness. He wasn't present at the Juno Award
s in which Sky won "Best New Group", which created an awkward moment as Antoine was the sole acceptor of the award.
Phase II
The quitting Renald was replaced later that year by Anastasia (not to be confused with the American singer
) from Montreal. Anastasia was a singer that Sicotte was originally going to use for a new duo named Nice, but the name Sky was retained.
The new pair would release their first single, "Superhero", in August 2000, and a full album, Travelling Infinity, in November. The single "You" was also released and reached #1 in Canada. A remix for that video was made due to the high popularity and demand for it.
Phase III
In 2003 the third and last incarnation of Sky came about, as Anastasia was replaced by Lebanon
native Karl Wolf
. The group released a third album, Picture Perfect, that spawned the single "Dedication"
Shortly thereafter, Sky split up and Karl Wolf decided to go solo.
(2006), Bite the Bullet
(2007) and Nightlife
(2009) and a big number of singles, the most successful of which was "Africa
".
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The duo originally consisted of James Renald and Antoine Sicotte. Both were songwriters, producers and multi-instrumentalists, who met in 1992 at a music engineering school in Montreal. Anastasia (2000–2003) replaced James as the lead singer after he left, and Karl Wolf
Karl Wolf
Carl Abou Samah is a Lebanese-born Canadian musician based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He is better known by his stage name Karl Wolf. He has been a singer, songwriter and producer since 2001, releasing his first solo album Face Behind the Face on MapleNationwide/Universal in January 2006,...
(2003–2005) was the last lead singer of the group.
History
Phase ITheir first EP was released on their own Phat Royale label in 1997. Both members co-wrote, co-produced and co-played every instrument on that record. Quebec radio stations began playing their music and eventually 43 stations in that province had added their songs to their playlists. Canada’s MusiquePlus
MusiquePlus
MusiquePlus is a Canadian French language Category A specialty channel owned by Astral Media operating from Montreal, Quebec.MusiquePlus is devoted to music and music related programming from various genres including pop, rock, RnB and focuses on a younger demographic than its sister station, MusiMax...
, the French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
equivalent to English-language MuchMusic
MuchMusic
MuchMusic is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Bell Media. MuchMusic is dedicated to music-related programs, pop and youth culture.-History:...
, began playing the video for their song "America".
In February 1998, Sky signed a major-label record deal with EMI Music Canada
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
. With the recording sessions for their upcoming major-label debut, two world-famous producers, Peter Mokran (Maxwell
Maxwell (musician)
Maxwell , is an American R&B, funk and neo soul musician. He played an important role in the development of the soul sub-genre, neo-soul.-Early life:...
, R. Kelly
R. Kelly
Robert Sylvester Kelly , better known by his stage name R. Kelly, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. A native of Chicago, Kelly began performing during the late 1980s and debuted in 1992 with the group Public Announcement. In 1993, Kelly went solo with the album 12 Play...
, Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
) and Euro-Syndicate Productions, were brought in for two recording sessions at Gallery Studios in New York and Metalworks in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
. Legendary guitar player Wah-Wah Watson was featured as a guest performer as well.
Piece of Paradise
Piece of Paradise
Piece of Paradise is a pop rock album released by the Canadian band Sky on June 29, 1999.-Track listing:# "Love Song" - 3:35# "Push" - 4:31# "Strange" - 4:28# "Dreamin'" - 3:38# "America" - 3:08# "All I Want" - 3:30...
, the duo’s major-label debut, was launched in 1999. The album debuted at #6 on the Canadian album charts. The group’s debut single, "Some Kinda Wonderful", was released in 1998, gained international success, hitting the top ten in Canada, and #1 in Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
.
The group’s follow-up single "Love Song" was also a major hit in Canada, but achieved mediocre success in the U.S. This was followed by the next single "Push" and finally "All I Want".
Sky then signed a major deal with Arista Records
Arista Records
Arista was an American record label. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment and operated under the RCA Music Group. The label was founded in 1974 by Clive Davis, who formerly worked for CBS Records...
in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. The label released a reworked version of Piece of Paradise on June 29, 1999, with two additional tracks, "Strange" and "Dreamin'". Those tracks were also added to the Canadian version of the album, and was re-released on June 1, 1999. Renald announced in 2000 that he was leaving the duo due to camera-shyness. He wasn't present at the Juno Award
Juno Award
The Juno Awards are presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music...
s in which Sky won "Best New Group", which created an awkward moment as Antoine was the sole acceptor of the award.
Phase II
The quitting Renald was replaced later that year by Anastasia (not to be confused with the American singer
Anastacia
Anastacia is an American singer-songwriter. Anastacia has been highly successful in Europe, Asia, South Africa and South America, but has had only minor success in her native United States...
) from Montreal. Anastasia was a singer that Sicotte was originally going to use for a new duo named Nice, but the name Sky was retained.
The new pair would release their first single, "Superhero", in August 2000, and a full album, Travelling Infinity, in November. The single "You" was also released and reached #1 in Canada. A remix for that video was made due to the high popularity and demand for it.
Phase III
In 2003 the third and last incarnation of Sky came about, as Anastasia was replaced by Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
native Karl Wolf
Karl Wolf
Carl Abou Samah is a Lebanese-born Canadian musician based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He is better known by his stage name Karl Wolf. He has been a singer, songwriter and producer since 2001, releasing his first solo album Face Behind the Face on MapleNationwide/Universal in January 2006,...
. The group released a third album, Picture Perfect, that spawned the single "Dedication"
Shortly thereafter, Sky split up and Karl Wolf decided to go solo.
After Sky
Karl Wolf continues to record. He first released a single, "Butterflies" in late 2005, and followed it up with three independent solo albums, Face Behind the FaceFace Behind the Face
Face Behind the Face is the debut solo studio album from singer-songwriter Karl Wolf, first released in Canada.-Tracklist:...
(2006), Bite the Bullet
Bite the Bullet (Karl Wolf album)
Bite the Bullet is the second solo studio album from singer-songwriter Karl Wolf, released internationally first in 2007 under EMI Arabia. The Canadian release was April 7, 2009 by Lone Wolf Records, which was due in part to the successful single Africa that reached #2 in Billboard's "Canadian Hot...
(2007) and Nightlife
Nightlife (Karl Wolf album)
Nightlife is the third solo studio album from singer-songwriter Karl Wolf. It was released initially to the Japanese market. The album was released in Canada on November 17th, 2009. The first single "Yalla Habibi" was released on iTunes October 28th, 2009 and reached #24 on the Canadian Hot 100...
(2009) and a big number of singles, the most successful of which was "Africa
Africa (Karl Wolf song)
Africa is the first official single by Lebanese Canadian singer Karl Wolf from his third studio album Bite The Bullet. The album version of the song features rapper/reggae artist Culture...
".
Albums
| Year | Album | Chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| CAN Canada Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... |
||
| 1999 | Piece of Paradise Piece of Paradise Piece of Paradise is a pop rock album released by the Canadian band Sky on June 29, 1999.-Track listing:# "Love Song" - 3:35# "Push" - 4:31# "Strange" - 4:28# "Dreamin'" - 3:38# "America" - 3:08# "All I Want" - 3:30... |
6 |
| 2000 | Traveling Infinity | * |
| 2003 | Picture Perfect | * |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart positions | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAN | CAN AC | US Pop Mainstream Top 40 (Pop Songs) The Mainstream Top 40 is an airplay chart from Billboard magazine, and is also known as Pop Songs on billboard.com. It was often mistaken for and confused with the now discontinued Pop 100 Airplay chart... |
||||
| 1997 | - | - | - | Piece of Paradise | ||
| 1998 | "Some Kinda Wonderful" | 25 | 16 | - | ||
| 1999 | "Love Song Love Song (Sky song) "Love Song" is a song written and recorded by Canadian band Sky for their 1998 album "Piece of Paradise". It was Sky's most successful single, climbing all the way to number one on the Canadian RPM Top Singles chart. It also peaked at number 38 on Mainstream Top 40 in the United States... " |
1 | 1 | 38 | ||
| "Push" | 11 | 11 | - | |||
| "All I Want" | 31 | 4 | - | |||
| 2000 | "Superhero" | 1 | * | - | Travelling Infinity | |
| 2001 | "You" | 1 | * | - | ||
| 2003 | "Dedication" | - | - | - | Picture Perfect | |
| "Crazy" | - | - | - | |||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart * denotes unknown peak positions |
||||||