Duncan Scott Sheik
(born November 18, 1969) is an American Grammy- and Tony-winning singer-songwriter and composer. Sheik initially found success as a singer, most notably for his 1996 debut single "Barely Breathing". Years later, he expanded his work to include compositions for motion pictures and the Broadway stage, leading him to involvement in the multiple award-winning musical Spring Awakening
.
|
DUNCAN SHEIK TICKETS
|
Biography
Early years
Born in
Montclair,
New Jersey, Sheik's upbringing was split between his grandparents' home in
Hilton Head,
South Carolina, and his parents' in New Jersey. His grandmother, a graduate of Juilliard, taught him to play the piano and encouraged his musical development. Sheik graduated from the
Eaglebrook School before attending
Phillips Academy, Andover, in 1988. He subsequently studied
semiotics at
Brown University [1]. After college, he moved to
Daly City, a suburb near
San Francisco where he started his music career.
Career
Sheik began his professional career playing for other acts, including
Liz and Lisa (with
Lisa Loeb and
Elizabeth Mitchell), and played on
His Boy Elroy's 1993 album. Through connections from fellow Brown alum
Tracee Ellis Ross, Sheik's music and good looks gained the attention of executives at
Atlantic Records.
Sheik's eponymous
debut album for Atlantic in 1996 was certified Gold and spawned the hit single "
Barely Breathing" in the
US, which remained on the Billboard Hot 100 for a record-setting 55 straight weeks. It also enjoyed lengthy stays on Billboard's Adult Contemporary and Adult Top 40 charts. In early 1998, Duncan was nominated for a
Grammy Award for
Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for "Barely Breathing" but lost to
Elton John's "
Candle In The Wind".
A lay
Buddhist, Sheik's involvement with
Soka Gakkai has increased steadily over the years. In 2000, Sheik wrote the foreword to
The Way of Youth: Buddhist Common Sense for Handling Life's Questions
by Soka Gakkai leader
Daisaku Ikeda.
In his second album, 1998's
Humming
, Sheik experimented in the studio with meticulous string arrangements while keeping the haunted vocal sound of his first album. Additionally, on some tracks Sheik took a step away from his pop roots to address larger social issues. In fact, some songs are laced with biting anger. Some say
[who?] that Sheik went to greater lengths to reflect his Buddhist faith after reaching certain popular success with his debut.
His next record, 2001's
Phantom Moon
, was a collaboration with poet and writer
Steven Sater, who Sheik met through his Soka Gakkai involvement. The two collaboratively created the album by drawing inspiration from the each other's simultaneous work, with Sheik sending Sater the music and Sater sending Sheik the lyrics. The album continued the melancholic tone of Sheik's previous work and displayed his growing prowess as a composer and arranger.
In 2002, Sheik made a brief commercial comeback with the album
Daylight
, including success with the singles "
On A High" and "Half-Life". Eschewing the
Nick Drake-like sound of
Phantom Moon
,
Daylight
featured a lighter, more modern sound with production effects and electronic backgrounds. Sheik indicated in interviews that the record was an attempt to create an album of pure pop songs.
Sheik composed original music for a
New York Shakespeare Festival production of
Twelfth Night
, which opened July 21, 2002, at the
Delacorte Theater.
In 2003, he portrayed Bobby Darin in an episode of the television series "
American Dreams".
Sheik composed the score for the 2004 film
A Home at the End of the World
, including two original songs.
Sheik's fifth album,
White Limousine
, was released on January 24, 2006, on the
Zoe Records label. The first single released from the album was the title track. Like its predecessor
Daylight
, subtle electronic influences are a hallmark of Sheik's fifth studio album, as well as many songs that are politically charged. The album is both Sheik's first to be released outside of what is now
Warner Music Group, and his first with companion software on a
DVD-ROM to remix individual album tracks.
Working continually with
Steven Sater, Sheik wrote the music for the
Tony award winning musical
Spring Awakening
over a period of eight years. The musical, which premiered off-Broadway in New York in May 2006, opened on Broadway to much critical acclaim in December 2006.
Spring Awakening
is based on the controversial
German expressionist play
Spring Awakening
by
Frank Wedekind. Sheik won two Tonys for his work on the musical —for Best Orchestration and Best Original Score (Music)—and the show won the Tony for Best Musical. The original cast recording album, released in December 2006, received the
Grammy Award in 2008 for
Best Musical Show Album. The guitar Sheik used to compose songs for Spring Awakening is on display at the
New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at
Lincoln Center.
[2]
On January 27, 2009, Duncan released
Whisper House
, his first new studio album since 2006 and first release under his new deal with RCA Records on their RCA Victor imprint. This marks Duncan's first full length album on a major label since 2002's "Daylight". Singer-keyboardist
Holly Brook plays a prominent role alongside Sheik on some of the songs. A national tour is planned for January through March, 2009, in support of the album.
A production of Duncan Sheik's original musical, also titled
Whisper House
, is in the works. The musical is set to be directed by actor
Keith Powell.
Sheik was also a judge for the 7th annual
Independent Music Awards to support independent artists.
[3]
Charity
In 2008 he participated in a
music album called
Songs for Tibet, which is an initiative to support
Tibet,
Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso and to underline the
human rights situation in
Tibet. The album was issued on
August 5 via
iTunes and on
August 19 in music stores around the world.
[4]
Work
Musicals
- Nero (Another Golden Rome)
- 2006
- Spring Awakening
- 2006, 2007—2009
- The Nightingale
- 2006
- Whisper House
- In production
Discography
Studio and compilation albums
Note:
All certifications based on current data from RIAA's website: http://www.riaa.com
- Duncan Sheik
(June 4, 1996), Atlantic) (Certified Gold)
- Humming
(October 6, 1998), Atlantic)
- Phantom Moon
(February 27, 2001, Nonesuch)
- Daylight
(August 27, 2002, Atlantic)
- White Limousine
(January 26, 2006, Zoe)
- Brighter/Later: A Duncan Sheik Anthology
(October 24, 2006, RHINO)
- Greatest Hits: A Duncan Sheik Collection
(March 6, 2007, RHINO)
- Whisper House
(January 27, 2009 RCA Victor)
Extended play albums
- At the Reservoir
(1997, Atlantic)
- Humming Along
(1998, Atlantic)
- White Limousine EP
(2005, Zoe)
- Whisper House EP
(2008)
Singles
Year
| Song
| U.S. Hot 100
| U.S. Top 40 Mainstream
| U.S Adult Contemporary
| U.S. Adult Top 40
| U.S. Hot Dance Club Play
| U.S. CHR Pop
| Album
|
1997
| "Barely Breathing"
| 16
| 10
| 19
| 2
| -
| 8
| Duncan Sheik
|
"She Runs Away"
| -
| -
| -
| 24
| -
| 46
|
"Reasons for Living"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| 3
| -
|
1998
| "Wishful Thinking"
| 103
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| Great Expectations
soundtrack
|
"Bite Your Tongue"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| Humming
|
1999
| "That Says It All"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
|
2001
| "A Mirror in the Heart"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| Phantom Moon
|
2003
| "On a High"
| -
| -
| -
| 21
| 1
| -
| Daylight
|
"Half-Life"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
|
2006
| "White Limousine"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| White Limousine
|
"The Dawn's Request"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
|
2009
| "Earthbound Starlight"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| Whisper House
|
"Play Your Part"
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
| -
|
Other recordings
- "Wishful Thinking" from Great Expectations: The Album
- Atlantic Records - 1997
- "In the Absence of Sun" from The Saint
Soundtrack - Atlantic Records - 1997
- "Songbird" from Legacy: A Tribute to Fleetwood Mac's Rumours
(CD) - Atlantic Records - 1998
- "Embraceable You" from Red Hot + Rhapsody: The Gershwin Groove
(CD) - Antilles Records - 1998
- "View from the Other Side" from Friends Again
(CD) - Warner Bros. Records - 1999
- "Now or Never" from Boys and Girls: Music from the Dimension Motion Picture
(CD) - Ark 21 Records - 2000
- "I am a Pilgrim" from Transamerica: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
(CD) - Nettwerk Records - 2005
- "A Purple Trail" from Other Songs and Dances, Vol. 1
(CD) - Backlight Records - 2006
Videography
- On Stage at World Café Live: Duncan Sheik
(DVD) - Decca Vision - 2007
See also
- List of number-one dance hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart
References
- Loveline, 1996-09-08
- www.broadway.tv article, "Broadway’s Hidden Treasures Revealed"
- Independent Music Awards - 7th Annual Judges
- E-Online (July 22, 2008) Sting, Matthews, Mayer Gamer for Tibet Than Beijing