By Geoffrey Rowlands

Very few artists have the distinction of simultaneously holding the No 1 spot on the US and UK singles chart. Even less achieve this honour with their debut release. So it is that Canadian reggae fusion quartet Magic! have something extra special to celebrate.

Hailing from Toronto but based in Los Angeles, the band’s track, Rude, has become a world-wide hit. The infectiously catchy number about a young man asking his girlfriend’s father for permission to marry her — and being soundly refused — has been tagged as the song of summer 2014. Yet it began life in a rather different format.

“The song is now about a great relationship but a disapproving father,” explained singer, songwriter and frontman Nasri, full name Nasri Ahmet. “But it started as my reaction to a bad time with a former girlfriend. I just said ‘why do you have to be so rude, don’t you know I’m human too.’

“Those words stayed in my mind and I ended up trying to write a song around them. The initial concept didn’t work and I basically gave up on the idea. But I never forgot the line and eventually revisited it from a different viewpoint. I got this thought about a guy asking his prospective father-in-law for his marriage blessing and getting rejected but still marrying his girlfriend.”

The lyrics were matched with an uptempo reggae groove created by Nasri and his songwriting partner Adam Messenger. The other three members of Magic! made their contributions and a smash hit was born.

“We didn’t deliberately set out to be a reggae fusion band,” Nasri stated. “It stemmed from a jam session when we first got together in 2012. Our guitarist Mark (Pellizzer) began strumming a reggae-tinged riff and I realised the musical direction we should take.

“I’m a huge fan of The Police and had always wanted to do a project of my own which merged reggae, rock, pop and a little soul. From the moment I heard Mark play that riff, I realised this Police-like sound was exactly the type of music we could create.

“We began recording and found the reggae fusion locked into each song. That’s also how we came up with the band name because we thought everything worked like magic.”

Nasri’s own career began 15 years ago when the 19-year-old aspiring musician walked into a Toronto radio station armed with his demo recordings.

“They played some of my songs and this led to a deal with Universal Canada. I released a couple of reasonably successful singles but felt the studio rather than the stage was probably where my future lay.

“I’d met Adam and we teamed up as The Messengers songwriting and production duo. We won the 2002 John Lennon Songwriting Contest and found a number of artists were interested in working with us.

“We won a Grammy for our work on Chris Brown’s FAME album and, apart from a very occasional solo release, I was content to be a songwriter and producer. This changed after I met Mark. I wanted to play in a band with him. We recruited (drummer) Alex (Tanas) and (bassist) Ben (Spivak) and began our musical journey.”

In addition to their own work, Magic! feature on One Love, One Rhythm — The 2014 FIFA World Cup Official Album and join Shakira on Cut Me Deep, a track from her 2014 self-titled LP. The band’s debut album, Don’t Kill the Magic, has so far peaked at number six on the Billboard 200 and has just been released in Britain. “I think people respond to the positivity in our music,” Nasri suggested. “Magic! songs are intended to put you in a good mood with the additional objective of bringing everyone together to have a good time.

“I don’t know if we’ll be a reggae fusion band forever. Every writing session is like taking a walk with my musical buddies without knowing where we’ll eventually end up. We hope the fans are willing to follow wherever our musical direction may lead.”

 

IN BRIEF

Justice Crew

 

Magic! star Nasri and his songwriting/production partner Adam Messenger are among those responsible for the enormous success of Australia’s Got Talent winners Justice Crew. Although they won the 2010 series as a dance group, a record deal with Sony Music Australia quickly saw Justice Crew move into the pop scene. The boys have enjoyed a top five album and a number of big hit singles on the Australian charts. But they are now expanding their horizon with a bid to find world-wide fame.

Nasri and Adam were co-writers of Que Sera, Justice Crew’s most recent chart-topping single and the song with which they will launch their international career. It debuted in pole position and stayed there for nine weeks. This made Que Sera the longest-running number one by an Australian act since the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) chart began in 1983.

The video for Que Sera is posted at www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3-pfGBLh0Y. Many more Justice Crew songs can be found on YouTube. Gain access by typing their name in the website search box.

 

The Raveonettes

 

Danish indie rock duo The Raveonettes ‘did a Beyonce’ by using their Facebook page to announce the availability of their seventh studio album, Pe’ahi, on the day it was released. Sune Rose Wagner and Sharin Foo had given no indication of the album release being imminent. They hope to make up with any fans who may have been disappointed by the lack of information through offering the album track, Sisters, for free. The song can be heard and acquired by visiting www.theraveonettes.com and clicking on Free Download.

The entire Pe’ahi album is available to hear on YouTube but it is posted in three parts. The first four tracks are at www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKDr00jhqaM. The next three can be found at www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCu_2wYhZrM while the final three songs are at www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyd7ISbisYA.

 

Jenny Lewis

 

Former Rilo Kiley singer/songwriter Jenny Lewis recently released her latest solo album, The Voyager. Making the record was not simply a case of producing new material for 38-year-old Jenny. She says the creative process got her through one of the most difficult periods of her life.

“After Rilo Kiley broke up and a few really intense personal things happened, I completely melted down. I had such severe insomnia that, at one point, I didn’t sleep for five straight nights. Many songs on The Voyager came out of the need to occupy my mind during the time when I just couldn’t shut down.”

The complete album is posted at www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6p2_hJBQWI. The video for lead single, Just One of the Guys, features three of Jenny’s Hollywood A-list friends, Anne Hathaway, Kristen Stewart and Brie Larson. It can be seen at www.youtube.com/watch?v=Irvcf6dCk-k

 

Ryn Weaver

 

Ryn Weaver will be a new name to those music fans who have not yet heard her critically acclaimed debut single, OctaHate. The song was co-written by Los Angeles-born Ryn with Charli XCX and co-produced by Passion Pit’s Michael Angelakos, Benny Blanco and Cashmere Cat. It registered over 1mn SoundCloud plays in less than a month. Despite OctaHate being released so recently, 21-year-old Ryn has now issued another single, Promises. This song is the title-track from her forthcoming first EP. Both singles can be heard at (no www.) soundcloud.com/rynweaver.

A remix of OctaHate has been made by Last Island. It can be heard and downloaded for free at (no www.) soundcloud.com/lastisland/ryn-weaver-octahate-last-island-remix-free-download.