Magic!

Biography

Magic! (stylized in all uppercase) is a Canadian reggae fusion band from Toronto. Based in Los Angeles, the band comprises lead vocalist/guitarist/producer Nasri Atweh, guitarist/keyboardist Mark "Pelli" Pellizzer, and bassist Ben Spivak. Active since 2012, the band is signed with Latium, Sony, and RCA Records, releasing their debut studio album Don't Kill the Magic in 2014, their second studio album Primary Colours×Primary Colours1 July 2016 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Have It All3:382Lay You Down Easy2:443Gloria3:464Red Dress3:215No Regrets3:326Dance Monkey4:287No Sleep2:478I Need You3:519Primary Colours3:2310The Way God Made Me3:46 in 2016, and their third studio album Expectations×Expectations7 September 2018 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1Expectations2:502Core3:353More of You3:544Kiss Me3:255Appreciate You4:196Eyes Don’t Tell Lies (interlude)0:317Darts in the Dark3:198Motions3:079Space (interlude)1:5510How You Remember Me4:0111Things You Say4:3612When the Trust Is Gone3:2513A Little Bit of Love3:32 in 2018. They are best known for their hit single "Rude", which charted at No. 1 in several countries worldwide, including the US and UK.
The band is heavily inspired by the Police and Bob Marley and the Wailers. They are known for having a signature reggae-influenced pop sound.

Early years

All members of the band are from the Toronto area of Canada. The lead singer of Magic!, Nasri, had worked with and written songs for different pop acts prior to the start of the band, mainly alongside Adam Messinger, together known as the Messengers. He met Mark Pellizzer in the studio and within a week they wrote the song "Don't Judge Me" for Chris Brown. Nasri described the chemistry between himself and Pellizzer as "different than writing chemistry, it was more artistic." A few weeks later, while Mark was playing a reggae tune on the guitar, Nasri suggested starting a band like "modern-day Police."
Next to join the band was Alex Tanas. He and Mark Pellizzer knew each other since they both had been members of the Justin Nozuka band for several years.
Finally, Ben Spivak joined the band in May 2013. Prior to joining Magic!, Spivak had been playing with the Toronto-based Julian Taylor Band, releasing "Never Gonna Give You Up" in 2012. Julian Taylor and Jeremy Elliot had enjoyed success playing in Staggered Crossing with "Further Again" hitting #6 in 2001 on the Canadian Hot 100 chart.

2013–2015: Don't Kill the Magic

Magic!'s debut single "Rude" was released on October 12, 2013. The song peaked at number six on the Canadian Hot 100 and also proved a great international success, topping the charts in the United States and the United Kingdom and peaking within the top ten of the charts in Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Sweden.
"Don't Kill the Magic" was released as the second single from the album on April 4, 2014, peaking at number twenty-two on the Canadian Hot 100 and fifty-three in Australia.
The band released their debut album Don't Kill the Magic on June 30, 2014. The album peaked to number 5 on the Canadian Albums Chart and number 6 on the Billboard 200.
On October 7, 2014, "Let Your Hair Down" was issued to contemporary hit radio by RCA Records as the third single from the album (the second to be released in the US). It peaked at number 20 on the Canadian Hot 100 chart. The official music video, directed by David Rousseau, was published online on October 31, 2014.
Magic! was among the performers at the 15th Annual Latin Grammy Awards held on November 20, 2014. Marc Anthony joined the band on stage for a special performance of "Rude".
On November 23, 2014, Wyclef Jean and Magic! performed together at the 42nd American Music Awards.
From February until June 2015, Magic! opened for Maroon 5 in North America and Europe on their Maroon V Tour. The band also had additional solo gigs.
In March 2015, Magic! won two Juno Awards - for Breakthrough Group of the Year and Single of the Year, out of five nominations. Adam Messinger won the Juno Award for Producer of the Year.
In April 2015, "No Way No" was released as a single. It peaked at number 23 in Canada. The official video had been uploaded on YouTube since March 2, 2015.
On June 13, 2015, the band was part of the line-up at the Pinkpop Festival.
On June 22, 2015, Magic! was awarded the International Achievement Award by SOCAN at the 2015 SOCAN Awards in Toronto.
On July 1, 2015, Magic! performed at Canada Day in Ottawa, and later performed at the Coca-Cola Stage at the Calgary Stampede on July 12, 2015.
On July 17, 2015, Magic! released a new single, "#SundayFunday×#SundayFunday17 July 2015 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1#SundayFunday3:50"; this ended up being a non-album single.

2016–2017: Primary Colours

On March 25, 2016, Magic! released their first single from their second album Primary Colours×Primary Colours1 July 2016 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Have It All3:382Lay You Down Easy2:443Gloria3:464Red Dress3:215No Regrets3:326Dance Monkey4:287No Sleep2:478I Need You3:519Primary Colours3:2310The Way God Made Me3:46, called "Lay You Down Easy", this was a collaboration with Sean Paul.
On the evening of June 18, 2016, Magic! released their second single from Primary Colours called "Red Dress". The song was premiered on Apple's radio station Beats1. The band first heard the song premiered as they were broadcasting a Facebook live video to their fans.
On the morning of June 20, 2016, Magic! was part of the Muscular Dystrophy Association's #LiveUnlimited, they broadcast a live rehearsal video to Facebook to raise money for MDA.
The album Primary Colours was released on July 1, 2016.
On July 2, Magic! released a special version of their song "No Regrets" in memory of the victims of the shooting on June 12, 2016, at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida.
On March 10, 2017, they released a new collaboration with Matoma and D.R.A.M. called "Girl at Coachella×Girl at Coachella9 March 2017 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Girl at Coachella3:22" on digital and streaming services.

2017–present: Expectations and Inner Love Energy

In October 2017, they premiered their new single "Darts in the Dark×Darts in the Dark20 October 2017 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Darts in the Dark3:20." After some touring, they released a new single called "Kiss Me×Kiss Me8 June 2018 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Kiss Me3:25" on June 8, 2018. Their third studio album Expectations×Expectations7 September 2018 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1Expectations2:502Core3:353More of You3:544Kiss Me3:255Appreciate You4:196Eyes Don’t Tell Lies (interlude)0:317Darts in the Dark3:198Motions3:079Space (interlude)1:5510How You Remember Me4:0111Things You Say4:3612When the Trust Is Gone3:2513A Little Bit of Love3:32 was released in September 2018.
The band went on hiatus between 2020 and 2022.
In February 2022, the band announced the departure of drummer Alex Tanas. A month later, the band announced the release of their future album Inner Love Energy×Inner Love Energy5 April 2024 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracks1Good Feeling About You3:062I’m Rich3:393Sunflower Fields3:344Stay in the Light2:575Inner Love Energy2:166Young Forever1:127Peace Love and Harmony3:258Ballerina3:229Truly Happy3:30.
In September 2022, they released their first single since 2018 called "Aint Got Nothin' Figured Out" followed by "Inner Love Energy" two months later. Their fourth studio album Inner Love Energy was released in April 2024.

Collaborations

Magic! is featured on Shakira's "Cut Me Deep", a track from her self-titled album, released in March 2014 and on a track on One Love, One Rhythm, the official 2014 FIFA World Cup album titled "This Is Our Time (Agora é a Nossa Hora)" released in April. They are also featured on "Sun Goes Down", a track on David Guetta's album Listen, which also features Sonny Wilson on the hook, as well as production from Showtek.

Band members

Nasri – lead vocals, guitars, piano (2012–present)
Mark "Pelli" Pellizzer – guitars, keyboards, backing vocals (2012–present)
Ben Spivak – bass guitar, keyboards, backing vocals (2013–present)

Former

Alex Tanas – drums, percussion, backing vocals (2012–2021)