Magic!

Canadian reggae fusion band

This article is about the Canadian music group. For other uses and bands, see Magic.

Magic!

Magic! performing in 2014. From left to right: Alex Tanas, Mark Pellizzer, Nasri, and Ben Spivak.

Background information
Origin| Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Genres|

* Reggae fusion
* pop
* reggae rock[1][2]

Years active| 2012 (2012)–present
Labels|

* Latium
* Sony
* RCA[3]

Members|

* Nasri (Nasri Tony Atweh)
* Mark "Pelli" Pellizzer
* Ben Spivak

Past members| Alex Tanas
Website| https://www.thebandmagic.com/

Magic! (stylized in all uppercase)[4] is a Canadian reggae fusion band from Toronto. Based in Los Angeles,[5] 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 in 2016, and their third studio album Expectations 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.[6]

## History

[edit]

### Early years

[edit]

All members of the band are from the Toronto area of Canada.[7] 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."[8][9]

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,[10] releasing "Never Gonna Give You Up"[11] 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.[12]

### 2013–15: Don't Kill the Magic

[edit]

Main article: 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.[13] 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.[14]

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"; this ended up being a non-album single.

### 2016–17: Primary Colours

[edit]

On March 25, 2016, Magic! released their first single from their second album Primary Colours, 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" on digital and streaming services.[15]

In October, they premiered their new single "Darts in the Dark."[16]

### 2018–21: Expectations

[edit]

After some touring, they released a new single called "Kiss Me" on June 8, 2018.[17]

Their third studio album Expectations was released in September 2018.

### 2022–present: Inner Love Energy

[edit]

In February 2022, the band announced the departure of drummer Alex Tanas.[18]

A month later, the band announced the release of their future projects.[19]

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

* 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

[edit]

* Alex Tanas – drums, percussion, backing vocals (2012–2022)

## Discography

[edit]

### Studio albums

[edit]

Title  | Album details  | Peak chart positions  | Sales

|
|
|

CAN
[20] | AUS
[21] | JPN
[22] | NZ
[23] | SWE
[24] | UK
[25] | US
[26]
Don't Kill the Magic |

* Released: June 30, 2014
* Label: Sony Music Entertainment
* Formats: CD, LP, digital download

| 5 | 66 | 70 | 30 | 25 | 19 | 6  |

* CAN: 15,500[27]
* US: 156,000[28]

Primary Colours[29] |

* Released: July 1, 2016
* Label: Sony Music Entertainment
* Formats: CD, LP, digital download

| 19 | — | 114 | — | — | — | 124  |
Expectations[30] |

* Released: September 7, 2018
* Label: Sony Music Entertainment
* Formats: CD, digital download

| — | — | — | — | — | — | —  |
Inner Love Energy[31] |

* Released: April 5, 2024
* Label: Independent, ONErpm
* Formats: CD, digital download

| — | — | — | — | — | — | —  |
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

### Singles

[edit]

Title  | Year  | Peak chart positions  | Certifications | Album

|
|
|
|

CAN
[20] | AUS
[21] | AUT
[32] | DEN
[33] | GER
[34] | JPN
[35] | NLD
[36] | NZ
[23] | SWE
[24] | UK
[37] | US
[38]
"Rude"  | 2013  | 6 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1  |

* MC: 3× Platinum[39]
* ARIA: 4× Platinum[40]
* BPI: 3× Platinum[41]
* BVMI: Gold[42]
* GLF: 3× Platinum[43]
* IFPI DEN: 3× Platinum[44]
* RMNZ: Platinum[45]
* RIAA: 8× Platinum[46]

| Don't Kill the Magic
"Don't Kill the Magic"[47] | 2014  | 22 | 53 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | —  |
"Let Your Hair Down"  | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | —  |

* MC: Platinum[48]

"No Way No"  | 2015  | 23 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | —  |

* MC: Gold[48]

"#SundayFunday"[49] | 72 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | —  |  | Non-album single
"Lay You Down Easy"
(featuring Sean Paul) | 2016  | 36 | 91 | — | — | — | 51 | — | — | — | — | —  |

* MC: Platinum[48]

| Primary Colours
"Red Dress"  | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | —
"No Regrets"  | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | —  |
"Girl at Coachella"
(with Matoma featuring DRAM) | 2017  | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | —  |  | Non-album single
"Darts in the Dark"  | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | —  |  | Expectations
"Kiss Me"  | 2018  | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | —  |
"Expectations"  | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | —  |
"Ain't Got Nothin' Figured Out"  | 2022  | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | —  |  | Non-album single
"Inner Love Energy"  | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | —  |  | Inner Love Energy
"Ballerina"  | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | —  |
"Good Feeling"  | 2024  | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | —  |
"Sunflower Fields"  | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | —  |
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

#### As a featured artist

[edit]

Title  | Year  | Peak chart positions  | Album

|
|
|

BEL
(Vl)
[50] | BEL
(W)
[51] | FRA
[52] | GER
[34]
"Sun Goes Down"
(David Guetta and Showtek featuring Magic! and Sonny Wilson) | 2015  | —[A] | —[B] | 37 | 67  | Listen
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

#### Other appearances

[edit]

Title  | Year  | Other artist(s)  | Album

|
|
|

"Cut Me Deep"  | 2014  | Shakira | Shakira
"This Is Our Time (Agora É a Nossa Hora)"  | —  | One Love, One Rhythm – The 2014 FIFA World Cup Official Album
"What We Said"  | 2017  | Shakira | El Dorado

Notes

1. ^ "Sun Goes Down" did not enter the Belgian Ultratop 50, but did chart at number 16 on the Flemish Ultratip chart.
2. ^ "Sun Goes Down" did not enter the Belgian Ultratop 50, but did chart at number 2 on the Wallonian Ultratip chart.

## Awards and nominations

[edit]

Year | Award | Nominated work | Category | Result

|
|
|
|

2014  | MuchMusic Video Awards | "Rude"  | International Video of the Year by a Canadian  | Nominated
Teen Choice Awards | "Rude"  | Choice Music: Song Group  | Nominated
Choice Summer Song  | Nominated
MAGIC!  | Choice Summer Group  | Nominated
American Music Awards | "Rude"  | Single of the Year | Nominated
2015  | Juno Awards | MAGIC!  | Breakthrough Group of the Year  | Won
Fan Choice Award  | Nominated
Songwriter of the Year  | Nominated
"Rude"  | Single of the Year  | Won
Don't Kill the Magic | Pop Album of the Year  | Nominated
Billboard Music Awards | MAGIC!  | Top Duo/Group  | Nominated
"Rude"  | Top Radio Song  | Nominated
The SOCAN Awards  | MAGIC!  | International Achievement Award  | Won

## Notes

[edit]

There has been at least one significant remix of "Rude". A remix by Russian-born German producer/DJ Zedd was premiered in his set at Lollapalooza 2014\. It was released on 2 September 2014, Zedd's 25th birthday. Zedd had said, "I'm gonna give myself a birthday present and release my remix of 'Rude' on my bday, sept 2nd!"[53] He also released official, completed full-length audio on his Soundcloud on 28 August 2014, which garnered nearly 400,000 plays within 24 hours. While the original was still in number-one position on the Billboard Hot 100, there was speculation that release of the remix on mainstream music outlets online would assist the original song in maintaining its position on the chart.[54]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Charli XCX, Tove Lo, and Other Hit Artists Made 2014 an International Year for Pop". Billboard. 15 December 2014. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
2. ^ Litovsky, Dina (10 September 2014). "Fashion Week Parties: Night 6". The New York Times. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
3. ^ "Magic!". RCA Records. Sony Music Entertainment. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
4. ^ "MAGIC! – Bio". ournameismagic.com. Sony Music Entertainment. Archived from the original on 7 October 2017. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
5. ^ "Instagram".
6. ^ Trust, Gary (June 15, 2014). "Ask Billboard: MAGIC!'s 'Rude' Revives Reggae". Billboard.com.
7. ^ Vevo (2014-08-18), MAGIC! - Vevo News Interview, retrieved 2016-10-07
8. ^ Mansfield, Brian. "On the Verge: Guys of Magic! aren't 'Rude' at all". USA Today. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
9. ^ Sang, Zach (22 April 2014). "MAGIC! Interview". Youtube. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
10. ^ "Julian Taylor". www.juliantaylormusic.ca. Retrieved 2025-04-07.
11. ^ "- YouTube". YouTube.
12. ^ Andrew Courtice (2009-01-29), Staggered Crossing - Further Again, retrieved 2016-10-07
13. ^ "News: Magic! To Release New Single 'No Way No'". 15 March 2015.
14. ^ "2015 SOCAN Awards - SOCAN". Archived from the original on 2017-08-02. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
15. ^ "Girl at Coachella (Feat. DRAM) - Single by Matoma & Magic". iTunes. 10 March 2017.
16. ^ "MAGIC! Releases New Single "Darts in the Dark" Today".
17. ^ "MAGIC! Releases New Single & Music Video for "Kiss Me" Today".
18. ^ https://www.facebook.com/100044213720334/posts/502645267885926/?d=n[user-generated source]
19. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZ7dKJD35EM[user-generated source]
20. ^ a b "Discography Magic!". Canadian Hot 100.
21. ^ a b Peak positions for singles in AUS:
* For all except noted: "Discography Magic!". Australian Charts Portal. Hung Medien.
* For "Don't Kill the Magic" (single): "ARIA Report 1259" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-04-16.
* For "Lay You Down Easy": Ryan, Gavin (April 2, 2016). "ARIA Singles: Lukas Graham '7 Years' Is 7 Weeks at No 1". Noise11. Retrieved April 2, 2016.
22. ^ "マジック!の作品".
23. ^ a b "Discography Magic!". New Zealand Charts Portal. Hung Medien.
24. ^ a b "Discography Magic!". Swedish Charts Portal. Hung Medien.
25. ^ "2014 Top 40 Official Albums Chart UK Archive". Official Charts Company. 16 August 2014. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
26. ^ "Magic! Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
27. ^ Cross, Alan. "Weekly Music Sales Report and Analysis: 09 July 2014". ajournalofmusicalthings.com. Retrieved July 9, 2014.
28. ^ "Upcoming Releases". Hits Daily Double. HITS Digital Ventures. Archived from the original on July 2, 2016.
29. ^ "Primary Colours by MAGIC!". iTunes Store (New Zealand). Retrieved June 16, 2016.
30. ^ "Expectations by MAGIC!". iTunes Store (AU). Retrieved August 3, 2018.
31. ^ "Inner Love Energy by MAGIC!". iTunes Store (AU). Retrieved August 10, 2024.
32. ^ "Discographie – Magic!". austriancharts.at (in German). Austria: Hung Medien. 2014. Retrieved March 17, 2012.
33. ^ "Discography Magic!". Danish Charts Portal. Hung Medien.
34. ^ a b Peak positions for singles in GER:
* For "Rude": "Magic!: Rude" (in German). Offizielle Deutsch Charts. Retrieved October 11, 2014.
* For "Sun Goes Down": "David Guetta & Showtek feat. Magic! & Sonny Wilson: Sun Goes Down" (in German). Offizielle Deutsch Charts. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
35. ^ "Magic! - Chart history - Billboard". Billboard.
36. ^ "Discography Magic!". Belgian Charts Portal. Hung Medien.
37. ^ Peak positions for singles in U.K.:
* For "Rude": "Official Singles Chart UK Top 100 – 26th July 2014". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
38. ^ "Magic! Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
39. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Magic! – Rude". Music Canada.
40. ^ "Chartwrap 02 DECEMBER 2013". Archived from the original on 12 November 2014. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
41. ^ "Certified Awards" (enter "Magic" into the "Keywords" box, then select "Search"). British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
42. ^ "Gold & Platinum". Archived from the original on 2016-08-17.
43. ^ "Gold & Platinum".
44. ^ "Gold & Platinum".
45. ^ "06 JANUARY 2014". Official NZ Music Charts. Recorded Music NZ. Archived from the original on 12 November 2014. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
46. ^ "RIAA – Gold & Platinum Searchable Database – July 27, 2022". riaa.com.
47. ^ "iTunes – Music – Don't Kill the Magic – Single by MAGIC!". iTunes. 4 April 2014. Retrieved April 4, 2014.
48. ^ a b c "Canadian single certifications – Magic!". Music Canada.
49. ^ "#SundayFunday - Single by MAGIC!". iTunes Store (US). Apple Inc. 17 July 2015. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
50. ^ "ultratop.be - David Guetta & Showtek feat. Magic! & Sonny Wilson - Sun Goes Down" (in German). ultratop.be via Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
51. ^ "ultratop.be - David Guetta & Showtek feat. Magic! & Sonny Wilson - Sun Goes Down" (in French). ultratop.be via Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
52. ^ "lescharts.com - David Guetta & Showtek feat. Magic! & Sonny Wilson - Sun Goes Down". lescharts.com via Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
53. ^ "@zedd – I'm gonna give myself a birthday present and... – EnjoyGram". 28 November 2018.
54. ^ "ZEDD REMIX OF MAGIC!'S "RUDE" TURNS THE SLEEPY SONG INTO A FIST-PUMPING DANCE ANTHEM — LISTEN". EDM Nations. Archived from the original on 2014-09-03.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website

* v
* t
* e

Magic!

* Nasri
* Mark "Pelli" Pellizzer
* Ben Spivak
Alex Tanas

Studio albums|

* Don't Kill the Magic
* Primary Colours
* Expectations
* Inner Love Energy

Singles|

* "Rude"
* "Don't Kill the Magic"
* "Let Your Hair Down"
* "Lay You Down Easy"

Featured Singles|

* "Sun Goes Down"

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF

National|

* Germany
* United States
* Czech Republic

Artists|

* MusicBrainz

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