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Sky (Canadian band)

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Not to be confused with Sky (English/Australian band) or Sky (American band).

Sky
OriginMontreal, Canada
Genres
Years active1997–2005
Labels
Past members

Sky was a Canadian R&B-influenced pop rock duo from Montreal, Quebec. It originally consisted of James Renald (1971–2018) and Antoine Sicotte, son of actor Gilbert Sicotte. Both were songwriters, producers, and multi-instrumentalists who met in 1992 at a music engineering school in Montreal.[1] Anastasia Friedman replaced Renald as lead singer after he left, and Karl Wolf was the group's last vocalist.

History

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First iteration

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Formed in 1997, Sky created their own record label, Phat Royale, to release their first EP, America, which was completely self-produced and included five songs.[1] In Quebec, 43 radio stations began playing their music, leading to a record deal with EMI Music Canada in 1998.[2]

Sky published their first studio album, Piece of Paradise, in 1999. It was produced by Peter Mokran at Metalworks Studios and Euro-Syndicate Productions at Gallery Studios in New York.[3] The album was preceded by the singles "America" and "Some Kinda Wonderful" and included contributions from such musicians as Wah-Wah Watson, Michael Thompson, and Neil Stubenhaus.[4] Three more singles were issued from the album: "Love Song", "Push", and "All I Want".

In February, Sky signed a new record deal with Arista for the US, UK, and Japan.[2][5] The album was re-released later that year, with two tracks being replaced.[4] Sky also opened for Britney Spears on the Canadian leg of her ...Baby One More Time Tour, in July.[6] In 2000, Renald announced his departure from the band, and he did not attend that year's Juno Awards, where Sky won the Best New Group award.[7]

Second iteration

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Renald was replaced by Anastasia Friedman, and together with Sicotte as the new version of Sky, they released their first single, "Superhero", in August 2000. It was followed in November by the studio album Travelling Infinity. The second single from the record was "You".

Third iteration

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In 2003, the third and last incarnation of Sky came about, with Friedman being replaced by Karl Wolf. Under Sextant Records, the group released a third album, Picture Perfect, which spawned the singles "Dedication" and "Crazy".[8] The band split up in 2005.

After Sky

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After leaving Sky, James Renald continued his songwriting and production career in Los Angeles, where he resided until 2017. He notably wrote and produced the 2001 Mandy Moore single "Cry". On 11 August 2018, at the age of 47, Renald died by suicide in Eastman, Quebec.[9]

Antoine Sicotte became a celebrity chef, author of cookbooks,[10] as well as host of the television cooking show Le Cuisinier rebelle, based on his 2009 cookbook of the same name.

Karl Wolf went on to launch a solo career, and as of 2024, he has released ten studio albums.

Discography

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Studio albums

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Year Album Chart positions Certifications
CAN
1999 Piece of Paradise 6
2000 Travelling Infinity —
2003 Picture Perfect —

Singles

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Year Single Chart positions Album
CAN CAN AC US Pop
1997 "America" — — — Piece of Paradise
1998 "Some Kinda Wonderful" 4 16 —
1999 "Love Song" 1 1 38
"Push" 11 11 —
"All I Want" 31 4 —
2000 "Superhero" — * — Travelling Infinity
2001 "You" 1 * —
2003 "Dedication" — * — Picture Perfect
"Crazy" — * —
"—" denotes releases that did not chart
* denotes unknown peak positions

Awards and recognition

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References

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  1. ^ a b Kelly, Brendan (3 February 1999). "Montreal duo Sky hits the fast track with a top-10 single and an EMI deal". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  2. ^ a b Davies, Tanya (22 March 1999). "Flying High with Sky". Maclean's. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
  3. ^ LeBlanc, Larry (10 October 1998). "Sky Sets Its Sights on 'Paradise'". Billboard. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
  4. ^ a b "Sky – Piece of Paradise". discogs.com. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  5. ^ Bliss, Karen (19 February 1999). "Sky Signs U.S. Deal". Jam! Music. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
  6. ^ Wilton, Lisa (24 July 1999). "Super, Sexy Spears". Calgary Sun. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
  7. ^ Larry LeBlanc (12 February 2000). "Morissette leads Canada's Juno nomination list". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 45. ISSN 0006-2510.
  8. ^ "Sky – Picture Perfect". discogs.com. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
  9. ^ Friend, David (10 April 2019). "James Renald, of Montreal duo Sky, remembered for writing lyrical pop hits". The Globe and Mail/ The Canadian Press. The Canadian Press.
  10. ^ "Antoine Sicotte". amazon.ca. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  11. ^ "Sky certifications". Music Canada. 26 March 1999. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
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