Nasri (musician)

For other people with the name Nasri, see Nasri.
Nasri

Nasri performing live with MAGIC! in September 2014
Background information
Birth name Nasri Tony Atweh
Born (1981-01-10) January 10, 1981
North York, Ontario, Canada
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Vocalist
  • songwriter
  • record producer
Years active 2002–present
Labels Sony
Associated acts

Nasri Tony Atweh (born January 10, 1981),[1] also known as Nasri, is a Canadian singer, songwriter and music producer, now based in Los Angeles. He was a solo singer with a number of singles before becoming the lead singer of the reggae fusion band Magic! (a band he created with Mark Pellizzer, Alex Tanas and Ben Spivak in 2012). Magic!'s single "Rude" became a major international hit for the band. Nasri Atweh is also a renowned songwriter and producer, one half of the songwriting and production duo The Messengers. He and Adam Messinger have a string of hits for well-known artists.[2]

Beginnings

Nasri was born and raised in Toronto, a child of Palestinian immigrants,[3] and began singing at the age of six.[4][5][6] He studied at Senator O'Connor College School, and while attending, was part of the school choir as well as extra-curricular sports. He graduated in 1999. His yearbook ambition was to be "where the music lives".[7] At 19, the Toronto native walked into his local radio station, with a demo in hand, eager to launch his career as an artist. He then landed a deal with Universal Canada and two successful singles as an R&B singer.[8] In 2002, he won the John Lennon Songwriting Contest with a song he wrote with Adam Messinger.

The Messengers

Nasri is part of the writing and production duo "The Messengers" alongside Adam Messinger. He helped drive the reunion of the New Kids On The Block in 2007. He wrote songs for and toured with them, often joining them on stage. Nasri has also written for other major label artists such as Justin Bieber, David Guetta, Shakira, Cody Simpson, Cheryl, Boyzone, JLS, Kat Deluna, Elliott Yamin, Jason Derulo, and Akon, Pitbull, Christina Aguilera, Chris Brown, Big Time Rush, Iggy Azalea, Michael Bolton, Peter Andre, JoJo, Jay Sean, Vanessa Hudgens, No Angels, and Iyaz. The Messengers are a Grammy-winning production team. Their work has resulted in two Grammy Award nominations for 2011 Best Pop Vocal Album for Justin Bieber (My World 2.0), 2011 Best Contemporary R&B Album for Chris Brown (Graffiti), and a win for 2012 Best R&B Album for Chris Brown (F.A.M.E.), as well as their collaboration with Justin Bieber / Rascal Flatts in "That Should Be Me" that won a 2011 CMT Music Award for Best Collaborative Video.[9]

Nasri performing on stage with Zedd at Tokyo Summer Sonic in 2015

As a solo artist

Nasri enjoyed some success in Canada as a solo artist due to his singles "Go" (2003), "Ova N' Dun With" (2003), and "Click, Click, Click" (2007). A song titled "Best Friend" was also heard on indie radio in his hometown in 2003. According to the promotional material attached to his single "Go", he was to release an album titled Invisible Walls sometime in 2003/2004 but that never materialized. His vocals (as a solo artist) were featured in New Kids On The Block's "Summertime" and his song "Click, Click, Click" was also covered by New Kids On The Block on their album titled The Block. Nasri released a single called "You Deserve Better" in 2012.

Magic!

While jamming with friend Mark Pellizzer (who played guitar for Justin Nozuka) that same year, Nasri conceived of Magic!. Mark Pellizzer then recruited Alex Tanas and needing a bass player the three members recruited Ben Spivak.[8] In 2013, Magic! released their highly successful debut single, "Rude", which peaked at number six on the Canadian Hot 100, topped the charts in the United States and the United Kingdom and peaked within the top ten of the charts in Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden. The band is signed to Sony Music Entertainment and partnered with Latium Entertainment in addition to RCA Records in the USA.[10]

Personal life

Since 2009, he has been linked romantically with the German singer Sandy Mölling.[11] The two had met while working on the No Angels album Welcome to the Dance.

References

  1. ↑ "MAGIC! - Timeline Photos". Facebook.com. Retrieved 2015-05-22.
  2. ↑ "The Messengers". Themessengersmusic.tumblr.com. Retrieved 2015-05-22.
  3. ↑ "Palestinian Canadian lands huge hit on U.S. music charts". Retrieved 2015-09-20.
  4. ↑ "Nasri - About". Facebook.com. Retrieved 2015-05-22.
  5. ↑ "Music Junkie – Nael Atweh". Sickestaddictions.com. 2012-08-18. Retrieved 2015-05-22.
  6. ↑ "AE: Entertainment: News By Industry – Page 1". 24-7pressrelease.com. Retrieved 2015-05-22.
  7. ↑ Senator O'Connor College (OCS) yearbook (1998/1999 school year)
  8. 1 2 "The MAGIC! of BMI Songwriter Nasri | News". BMI.com. 2013-10-16. Retrieved 2015-05-22.
  9. ↑ "Nasri Atweh | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-05-22.
  10. ↑ "Raggae pop band MAGIC! signs with Sony Music International". Themusicuniverse.com. 2015-02-06. Retrieved 2015-05-22.
  11. ↑ "Ein Gespräch mit ... Sandy Mölling, Frankfurt | PRINZ". Prinz.de. 2011-11-27. Retrieved 2015-05-22.

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