魔幻乐团!

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 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.

History

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.