| Name |
Duncan Sheik |
| Height |
|
| Naionality |
American |
| Date of Birth |
18-November-1969 |
| Place of Birth |
Montclair, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Famous for |
Singing |
Duncan Sheik is an American singer-songwriter and composer. Initially finding success as a singer, most notably for his 1996 debut single "Barely Breathing", he later expanded to compositions for motion pictures and the Broadway stage, such as the successful musical, Spring Awakening.
A lay Buddhist, Sheik currently resides in New York City. After being raised by both his parents in Montclair, New Jersey and his grandparents in Hilton Head, South Carolina (of whom his Juilliard-trained grandmother taught him piano), and after graduating from Phillips Academy, Andover in 1988, Sheik studied semiotics at Brown University, and moved to Daly City. Playing for other artists, including Liz and Lisa (with Lisa Loeb and Elizabeth Mitchell), Sheik also played on His Boy Elroy's 1993 album through his connections from fellow Brown alum, Tracee Ellis Ross. In 1996, Sheik released his self-titled debut album, which was certified Gold and spawned the hit single, "Barely Breathing", which itself remained on the Billboard Hot 100 for a record-setting 55 straight weeks, enjoying Top 20 success on Adult Contemporary radio and topping the Adult Top 40 charts, and garnering a Grammy Award nomination for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. In 1998, Sheik released Humming, an experimental follow-up with meticulous string arrangements. In 2001, Sheik released Phantom Moon, a Nick Drake-influenced album which was collaboration with poet and writer Steven Sater.
In 2002, Sheik released Daylight, a brighter, more modern-sounding album which included the singles, "On A High" and "Half-Life". In 2002, Sheik composed original music for the New York Shakespeare Festival production, Twelfth Night. In 2004, Sheik composed the score for A Home at the End of the World, and, later, composed the score for Through the Fire. In 2006, Sheik released White Limousine, an album which included companion software on a DVD-ROM to remix individual tracks. In 2006, Sheik wrote the music for Spring Awakening, collaboration with Sater. Written over a period of eight years, the musical, which premiered off-Broadway in New York during the summer, opened on Broadway to critical acclaim later in the fall.
Based on the controversial German expressionist play, The Awakening of Spring by Frank Wedekind, the musical won Tony Awards for "Best Orchestration" and "Best Original Score" (Music), as well as "Best Musical". The original cast recording album received the Grammy Award in 2008 for "Best Musical Show Album", and the guitar that Sheik used to compose songs for the Spring Awakening is currently on display at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center.
