Duncan Sheik

Duncan Sheik
Background information
Birth name	Duncan Scott Sheik
Born	(1969-11-18) November 18, 1969 Montclair, New Jersey, U.S.
Genres	Rock, pop, alternative rock, acoustic rock
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, composer
Instruments	Guitar, piano, voice, electronics
Years active	1993–present
Labels	Atlantic, Nonesuch, Elektra, Zoë, Rounder, Universal, Rhino Entertainment
Website	www.duncansheik.com

Awards
Grammy Awards
2008	Best Musical Show Album Spring Awakening
Tony Awards
2007	Best Orchestrations Spring Awakening
2007	Best Original Score Spring Awakening

Duncan Scott Sheik (born November 18, 1969) 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.

Early career

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 Los Angeles. 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.

2000s

In 2001, Sheik released Phantom Moon, a Nick Drake-influenced album which was a 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, another 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.

In 2008, Sheik was a judge at the 7th annual Independent Music Awards.

In 2009, Sheik released Whisper House, a concept album which provided the score for the musical of the same name.

In 2011, Sheik released Covers 80's, which included covers of popular 1980s songs. Concert dates in support of the album were later canceled due to Sheik seeking treatment for alcohol addiction. In a message to fans in his tumblr blog, Sheik noted that he had entered a treatment center on the same day his latest album was released and had told his staff, "My record is coming out and I’m checking in." A remixed version of the album was released the following year.

In 2012, Sheik wrote Alice By Heart, an adaptation of Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, along with collaborator Sater. Directed by Jessie Nelson with musical direction by Lance Horne, the musical was workshopped at the Royal National Theatre and commissioned by the National Theatre Connections.

Currently, Sheik is composing the music for the musical adaptation of American Psycho, as well as collaborating with director McG on a feature-film adaptation of Spring Awakening, set to begin filming in 2013.

Controversy

Despite claiming to be a Buddhist, and therefore nonviolent, he threatened to "punch Greg Gutfeld in the neck, hard."

Discography

Note: All certifications based on current data from RIAA's website: http://www.riaa.com

Year	Album	Billboard Top 200
1996	Duncan Sheik	83
1998	Humming	163
2001	Phantom Moon	-
2002	Daylight	110
2006	White Limousine	-
2009	Whisper House	181
2011	Covers 80's	-

• At the Reservoir EP (1997, Atlantic)
• Humming Along EP (1998, Atlantic)
• White Limousine EP (2005, Zoe)
• Brighter/Later: A Duncan Sheik Anthology (2006, Rhino)
• Brighter: A Duncan Sheik Collection (2007, Rhino)
• On Stage at World Café Live: Duncan Sheik DVD (2007)
• Whisper House EP (2008)
• 80s Covers EP (2010, Sneaky Records Inc.)
• Music from the Motion Picture 'Harvest' EP (w/ David Poe) (2011)

Musicals

• Twelfth Night - 2002
• Nero (Another Golden Rome) - 2006
• Spring Awakening - 2006, 2007—2009
• The Nightingale - 2006 (based on The Nightingale)
• Whisper House - 2010
• Alice by Heart - 2012
• American Psycho - In production

Singles

Year	Single	Peak chart positions					Album
		US	US AC	US Adult	US Dance	US Pop
1997	"Barely Breathing"	16	19	2	—	10	Duncan Sheik
	"She Runs Away"	—	—	24	—	—
	"Reasons for Living"	—	—	—	3	—
1998	"Wishful Thinking"	103	—	—	—	—	Great Expectations (soundtrack)
	"Bite Your Tongue"	—	—	—	—	—	Humming
1999	"That Says It All"	—	—	—	—	—
2001	"A Mirror in the Heart"	—	—	—	—	—	Phantom Moon
2003	"On a High"	—	—	—	1	—	Daylight
	"Half-Life"	—	—	—	—	—
2006	"White Limousine"	—	—	—	—	—	White Limousine
	"The Dawn's Request"	—	—	—	—	—
2009	"Earthbound Starlight"	—	—	—	—	—	Whisper House
	"Play Your Part"	—	—	—	—	—
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Film & television

1996	"Barely Breathing", Party of Five "Reasons for Living", ER
1997	"In The Absence of Sun", The Saint "Serena", Fall
1998	"Wishful Thinking", Great Expectations
1999	"Alibi", Teaching Mrs. Tingle "That Says It All", Three to Tango
2000	"View from the Other Side", Friends "A Body Goes Down", Jeff Buckley: Goodbye and Hello "Now or Never", Boys and Girls
2002	"On a High", Birds of Prey
2003	"Half Life", What a Girl Wants "Beyond the Sea" (performed as Bobby Darin), American Dreams
2004	"A Body Goes Down", Amazing Grace: Jeff Buckley "Something Somewhere"/"There's a Home", A Home at the End of the World
2005	"I Am a Pilgrim", Transamerica
2007	"Barely Breathing", Cold Case "I Wouldn't Mind"/"As Shadows Do", The Cake Eaters
2010	"Mama Who Bore Me", 90210
2012	"Barely Breathing", Glee "Barely Breathing", Girls

Other appearances

In 1998, Sheik recorded "Embraceable You" for Red Hot + Rhapsody, a George Gershwin tribute to increase AIDS awareness, and also recorded "Songbird" for another tribute, Legacy: A Tribute to Fleetwood Mac's Rumours.

In 1999, Sheik produced singer/songwriter Micah Green's debut album, as well as his 2012 follow-up.

In 2000, Sheik wrote the foreword to The Way of Youth: Buddhist Common Sense for Handling Life's Questions, by Soka Gakkai leader Daisaku Ikeda.

In 2006, Sheik recorded the song, "A Purple Trail", for Other Songs and Dances, Vol. 1

In 2008, Sheik participated in Songs for Tibet: The Art of Peace, an initiative to support Tibet, Dalai Lama and Tenzin Gyatso.

See also

• List of number-one dance hits (United States)
• List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart

External links

• Duncan Sheik official website
• Duncan Sheik at the Internet Broadway Database
• Duncan Sheik at the Internet Movie Database
• Rounder Records Group artist page on Duncan Sheik