Shai is an American vocal R&B/

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

quartet In music, a quartet or quartette (, , , , ) is an ensemble of four singers or instrumental performers; or a musical composition for four voices and instruments. Classical String quartet In classical music, one of the most common combinations o ...

, most popular in the 1990s. The group met and formed on the campus of

Howard University Howard University (Howard) is a private, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity" and accredited by the Middle States Commissi ...

. Their most successful hit was " If I Ever Fall in Love", which reached No. 2 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.

Music career

Shai released " If I Ever Fall in Love" as the first single from the debut album of the same title, which peaked at No. 2 in the U.S. The next two releases from the

platinum album Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

, "

Comforter A comforter (in American English), also known as a doona in Australian English, or a continental quilt (or simply quilt) or duvet in British English, is a type of bedding made of two lengths of fabric or covering sewn together and filled with in ...

" and "Baby I'm Yours", each peaked at No. 10 in the U.S. The group's next album release was '' Right Back at Cha'', a

remix album A remix album is an album consisting of remixes or rerecorded versions of an artist's earlier released material. The first act who employed the format was American singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson (''Aerial Pandemonium Ballet'', 1971). As of 2007 ...

that largely consisted of new versions of their previous hits, and a couple of new songs. A completely reworked version of their previous hit "Baby I'm Yours", simply titled "Yours", was released as a single (US No. 63). In 1994, Shai released "The Place Where You Belong", from the ''

Beverly Hills Cop III ''Beverly Hills Cop III'' is a 1994 American action comedy film starring Eddie Murphy and directed by John Landis, who had previously worked with Murphy on ''Trading Places'' and ''Coming to America''. It is the third film in the ''Beverly Hill ...

soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...

. It was the group's final Top 40 single (No. 32 R&B). In late 1995, their follow-up album ''

Blackface Blackface is a form of theatrical makeup used predominantly by non-Black people to portray a caricature of a Black person. In the United States, the practice became common during the 19th century and contributed to the spread of racial stereo ...

'' was released (No. 42 Pop & No. 15 R&B). It featured their final R&B Top 20 single "Come with Me" (US No. 43). The 1996 remix, "I Don't Wanna Be Alone" (featuring

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one of ...

), peaked at No. 89 in the U.S. It was inspired by

Belinda Carlisle Belinda Jo Carlisle ( ; born August 17, 1958) is an American singer. She gained fame as the lead vocalist of the Go-Go's, the most successful all-female rock band of all time, and went on to have a prolific career as a solo artist. Raised in ...

's "

Heaven Is a Place on Earth "Heaven Is a Place on Earth" is a song by American singer Belinda Carlisle from her second studio album, '' Heaven on Earth'' (1987). Written by Rick Nowels and Ellen Shipley, the song was released as the lead single from the ''Heaven on Earth' ...

". "Song For You" by

Rick Braun Rick Braun (born July 6, 1955) is a smooth jazz trumpet, flugelhorn, trombone and keyboards player, vocalist, composer, and record producer. Career Braun was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania and attended Dieruff High School. His mother was a se ...

, featuring Shai, peaked at No. 39 on the R&B chart in 2001.

Discography

Albums and EPs

* '' ...If I Ever Fall in Love'' (1992) – US No. 6 & US R&B No. 3 (

platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Platinu ...

) * '' Right Back at Cha'' (1993) – US No. 127 & US R&B No. 42 * ''

'' (1995) – US No. 42 & US R&B No. 15 * ''

Destiny Destiny, sometimes referred to as fate (from Latin ''fatum'' "decree, prediction, destiny, fate"), is a predetermined course of events. It may be conceived as a predetermined future, whether in general or of an individual. Fate Although often ...

'' (1999) * '' Back from the Mystery System: The Love Cycle'' (2004) * '' Love Cycle: Back from the Mystery System'' (2007) * ''Worldwide'' (as D-n-G of Shai) (2008) * ''Musically Yours'' (2018)

Compilations

* '' 20th Century Masters – The Millennium Collection: The Best of Shai'' (2001) * ''If I Ever Fall in Love: The Best Of'' (3 re-recorded tracks from the original album) (2011) * ''If I Ever Fall in Love: Greatest Hits'' (same 3 tracks re-recorded with new members Dwayne Jones & George Spencer III) (2011) * ''In Concert'' (2018)

Singles

Filmography

* ''Video Personification: Vol. 1'' (1993)

References

{{Authority control American contemporary R&B musical groups African-American musical groups MCA Records artists American boy bands Musical groups from Washington, D.C. Musical groups established in 1992