© 1999-2001
By RIVA HARRISON
Winnipeg Sun
They answer to the names of Antoine and James -- the two halves of the Canadian pop duo Sky -- and are described as an "odd a couple as Oscar and Felix."
Antoine is the "outgoing and sociable" one, while James is "shy," preferring to stay home and read a sci-fi novel, according to Sky's biography. If James did venture out, he would choose a movie theatre over an Animal House party, although he has sky-dived five times. The tattoo-adorned Antoine, meanwhile, is a "clean freak." And on it goes, in all its Tiger Beat glory.
Is it any wonder, then, that Sky is having a difficult time shedding the label of boy band?
Antoine, 27, is surprised by the tag. Because despite Sky's boyish image and publicity material, the duo's debut CD, Piece Of Paradise, took nearly seven years to journey from idea to EP to EMI release. While many of the current crop of boy bands began as marketing tools, Sky was born in the in-home studio of Antoine and James, who met in 1992 at a music engineering college in Montreal.
"It was a long buildup," Antoine says of the process that included releasing a self-produced five-song EP (on which they wrote all the songs and played all the instruments) in 1997. "We definitely went through some crazy, tough times. It didn't go smoothly. We've learned a lot along the way, about stuff that we've had to modify, but we finally got to where we wanted."
That coveted spot is touring with Britney Spears in support of Piece Of Paradise, which is approaching double-platinum status in Canada. Before their gig Tuesday, Sky will do a free concert at 2:30 p.m. at HMV in Polo Park. The album, which has just been released stateside, is soaring in the true north due to the singles Love Song, Push and Some Kinda Wonderful.
It's a bit of a 'pinch-us-we're-dreaming' situation for the pair who actually called it quits several times before landing a contract with EMI, recalls Antoine, who took jobs in bars and in advertising in order to pay the bills. Still, it was never long before the duo were reunited and doing what they loved best.
"We realized that we need music to live. It's just a part of the struggle."
While it's too soon to tell whether Sky will fly in the U.S., the pair believes Piece Of Paradise could be "the one."
"If you don't believe in your songs and yourself, it's going to be hard for the people around you to believe in it. We love these songs, we thought they were great songs, and we're hoping for the best for them," says Antoine, who describes Sky's music as a mix of their own musical influences, which run the range from Stevie Wonder and George Michael to The Beatles and Steely Dan.
"We're totally a fusion of both," explains Antoine. "I really love the sound of the record. It's totally us. Obviously, the second record is probably going to be different. Like any artist, we've evolved. But at the time we wrote that record, it was exactly what we wanted to do."
Aside from being fodder for some amusing publicity material, the relationship between Antoine and James is like oil and water. Personally, "we're still working on our differences," Antoine says with a chuckle, while musically, "we've always had the same kind of passion." In the end, the big battles are "how the good stuff comes out, fighting for ideas, discussing stuff.
"But it's all about respect, giving each other space. That's how we get through the tough times," he says, adding success also helps. "It's wonderful to work on music all the time."
© 1999-2001
