The band scored a monster, chart-topping hit; arguably the song of the summer. But even the end of the year, with 3 million copies of the single “Rude” sold, Magic! was far from interested in talking about the past.
“We think about it but we try not to overly think about it,” lead singer Nasri Atweh told me after the band performed at “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” in Times Square. “We have a lot of work to do for the next song, which is called ‘Let Your Hair Down,’ yunno to make that a popular song.”
The Canadian pop-reggae outfit already has its third single lined up from the album, Don’t Kill The Magic, called “No Way No.” In New Zealand, Australia and Canada this will be the fourth song released from the album – as the album’s title track was also serviced as a single in those countries.
“We have a lot of work to do because we’re not going anywhere,” the singer explained as the band stood around him on a frigid night in Times Square. Perhaps true to their Canadian roots, the guys wore yellow suits paired with skinny ties and a white dress shirt; no coats, no scarves, and except for Atweh no gloves. With five layers on my upper body alone, I was cold just looking at them. And I didn’t grow up that far from Canada.
“We’re just starting,” the front man continued, “so we’ve got to catch up to the success of ‘Rude.’”
The bar is set high. “Rude” cracked the top 10 in 10 different countries, topping the charts in the UK in addition to the States. The single sold a lot of units abroad as well, achieving platinum-or-better status in four other territories besides the U.S.
Prior to performing “Rude” with Wyclef Jean at The American Music Awards, the band told me that they would once again tour the globe following the holidays. That was not an exaggeration. Magic! will head to Jamaica soon where the quartet will film the music video for “No Way No.” Then it’s back stateside with a performance at the DIRECTV Super Fan Festival the weekend of the Super Bowl.
Then in February, Magic! hits the road as the supporting act on Maroon 5’s world tour. The trek begins on February 16 in Dallas, with North American dates continuing through the start of April. Towards the end of May, the schedule picks back up overseas.
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