Shakaya
Shakaya | |
---|---|
Origin | Cairns, Queensland, Australia |
Genres | Pop, R&B |
Years active | 2002–2006, 2021–present |
Labels | Columbia |
Members | Simone Stacey Naomi Wenitong |
Shakaya are an Australian girl group formed in Cairns, Queensland in 2002 by Simone Stacey and Naomi Wenitong. The two met in 1999 while studying an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander music course and they had both been writing individually before they met each other.[1][2] The girls were initially discovered in Cairns by Reno Nicastro and Michael Pearson-Adams. Nicastro produced most of the girls' songs and gave them free studio time for two years.[1]
The band's name, 'Shakaya', was originally going to be 'Kashaya', but then their manager mixed the letters around and it became 'Shakaya'. Stacey and Wenitong did some research and found out that the word "shakaya" has a broad range of meanings in a lot of different cultures. The one that really stood out for them was the meaning "voices in the wind" (which they incorrectly credit as "Native American Indian", but is actually a Hindu female name).
Naomi went on to become a member of the hip hop group
Music career
2002–2003: Shakaya
The girls were in
2005–2006: Are You Ready
Are You Ready was recorded over an eighteen-month period in Cairns, Sydney and the United States with a range of producers.[13] The first song released from the album was titled "Are You Ready" and was released on 10 June 2005; it was written and produced by the MadNotes team (who have previously worked with Alicia Keys and Justin Timberlake).[14] The song was promoted well and peaked at number twenty-five on the singles chart.[15] Five months later, the duo released the second and last song from the album, "We Ain't Goin' Down", on 13 November 2005, and it was their lowest charting single, peaking at number fifty.[16] The album was finally released on 5 March 2006 including the two singles but did not chart in the ARIA top 100 albums.
The group disbanded due to Naomi Wenitong joining the group The Last Kinection in 2006.
2021–present: Reunion
In October 2021, Wenitong and Stacey reunited as Shakaya for the first time in over 15 years to perform at the Pride Fair Day in their native Cairns. They would later perform as part of Yabun Festival in January 2022, and are set to perform at the Quandamooka Festival on Stradbroke Island in August 2022.
Discography
Albums
Title | Details | Peak chart positions |
---|---|---|
AUS [10] | ||
Shakaya |
|
5 |
Are You Ready |
|
— |
Singles
Title | Year | Chart positions | Certification | Album |
---|---|---|---|---|
AUS [4] | ||||
"Stop Calling Me" | 2002 | 5 | Shakaya | |
"Sublime" | 19 | |||
"Cinderella" | 16 | |||
"The Way You Make Me Feel" | 2003 | 21 | Single only | |
"Are You Ready" | 2005 | 25 | Are You Ready | |
"We Ain't Goin' Down" | 50 |
Awards and recognition
ARIA Awards
The
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2002[7] | "Stop Calling Me" | ARIA Award for Highest Selling Single |
Nominated |
Deadly Awards
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
Deadly Awards 2002 | themselves | Band of the Year | Won |
Most Promising New Talent | Won | ||
"Stop Calling Me" | Single of the Year | Won | |
"Sublime" | Video of the Year | Won | |
Deadly Awards 2003 | Shakaya | Album of the Year | Won |
References
- ^ a b c d "Shakaya at Girl.com.au". Girl.com.au. Retrieved 3 June 2007.
- ^ "The power of two" Archived 1 January 2005 at the Wayback Machine. VIBE Australia. Retrieved 3 June 2007.
- ^ "Meaning of Shakaya". Retrieved 2 February 2014.
- ^ a b SHAKAYA - STOP CALLING ME (SINGLE) (287538). Australian-charts.com. Retrieved 3 June 2007.
- ^ ARIA Charts - End of Year Charts - Top 100 Singles 2002. ARIA. Retrieved 3 June 2007.
- ^ a b ARIA Charts - Accreditations - 2002 Singles. ARIA. Retrieved 3 June 2007.
- ^ ARIA Awards. Retrieved 5 June 2007.
- ^ "SHAKAYA - SUBLIME (SINGLE) (287539)". Australian-charts.com. Retrieved 3 June 2007.
- ^ "SHAKAYA - CINDERELLA (SINGLE) (287536)". Australian-charts.com. Retrieved 3 June 2007.
- ^ a b "Charts 28 October 2002". ARIA Charts. Retrieved 3 June 2007.
- ^ "Shakaya Release New Single" Archived 19 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine. Shakaya.com.au. Retrieved 5 June 2007.
- ^ "SHAKAYA - THE WAY YOU MAKE ME FEEL (SINGLE) (287537)". Australian-charts.com. Retrieved 5 June 2007.
- ^ "Are You Ready" Archived 30 August 2007 at the Wayback Machine. Shakaya.com.au. Retrieved 5 June 2007.
- ^ "Are You Ready For Some Shakaya Instores, Sydney??" Archived 20 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine. Shakaya.com.au. Retrieved 5 June 2007.
- ^ "SHAKAYA - ARE YOU READY (SINGLE) (287535)". Australian-charts.com. Retrieved 6 June 2007.
- ^ "SHAKAYA - WE AIN'T GOIN' DOWN (SINGLE) (261869)". Australian-charts.com. Retrieved 6 June 2007.
- ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2002 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 2 October 2022.