39°
Duncan Shiek turns 46 on Wednesday.
Duncan Sheik, born on Nov. 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," where he won multiple Tonys and a Grammy.
After being raised by both his parents in Montclair, N.J., and his grandparents in Hilton Head, S.C.(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. He is the half brother of Broadway actress Kacie Sheik.
His single, "Barely Breathing," which remained on the Billboard Hot 100 for a record-setting 55 straight weeks, earned Top 20 success on Adult Contemporary radio and topped the Adult Top 40 charts. The song also garnered a Grammy Award nomination for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.
In 2015, Sheik wrote the New York Stage & Film musical thriller "Noir," along with collaborator Kyle Jarrow. Inspired by live radio plays and classic film noir, the musical was directed by Rachel Chavkin.
Currently, Sheik is composing the music for a feature-film adaptation of "Spring Awakening,"--an adaptation almost a decade in the making.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Putnam and receive free news updates.
