Shai (band)

American vocal R&B/soul quartet

Shai (pronounced "shy") is an American vocal R&B/soul quartet that rose to prominence in the 1990s. The group met and formed on the campus of Howard University and was influenced by the vocal stylings of other popular harmonizing bands of the day, including Boyz II Men, Jodeci, and Color Me Badd. Their most successful hit was "If I Ever Fall in Love," which reached No 1. on the R&B chart and No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Shai (a Swahili word meaning "personification of destiny") was formed on the campus of Howard University. In 1990, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. brothers, Marc Gay, Carl Martin, and Darnell Van Rensalier invited fellow Howard University student Garfield Bright to join their a capella group after two other founding members departed. In September 1992, the group signed with Gasoline Alley/MCA Records and released their debut album later that year. which peaked at No. 2 in the U. S. and sold over two million copies. each peaked at No. 10 in the U. S.

At the insistence of the group members, the video for "Baby I'm Yours" was shot on the Howard University campus. The female love interests, including future television host and model Ananda Lewis, and many of the extras were actual Howard students. The group's next album release was Right Back at Cha, a remix album 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 1993, the group won an NAACP Image Award (Outstanding New Artist), and they performed at Bill Clinton's inauguration along with Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, Ray Charles, and Diana Ross, among others. Additionally, Shai appeared on The Arsenio Hall Show and The Tonight Show.

At the beginning of 1994, Shai made a guest appearance on the sitcom "Family Matters" in the episode, "Good Cop, Bad Cop", in a dream sequence. The group released "The Place Where You Belong," from the Beverly Hills Cop III soundtrack. It was the group's final Top 40 single (No. 32 R&B). In late 1995, their follow up album Blackface 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), peaked at No. 89 in the U. S. It was inspired by Belinda Carlisle's "Heaven Is a Place on Earth." "Song For You" by Rick Braun, featuring Shai, peaked at No. 39 on the R&B chart in 2001.

+ List of singles, with selected chart positions Title Year Peak chart positions Album US USR&B/HH AUS BEL(FL) GER NLD NZ UK "If I Ever Fall in Love" 1992 2 1 4 21 47 11 5 36 If I Ever Fall in Love"Comforter" 1993 10 4 — — — — 24 —"Baby I'm Yours" 10 16 70 — — — 40 —"Together Forever" — 89 — — — — — —"Yours" 63 56 — — — — — — "The Place Where You Belong" 1994 34 21 — — — — — — Beverly Hills Cop III"Come with Me" 1995 43 15 91 — — — 25 — Blackface"I Don't Wanna Be Alone" 89 51 — — — — 27 —"Destiny" (promo only) 1998 — — — — — — — — Destiny"He's Doing You Wrong" (promo only) — — — — — — — — "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released.