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, influenced by the vocal stylings of Boyz II Men, Jodeci, and Color Me Badd, among others. The group remains best known for their 1992 debut single "If I Ever Fall in Love," which peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100.

History

Early beginnings and formation Shai (a Swahili word meaning "personification of destiny") was formed on the campus of Howard University. In 1990, Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity 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, and Jeffrey Talley departed. None of the members had professional singing experience and mostly performed in and around campus for fun, according to Gay.

The group came together seriously after winning a Howard University talent show. From there, they decided to pursue a record deal in New York City but did not receive any offers. Martin later gave Paco Lopez, a local deejay at WPGC radio in , a demo cassette copy of "If I Ever Fall in Love," and he began promoting the single on the air. In September 1992, the group signed with Gasoline Alley/MCA Records and released their debut album later that year.

1992-1993: If I Ever Fall In Love and Right Back at Cha Shai released "If I Ever Fall in Love" as the first single from the debut album of the same title, which peaked at No. 2 in the U.S. and sold over two million copies. The next two releases from the platinum album, "Comforter" and "Baby I'm Yours", 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.

1994-2001

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.

As of 2025, Shai still performs with each other in various concerts and shows.

Discography

Albums + List of albums, with selected chart positions Title Album details Peak chartpositions Certification US AUS N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart. ...If I Ever Fall in Love Released 1992 Label: MCA 6 24 RIAA: Platinum Right Back at Cha Released 1993 Label: Gasoline / MCA 127 140 Blackface Released 1995 Label: Gasoline / MCA 42 111 Destiny Released 1998 Label: Big Play — — Back from the Mystery System: The Love Cycle Released 2004 — — Love Cycle: Back from the Mystery System Released 2007 Label: 9 World Wide — — Worldwide (as D-n-G of Shai) Released 2009 Label: Fight4Music — — Musically Yours Released June 2018 Label: Cleopatra Records Inc. — —

Compilations 20th Century Masters – The Millennium Collection: The Best of Shai (2001) If I Ever Fall in Love: The Best Of (3 re-recorded tracks from the original album) (2011) If I Ever Fall in Love: Greatest Hits (same 3 tracks re-recorded with new members Dwayne Jones & George Spencer III) (2011) In Concert (2018)

Singles + List of singles, with selected chart positions Title Year Peak chart positions Album US USR&B/HH AUSAustralian (ARIA) chart peaks: Top 50 peaks: Top 100 peaks to December 2010: "Come with Me": N.B. The HP column displays the highest peak reached. 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 51 197 — — — 27 —"Destiny" (promo only) 1998 — — — — — — — — Destiny"He's Doing You Wrong" (promo only) — — — — — — — — "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released.

Filmography Video Personification: Vol. 1 (1993)

Awards and nominations

NAACP Image Awards (1993), Outstanding new artist - winner Soul Train Music Awards (1993), Best New R&B/Soul Artist - nominee

References