After meeting now-Magic! guitarist Mark Pelli, Nasri realized his ambitions to create music that echoed the music he listened to as a teenager - Bob Marley and The Police. As jam sessions went on, he found that sound with Pelli that fit his needs, and Magic! was born in 2013 along with drummer Alex Tanas and bassist Ben Spivak. With the release of their debut single, 'Rude,' the band shot to instant success, not only in the U.S., but internationally as well.

 

Magic
Mark Pellizzer, Ben Spivak, Nasri Atweh and Alex Tanas of Magic (Credit: Getty 2014/John Para)

The track is taken from Magic!'s debut full-length, Don't Kill The Magic, which was released on July 1. In its first week, it debuted at number six selling over 36,000 copies. Does the album follow-up on 'Rude's greatness? Pretty much. Heavy in its pop reggae sound, the record's got tracks destined to be hits, such as 'Paradise' and 'Stupid Me,' and all of them were produced by Nasri's partner Adam Messenger, so he definitely didn't leave his good friend behind with Magic! The band is set for an action packed rest of the year, and if 'Rude' keeps up its prowess, Grammy nominations won't be out of the question. If you asked Nasri about his fame status now, he'd probably give the same answer as he did before, but the numbers and radio play tell us a different story, and it won't be long now until the group becomes a household name.