| Karl Wolf | |
|---|---|
Singing in Radio 1 party, Dubai 2007 |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Carl Abou Samah |
| Born | April 18, 1979 Beirut, Lebanon |
| Genres | Pop , R&B, Soul, Fusion |
| Occupations | Singer, Songwriter, Record Producer, Musician |
| Instruments | Vocals, Guitar, Piano |
| Years active | 2001 – present |
| Labels | LW Records LW Entertainment EMI (2001–2010) Universal Republic (2010) Universal Music Canada (2011 - Present) |
| Associated acts | Sky |
| Website | www.karlwolf.com |
Carl Abou Samah (Arabic: كارل أبو سمح; born in Beirut, Lebanon on April 18, 1979)[1] is a Lebanese-born Canadian musician based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He is better known by his stage name Karl Wolf. He has been a singer, songwriter and producer since 2001, releasing his first solo album Face Behind the Face on MapleNationwide/Universal in January 2006, followed by a second album Bite the Bullet in November 2007. His third album Nightlife was released on November 17, 2009. After 9 years with EMI Music, in March 2010 he signed a new recording contract in the United States with Universal Republic followed by a worldwide deal with Universal Music Canada in 2011. EMI Japan and EMI Middle East still have exclusive license to Karl Wolf's upcoming album.
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Karl was born in Beirut, Lebanon. A few years later on his family moved to Dubai, UAE due to the civil war in Lebanon. In an interview with Shave Magazine, Karl explained that in Arabic, his family name (Abou Samah) means 'father of forgiveness'.[2] His stage name 'wolf' comes from a nickname he received on his high school basketball team because he was the smallest and quickest in his team. He also says his mother and father drove him to a career in music. Wolf's mother was a piano teacher and his father played the guitar, drums and a traditional Middle Eastern musical instrument called oud.
Karl began his career "behind the scenes," and has been writing co-producing since 2001. The 2001 hit album from Gabrielle Destroismaisons generated two singles co-written by him that reached #1 on the BDS Francophone Charts, and the record earned him a Félix Award at the L'ADISQ Awards for "Best Mix and Sound of the Year".
Wolf's work with Gabrielle brought Karl Wolf to the attention of Antoine Sicotte, of the top-selling Canadian pop band Sky, where he was recruited as a singer-songwriter becoming Sky's new lead singer in 2002.[3] Wolf co-wrote and co-produced the third Sky album, Picture Perfect (on Sextant/EMI), with strong airplay across Canada. Sicotte and Wolf cooperated on the hugely successful Star Académie reality TV show in Quebec. The subsequent album was the biggest-selling album in Canada in 2003, notching a phenomenal sales in Canadian terms and earning Karl Wolf a SOCAN Award for Most Popular Song. A Star Académie II sequel in 2004 was another big success, the album going double-platinum.
In 2005 Karl Wolf ventured into a solo career. He released his debut solo album Face Behind the Face"[4] in January 2006. Since its release, the album broke in the Canadian Top 100 sales chart and spawned three singles, "Butterflies"[5] and "Desensitize",[6] with the latter track (featuring hip hop star Choclair) reaching the BDS Top 40 charts and "Referee".
He followed with a second studio album Bite the Bullet in November 2007. The first single release from the album was "Africa",[7] a remake of the worldwide hit Africa by Toto. The Karl Wolf remake features Canadian artist Culture. In early March 2009, with the release of the single on iTunes for digital downloads, it surged up #32 to #2[8] on the issue of March 14, 2009 based on huge amounts of downloads over the previous week. It peeked at #1 on the iTunes charts and It also stayed at #2 for four further week on the chart of March 21 and 28 and April 4 and 11, 2009. Prior to iTunes download, it had topped at #20 in the same chart. This is so far Karl Wolf's most successful single to date. The song also topped the MuchMusic Top 30 Countdown charts and has also found success in Japan, peaking at #20 on the Japan Hot 100 chart. His follow up single this year titled Carrera climbed to peak at #39 on the Bilboard Canadian Hot 100.
Karl Wolf announced on Sunday June 21, 2009 at the MuchMusic Video Awards, that he has in fact been recording a new album due to be out by the end of this year (2009) or by early 2010 and that he we will be releasing another remake of a worldwide hit. The album Nightlife, his third album was released on 17 November 2009. He has had two singles emanating from the album, "Yalla Habibi" and "Hurting".
In February 2010, he signed a record deal with Universal Republic Records for United States distribution. After great success in Canada, "Africa" will become the first single released in the United States through the Universal Republic record deal.
Karl Wolf's new album called Finally Free is to be released in early 2012. He will be engaging also on a pan-Canadian and international tour to promote the album with Universal Music.
In addition to his solo career, Wolf has established "LW Entertainment" and his own record label "LW Records" and recording studio (with LW standing for Lone Wolf). These are the producing wing of Karl Wolf's operations. Before becoming a solo artist, Karl Wolf had his break as a songwriter / producer and at 22, won "Best Mix and Sound of the Year" at L'ADISQ. Karl Wolf has also produced for Quebec singers Mitsou, Emily, Jérôme-Philippe (aka Disoul) also becoming for a time, part of the latter's band Dubmatique.
Karl Wolf has collaborated with a number of artists, mainly from Canada:
| Year | Album details | Chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| CAN | ||
| 2006 | Face Behind the Face | — |
| 2007 | Bite the Bullet
|
100 |
| 2009 | Nightlife
|
— |
| 2012 | Finally Free
|
— |
| Year | Single | Chart positions[12] | Certifications | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAN | JPN | ||||
| 2005 | "Butterflies" | — | — | Face Behind the Face | |
| 2006 | "Desensitize" (feat. Choclair) | — | — | ||
| "Referee" | — | — | |||
| "Triple R" (feat. Snoop Dogg) | — | — | non-album single | ||
| 2007 | "She Wants to Know" | — | — | Bite the Bullet | |
| 2008 | "Africa" (feat. Culture) | 2 | 20 | ||
| 2009 | "Carrera" | 39 | — |
|
|
| "Yalla Habibi" (feat. Rime Salmi & Kaz Money) | 24 | 51 |
|
Nightlife | |
| 2010 | "Hurting" (feat. Sway) | 55 | — | ||
| "80's Baby" | — | — | |||
| 2011 | "Ghetto Love" (feat. Kardinal Offishall) | 20 | — |
|
Finally Free |
| "Mash It Up" (feat. Three 6 Mafia) | 45 | — | |||
Karl Wolf has released songs featuring other artists
| Date | Song title | Performing credits | Karl Wolf album title |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Hollow Girl" | Karl Wolf feat. Striger | Face Behind the Face | |
| "Butterflies" | Karl Wolf and Eve | non-album single | |
| "Like This" | Karl Wolf feat Sandman | Bite the Bullet |
Karl Wolf is featured in a number of releases by other artists
| Date | Song title | Performing credits | Album title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | "Get Down / Respire" | VJ Malik Shaheed feat. Karl Wolf | Franglais by Malik Shaheed |
| 2006 | "Weekend" | Choclair feat. Karl Wolf | Flagship by Choclair |
| "Crazy Girl" | Taio Cruz feat. Karl Wolf | ||
| 2010 | "Si jeune" | Jacob Guay feat. Karl Wolf | Si Jeune by Jacob Guay |
| 2011 | "Enta Ma'ai Kol Hayati" | Diana Haddad feat. Karl Wolf | |
| 2011 | "Yalla Asia" | Jay Sean and Karl Wolf[14] | non-album single |
| 2011 | "All Wrong" | Marc Mysterio feat. Karl Wolf and Jamie Sparks | non-album single |
| Awards and nominations for Karl Wolf | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated Work | Result |
| 2001 | ADISQ (Felix Award) | Best Mix and Sound of the Year | "Gabrielle Destroismaisons" | Won |
| 2004 | SOCAN | Best popular song | "Je vais changer le monde" (Star Académie) in Quebec |
Won |
| 2007 | Juno Awards | R&B/Soul Recording of the Year | Face Behind the Face | Nominated |
| 2008 | MTV Europe Music Awards | Best Arabia Act[15] | Himself | Won |
| 2009 | MuchMusic Video Awards | Favourite New Artist/Group | Himself | Nominated |
| Pop Video of the Year | "Africa" | Nominated | ||
| 2010 | Sounds of Blackness Awards | Best Anglophone R&B Artist or Group of the Year | Himself | Won |
| Anglophone Single of the Year | "Africa" | Won[16] | ||
| Canadian Radio Music Awards[17][18] | Fan's Choice Award | Himself | Nominated | |
| Best New Group or Solo Mainstream A/C Artist of the Year | Himself (for "Africa") | Nominated | ||
| Best New Group or Solo Hot A/C Artist of the Year | Himself (for "Africa") | Won | ||
| SOCAN | Urban Music Award | "Africa" | Won | |
| SOCAN | Anglophone Song of the Year | "Africa" | Won | |
| 2011 | Juno Awards | R&B/Soul Recording of the Year | Nightlife | Nominated |
