سيرة
Duncan Scott Sheik was born on November 18, 1969, in Montclair, New Jersey. Raised by his single mother and grandparents in Hilton Head, South Carolina, he has one younger sister, while his father resides in New Jersey. Initially raised Catholic, Duncan later embraced Buddhism and has been a dedicated practitioner for about 15 years. He began playing music at a very young age, starting piano at five and mastering guitar by twelve, when he played in a cover band called Slightly Off. During his teenage years at boarding school, his instruments were often confiscated for being too loud. Duncan graduated from Brown University in 1992, choosing to major in Semiotics—the study of signs and symbols—rather than Music, to avoid influencing his musical style. He only seriously pursued music in college as lead guitarist for Lisa Loeb’s band, Liz and Lisa.
After graduation, Duncan moved to Los Angeles with a demo tape, entering what became known as his "Lost California Years." He signed a $100,000 contract with Immortal Records, a rap-focused label, but the deal stalled and he spent two years in limbo, writing songs during this difficult period. In 1994, Atlantic Records recognized his talent and bought out his contract from Immortal, freeing him from this stagnant phase.
Duncan’s self-titled debut album was released on June 4, 1996, to critical acclaim, earning a four-star rating from Rolling Stone. The single "Barely Breathing" became the fourth longest-running Top 100 single in Billboard history, staying on the chart for 55 weeks. The album eventually went gold. His second album, Humming, came out on October 6, 1998, with the single "Bite Your Tongue" quickly becoming the most requested song nationwide. Humming received rave reviews, solidifying Duncan’s reputation as a key singer-songwriter of the decade.
On February 27, 2001, Duncan released his third album, Phantom Moon, through Nonesuch Records. This predominantly acoustic album resulted from his collaboration with New York playwright Steven Sater. Both members of the New York branch of Soka Gakkai International (SGI), Duncan and Steven started working together when Steven asked Duncan to compose music for a play he was developing. Steven sent lyrics via fax, and Duncan composed music for about 17 songs, which he then decided to turn into an album. He presented the project to Ron Shapiro, General Manager of Atlantic Records, who recommended releasing it on Nonesuch, Atlantic’s partner label.
