Karl Wolf makes a powerful return to the music scene around the world with the launch of his second solo album: Bite the Bullet.
The first single, “Africa” (an impressive rendition of Toto’s 80s classic), is quickly climbing the charts in many parts of the world with rave reviews coming in from Europe, Middle East, Australia and Canada!
And to top things off, the video for “Africa” had the honor of being the first ever music video played on the newly launched MTV Arabia!
Who is Karl Wolf, you ask? Here’s everything you need to know to be up to speed:
Karl was born in Beirut, Lebanon, but his family moved to Dubai a few years later because of the civil war in Lebanon.
Music played an important part of Karl’s life, from the very beginning. His mother was a piano teacher and his father played the guitar, drums and a traditional arabic instrument called the Oud. “Music was just part of me,” Karl explains. “Growing up, it’s not like I knew I was going to be a musician or singer the rest of my life but I just loved it sooooo much that I grew to just persist and excel in it.”
And excel, he does! Karl Wolf is a genuine triple threat of talent! As a powerful songwriter, producer and singer of serious skill and originality, Karl actually began his musical career “behind the scenes.” He has participated as a songwriter, composer and producer on many multi platinum albums in Canada, such as Gabrielle Destroismaisons, Mitsou, Quebec’s Star Académie, Emily Bégin, and was a member of both Platinum selling groups Dubmatique and SKY.
He was awarded a Felix Award in 2001 for “Best Mix and Sound of the Year” for his work on Gabrielle Destroismaisons’ Etcetera and a SOCAN award in 2004 for “Best Pop Song” for his work on Star Académie I.
Word of his talent has spread quickly, with such stars as Christina Milian, Glenn Lewis and Mya all requesting that Karl send them material. However, at the time, Karl was busy at work on his first solo album, Face Behind the Face.
Released on Valentine’s Day 2006, Face Behind the Face, turned Karl into an instant Maga-Star in the Middle East and Canada with his hit song Butterflies spending 8 straight weeks at #1! In Canada, Butterflies was remixed to include the vocals of Quebec pop-princess Eve, and the song climbed the charts again peaking at #3! Karl’s follow-up single Summer Days and Summer Nights in Beirut, which recalls the beauty of Beirut before the civil war, was also a huge success on radio.
For Face Behind the Face, Karl won a Sounds of Blackness Award (SOBA) in 2007 as the “Best R&B/Soul Artist of the Year” and was nominated for a 2007 Juno Award (Canada’s music awards) for “Best R&B/Soul Recording.”
The success of Face Behind the Face led to many amazing moments, including the opportunity for Karl to open for R&B Queen Mary J. Blidge in Dubai. “The vibe at that show was incredible,” says Karl. “The public was just soo excited because it was my first major concert in the region after my album release!”
As the excitement builds for the release of the new album, entitled Bite the Bullet, Karl looks forward to more amazing musical moments. Just this past summer he opened for Lauryn Hill and Neyo in Canada, and shared the stage with both Ludacris and Akon at MTV Arabia’s launch event!
The album drops in stores in the Middle East / North Africa on November 27, 2007, and around the world in early 2008, so make sure you check it out!
And what can we look forward to on this album? “Unlike Face Behind the Face, Bite the Bullet is a predominantly up-tempo album,” explains Karl. “It is full of club bangers and in my opinion is an evolution in my musical style and coincides with how I am feeling today "UPBEAT". Let me put it this way... My listeners will not stop dancing on this album. Guaranteed!”
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