Rhye

Rhye is an R&B musical duo based in Los Angeles, California. Its members are Canadian singer Milosh and Danish instrumentalist Robin Hannibal. They released singles "Open" and "The Fall" online without much detail that led to speculation about the band. Their debut album, Woman, was released 4 March 2013.^[1][2][3] In June 2013, the album was longlisted for the 2013 Polaris Music Prize. Rhye's songs are represented by Downtown Music Publishing.

Members

• Michael Milosh was born in Toronto, Canada and is an electronic musician and vocalist. He was a classically trained cellist from age 3 and had become a jazz aficionado. He later moved to Berlin, Germany to pursue music as a vocalist and a producer. Professionally using the name Milosh, as a Canadian Signed to Plug Research record label, he had released two albums You Make Me Feel (2004) and Meme (2006). He had also contributed the track Then It Happened on the Ghostly International/Williams Street album Ghostly Swim, which was released as an MP3 download in 2008.
• Robin Hannibal (birth name Robin Braun) was a member of the Danish duo Quadron alongside Coco Maja Hastrup Karshøj on Plug Research, the same label as Milosh. Quadron, an indie pop, electronica, soul, jazz and rap formation, released a self-titled album in July 2009. Quadron members were also part of a Danish electronica collective called Boom Clap Bachelors, who in early 2008 had released the collective album Just Before Your Lips, including contributions from Hannibal. Robin Hannibal had collaborated with other artists like Nobody Beats the Beats, Clemens, Jokeren and L.O.C.. He also launched two projects, Owusu & Hannibal and Parallel Dance Ensemble. He also contributed to Szjerdene's "Lead the Way" and to Leon Ware's "Orchids for the Sun". In 2011, Quadron collaborated with American DJ and record producer Kaskade for the song "Waste Love" off his album Fire & Ice.

Career as Rhye

In 2010, Hannibal was working on some Quadron materials and was tipped about Milosh's work through their common record label. He contacted Mike Milosh, living in Berlin at the time to fly to Copenhagen, Denmark. The two musicians spent a week together in the studio recording three tracks for their first collaboration. They became mutually appreciative of each other's music.^[1]

Eventually Hannibal moved to Los Angeles to pursue his career there. As it happened, Milosh had also gone to the States independently. Based on their earlier cooperation in Denmark, the two agreed to continue cooperating, forming the duo Rhye, initially as an internet-based mystery, posting several singles online, but without providing any background information or contact details. Their online postings for "Open" and "The Fall", both romantic soul-pop renditions, garnered attention and following. The songs were accompanied by sensual and high-quality shot videos.^[4]

There was great interest as well as speculation amongst music journalists and reviewers about the group's identity. Discussions also ensued about Milosh's high and sigh-like contralto androgynous vocals.^[5][6] His voice and the band's instrumentation are likened to those of British-Nigerian singer Sade^[6] and to those of Michael Franks and The xx.^[7]

Discography

Albums

EPs

• 2013: The Fall (Remixes) (EP)

Videography

• 2012/2013: "Open" (two versions)^[14]
• 2013: "The Fall"^[15]

References

External links

• Official website
• Facebook