Sisqó

For similarly pronounced words with multiple spellings, see Cisco (disambiguation).
Sisqó
Birth name Mark Althavean Andrews[1]
Born (1978-11-09) November 9, 1978[2]
Origin Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Genres R&B, hip hop soul
Occupation(s) Singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer, actor
Instruments Singing, Piano, Guitar
Years active 1992–present
Labels Island, Def Soul, Dragon Music Group
Associated acts Dru Hill, Mýa, LovHer, Jodeci, K-Ci Hailey

Mark Althavean Andrews (born November 9, 1978), known by his stage name Sisqó (stylized as SisQó), is an American R&B singer, songwriter, dancer, record producer and actor. He is the lead singer of R&B group Dru Hill, and has also released solo material. Sisqo's successful debut solo album, Unleash the Dragon (1999), included the hit singles "Thong Song"[1] and "Incomplete."

Biography

As a teen, Mark Andrews worked at The Fudgery[3] in Baltimore's Inner Harbor with Larry "Jazz" Anthony, James "Woody" Green, and Tamir "Nokio" Ruffin. The quartet would be signed as the group Dru Hill to Island Records in 1996. He lived in the Reservoir Hill neighborhood at 908 Newington Avenue near Druid Hill Park which is where the group got their name.

Andrews graduated from Mergenthaler Vocational-Technical High School in 1994. He has a daughter, Shaione, who was born in 1995.[4] His second child, Quintus, was born in 1995. His third child, son Ryū, was born in 2012.[5] Andrews' children's godfather is fellow R&B singer Cedric Hailey, who performs under his best known name K-Ci (best known as a member of Jodeci and K-Ci & JoJo).

Sisqó's visual trademarks are his hairstyles and flamboyant stage costumes, which were regularly flashier than those of his groupmates. Over his career as a recording artist, both with and without Dru Hill, Sisqó's hairstyles have included a bleached blond Caesar, a platinum Caesar (colored with silver spray paint), blond cornrows, a neon-red dyed Caesar, and a blond Mohawk.

Career

After Woody left Dru Hill in 1999 to pursue a solo career, it was decided that the other members would follow suit and issue their own solo albums. SisQós solo debut, Unleash the Dragon, was released on Def Soul Records in November 1999. Unleash the Dragon sold moderately at first, until the February 2000 release of its second single, the novelty "Thong Song". A runaway hit, "Thong Song" and its follow-up, "Incomplete", were major hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, with "Thong Song" making it to number three, and "Incomplete" going to #1. The success later got SisQó a doll made of himself by Play Along Toys in 2001.. Solo albums by Jazz and Nokio reached varying levels of completion and were never released.

Formed by SisQó in 1999, LovHer was the first female quartet on the Def Soul label.[6] Their single "How It's Gonna Be" was featured on the Rush Hour 2 soundtrack in 2001.[7]

Conflicts within Dru Hill prevented the group from reuniting as planned in late 2000. SisQó was set about recording a second solo LP. During this period, SisQó branched out into hosting the dance competition program SisQós Shakedown on MTV, and into film, taking on supporting roles in the films Get Over It (2001) with Kirsten Dunst and Snow Dogs (2002) with Cuba Gooding, Jr.. He also starred as a vampire in Sabrina The Teenage Witch (Season 6 Episode 1). Although his second LP, Return of Dragon, released in June 2001, eventually went platinum, its singles "Can I Live" and "Dance for Me" performed far below expectations (apart from in the United Kingdom, where "Dance for Me" became his third top ten hit), and by 2002, SisQó was back with Dru Hill, which released its third LP in late 2002. The LP underperformed, and the group was eventually released from their recording contract.

On January 25, 2008, SisQó was a contestant on a reality show called "Gone Country." Much different than his usual appeal with R&B/Hip-Hop/Pop sound. This time, The Dragon battled it out with 6 other contestants to become a country music singer. The winner gets a country single produced by John Rich. It aired on CMT, with reruns on TV Land, and VH1. On the season finale, Julio Iglesias Jr. claimed victory.[8][9][10]

On January 3, 2010, SisQó participated in the British reality television show Celebrity Big Brother 2010 as a housemate in the competition. He was the fifth contestant to be "evicted" from the Big Brother house on Day 20 (January 22) of the show.

Dru Hill released its third album, InDRUpendence Day, in 2010 as an independent release through Kedar Entertainment. The group also appeared at this time in the reality show Keith Sweat's Platinum House on BET's sister station Centric. In July 2013, SisQó appeared on the reality show Celebrity Wife Swap, where his girlfriend Elizabeth was "swapped" with the wife of 1990s pop singer Gerardo Mejia.

In 2014, SisQó continued to tour, both as a member of Dru Hill and as a solo act. His third solo album, Last Dragon, was released on February 10, 2015.[11] The singles, "A-List" and "L.I.P.s" were released ahead of the album with the latter reaching number 23 on the US Adult R&B charts, thus becoming SisQós first charting US single since 2001's "Can I Live".

As of 2015, SisQó & band mates Dru Hill claim that their record label botched the whole deal and cost them millions in the process.[12] Still talks of a new Dru Hill album, which would mark their 20th anniversary. [13]

In 2016, SisQó provided his talent on an unusual duet with country music singer Marie Osmond. The duet is featured on Osmond's Music Is Medicine album that was released on April 15, 2016. The song is titled "Give Me a Good Song" and he provides the rap lyrics that accompany Osmond's vocals.

Personal life

Andrews resides in Maple Grove, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis, with his girlfriend Elizabeth Pham.[14] In 2014 they both appeared on an episode of Wife Swap[15]

Solo discography

Studio albums

Year Album details Peak chart positions Certifications
(sales threshold)
US
[16]
US R&B
[16]
AUS
[17]
CAN
[16]
FRA
[17]
NZ
[17]
NOR
[17]
SWE
[17]
SWI
[17]
UK
[18]
1999 Unleash the Dragon
  • Release date: November 30, 1999
  • Label: Def Soul Recordings
2 2 28 8 27 19 23 45 36 15
2001 Return of Dragon
  • Release date: June 19, 2001
  • Label: Def Soul Recordings
7 3 17 22
2015 Last Dragon
  • Release date: February 10, 2015
  • Label: Dragon Music Group

Singles

Year Single Peak chart positions Album
US US R&B AUS
[22]
FRA
[23]
GER
[24]
NED
[25]
NZ
[26]
SWE
[27]
SUI
[28]
UK
[29]
1999 "Got to Get It" (featuring Make It Hot) 40 12 28 48 36 50 14 Unleash the Dragon
2000 "Thong Song" 3 1 2 15 15 3 1 8 8 3
"Unleash the Dragon" (featuring Beanie Sigel) 18 31 41 47 6
"Incomplete" 1 1 51 51 13
2001 "Can I Live?" (featuring The Dragon Family) 72 100 87 Return of Dragon
"Dance for Me" 40 91 55 6 31 10 6
2014 "A-List" (featuring Waka Flocka Flame) Last Dragon
"L.I.P.S." 23

Featured singles

Year Song Chart positions[30] Album
US AUS GER
1998 "It's All About Me" (Mýa featuring Sisqó) 6 Mýa
2000 "What These Bitches Want" 2 (DMX featuring Sisqó) 49 …And Then There Was X
"How Many Licks?" (Lil' Kim featuring Sisqó) 75 57 58 The Notorious K.I.M.

Notes

DVDs

Mixtape songs

  • 2001: "This Is the Heart"
  • 2003: "In Da Club"
  • 2004: "One Love"
  • 2004: "Really Real"
  • 2004: "So Seductive"
  • 2005: "One Finger"
  • 2005: "I Got It" (Sypha featuring Sisqó)
  • 2006: "Go Dumb" (Sisqó featuring Mikel C.)
  • 2007: "Cherry Mountain"
  • 2008: "Champagne and Hennessy"
  • 2008: "Let Me Hump on You" (Busta Rhymes featuring Sisqó)
  • 2009: "Set It Off"
  • 2009: "Put Me On"
  • 2009: "Girl You Can Get It" (Sisqó featuring Petey Pablo)
  • 2009: "So Bad"
  • 2009: "Caught Up"
  • 2013: "See It to Believe It" (Future featuring Test & Sisqó)

Other songs

Filmography

Film appearances

Television appearances

Awards/nominations

References

  1. 1 2 "Celebrity Big Brother: profile of all 2010 contestants". telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 2009-01-05.
  2. Birchmeier, Jason. "Sisqó > Biography". AllMusic.
  3. "About the Fudgery". The Fudgery. Retrieved 2015-11-25.
  4. "Mark Althavan Andrews (born November 9, 1978 in Baltimore)". Perfectpeople.com. Retrieved 2014-080-8. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
  5. "ZOOM 11 февруари 1". YouTube. 2013-02-11. Retrieved 2014-08-08.
  6. "About LovHer". MTV. Retrieved 2015-07-07.
  7. "Ludacris, Gray, Musiq Bolster 'Rush Hour 2'". Billboard. 29 June 2001. Retrieved 2015-07-07.
  8. 1 2 "Gone Country Final Performance: Sisqo - CMT".
  9. 1 2 "Bobby Brown Goes Country: 'I Felt It Was Something I Could Conquer'".
  10. 1 2 "Has Sisqo Gone Country? These Photos Say YES - Fun Times Guide to Franklin / Nashville TN". 4 November 2007.
  11. "Sisqó live in Doha part 2". iluvqatar. Retrieved 2011-12-23.
  12. "Sisqo – Cheap Ass Execs Slayed My 'Dragon'".
  13. "SisQo Talks New Album & Dru Hill Reunion".
  14. Gabler, Jay. "Sisqó lives in Maple Grove: 'No thongs out here!'".
  15. Newman, Jason. "Sisqo Tells All: Thong Maven Details His Wife-Swapping, Fudge-Slinging Exploits". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
  16. 1 2 3 "allmusic (((Sisqó > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums)))". AllMusic. Retrieved 2010-01-16.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "norwegiancharts.com – Sisqó – Unleash the Dragon". nowegiancharts.com. Retrieved 2010-01-16.
  18. "Chart States – Sisqó". chartstats.com. Archived from the original on 2013-01-19. Retrieved 2010-01-16.
  19. 1 2 "RIAA – Gold & Platinum – January 16, 2010: Sisqó Albums". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 2010-01-16.
  20. "Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA): Certification Results". Canadian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 2010-01-16.
  21. 1 2 "UK Certifications". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 2010-01-16.
  22. Peaks for Sisqó in Australia:
    • Top 50: Steffen Hung. "Australian charts portal". australian-charts.com. Retrieved 2014-08-08.
    • "Can I Live?" and "How Many Licks?": Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
  23. Steffen Hung. "Les charts français". lescharts.com. Retrieved 2014-08-08.
  24. "charts.de". Officialcharts.de. Retrieved 2014-08-08.
  25. Steffen Hung. "Dutch charts portal". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 2014-08-08.
  26. Steffen Hung (2000-05-21). "New Zealand charts portal". charts.org.nz. Retrieved 2014-08-08.
  27. Steffen Hung. "Swedish Charts Portal". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 2014-08-08.
  28. Steffen Hung. "Die Offizielle Schweizer Hitparade und Music Community". Hitparade.ch. Retrieved 2014-08-08.
  29. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 504. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  30. "Sisqó – Music Charts". Acharts.us. Retrieved 2014-08-08.
  31. "Sisqó's Shakedown". 1 January 2000 via IMDb.
  32. "'Sisqo's Shakedown' an MTV hit". 7 July 2000.
  33. "Sisqo performs live on the 'Tonight Show with Jay Leno' at the NBC...".
  34. "Really Big Season Opener". 5 October 2001 via IMDb.
  35. "I Love the New Millennium". 23 June 2008 via IMDb.
  36. "Dru Hill & Keith Sweat Have Their Own Reality Show Called Platinum House".
  37. "Keith Sweat's Platinum House "1 Hour Special"".
  38. "Sisqo Announces His Debut On Celebrity Big Brother! (Performs Thong)".
  39. "Household Manual: Sisqo's Family - Celebrity Wife Swap".

External links

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