Nicole and Natalie Albino (born March 13, 1986 in Queens, New York) are identical twin sisters who sing under the stage name "Nina Sky".

Early life and career

Their parents moved to New York from Puerto Rico and were divorced when the girls were younger. The twin's mother began a new relationship with a man who was a DJ and of Dominican descent. They grew up in the Queens and Roosevelt Island sections of New York.

Because their stepfather worked as a DJ, the twins were influenced by different types of music. When the sisters were only 7 years old, they wrote their first song, "Sisters", and by the time they were 10, they already knew that they wanted to become singers.

The twins' parents were very supportive of their daughters' ambitions. Their stepfather even gave them guitar and drum lessons. They were taken to auditions and, on some occasions, they even performed on some showcases. The sisters wanted to devise a name of their own. In using the first two syllables of their names ("Ni" and "Na"), they came up with Nina. They then added Sky, which for them represented "the sky's the limit". Dominican Times

They continued to go to school and, in their spare time, worked as DJs. In the year 2000, they met The Jettsonz (Elijah Wells and Lionel Bermingham), a pair of music producers who helped them develop their own sound.

2004–2006: Nina Sky

In 2004, The Jettsonz introduced the girls to Cipha Sounds, a hip hop DJ who worked for the Star Trak record label owned by The Neptunes (Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo). Cipha Sounds was impressed when he heard the girls sing and suggested that they use the "Coolie Dance" riddim. The twins then proceeded to write "Move Ya Body" (along with The Jettsonz, who also produced the record), mixing Caribbean riddims with R&B. Eventually, a demo of the song was made. Nina Sky Bio. The demo fell into the hands of Eddie O'Loughlin, the president of Next Plateau Entertainment (which is a division of Universal Records). O'Loughlin signed the twins to a contract and they started working on their debut album.

The single "Move Ya Body" was released on April 27, 2004 and reached number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Urban music and rhythmic top 40 stations quickly added the song to their play lists, sending the song up the charts. By July 17, "Move Ya Body" had gone to the top 5 on both sides of the Atlantic and had also reached the top 5 of a world combined R&B chart based on the US, UK, Germany, France and Australia. The song had also reached the top 50 of the Australian charts. On June 29, 2004 they released their first self-titled album, featuring Betty Wright. Nina Sky on Yahoo

The twins, Natalie and Nicole continued to work and promote their music. They have contributed greatly to the reggaeton movement with songs such as "Oye Mi Canto", and "Mas Maiz" with artist and producer N.O.R.E..

2007–present: The Musical

Nina Sky is working on their second studio album, The Musical. The album was originally due on July 27, 2007, but has been pushed back to an unknown date. Producers include Scott Storch, Ryan Leslie, Cipha Sounds, Solitair, Cool & Dre, Salaam Remi, The Jettsonz and more. Guests include Rick Ross, Ivy Queen, and Daytona. In late 2007, Nina Sky left their label, Universal, and signed with J Records.

Nina Sky have also put together remixes of popular songs including J. Holiday's "Bed," Elliott Yamin's "Wait For You" and Cassidy's "My Drink n My 2 Step." They have also worked with Brooklyn MC Red Cafe on his street album The Co-Op, and The Alchemist on his song "Key To The City".

Discography

Albums

1. 2004: Nina Sky
2. TBA: The Musical

References

See also

• List of famous Puerto Ricans
• List of twins

External links

• Nina Sky's Official MySpace

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