Zhané (pronounced Jah-Nay) was an American
R&B/hip hop soul duo, best known for their 1993 hit "Hey Mr.
D.J.", which reached #6 in the U.S. Other popular hits include "Groove
Thang" (U.S. #17) and minor hit "Sending My Love," both
released in 1994. The group was part of Queen Latifah's Flavor Unit
collective.
Given a high-profile spot on the all-star compilation Roll Wit tha
Flava as their first recording opportunity, Zhané lived up
to the pressure and came away with one of the hip-hop party anthems
of all time, "Hey, Mr. D.J." Jean Norris and Renee Neufville
initially met while both were studying music at Philadelphia's Temple
University (Norris is originally from Rhode Island, Neufville from
Jamaica). After meeting Naughty by Nature member Kay Gee, Zhané impressed
the producer enough to go right into the studio to record for Roll
Wit tha Flava. When "Hey, Mr. D.J." was released as a separate
single as well, it hit number six on the pop charts and earned the
group a contract with Motown in 1994. Their debut album, Pronounced
Jah-Nay, produced two further Top 40 hits ("Groove Thang," "Sending
My Love") and went gold by the end of the year; it achieved
Platinum status 2 years later. Zhané kept busy during 1995-1996
with spots on tracks by Busta Rhymes and De La Soul as well as new
songs of their own on the NFL Jams and NBA 50th Anniversary compilations
and the soundtracks to Higher Learning and A Low Down Dirty Shame
-- the latter, "Shame," became their fourth Top 40 hit.
Norris and Neufville released the follow up album Saturday Night
in 1997, co-produced by Kay Gee, Eddie F., and themselves. The release
featured the hit single "Request Line." A remix with different
lyrics and raps by Queen Latifah followed. It peaked just outside
the Top 40.
Since the group's dissolution, Jean Baylor released the independent
solo album Testimony: My Life. Renee Neufville became involved in
Roy Hargrove's RH Factor project.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
Year Title Chart positions Certifications
(sales thresholds)
U.S. U.S. R&B
1994 Pronounced Jah-Nay
* Released: February 15, 1994
* Label: Motown
37 8
* US: Platinum
1997 Saturday Night
* Released: April 22, 1997
* Label: Motown
41 8
[edit] Singles
* "Hey Mr. D.J." (1993)
* "Groove Thang" (1994)
* "Sending My Love" (1994)
* "Vibe" (1994)
* "You're Sorry Now" (1994)
* "Shame" (1994)
* De La Soul feat. Zhane: "4 More" (1995)
* Busta Rhymes feat. Zhane: "It's A Party" (1996)
* "Request Line" (1997)
* "Crush" (1997)
* Naughty by Nature feat. Zhane: "Jamboree" (1999)