Replay

If you've ever fallen in love, looked for love or lost a love, you've got something in common with the young ladies of the Swedish pop quartet, Play. On Play's first full-length album, Replay, the Stockholm-based group--comprised of Anaïs Lameche, Anna Sundstrand, Rosie Munter, and Faye Hamlin--uses luscious pop harmonies and sweet R&B grooves to explore the uncertainty, longing and excitement of first love.

 

No song in recent memory rings so true about the scary transition between adolescence and adulthood as the first single, "I Must Not Chase The Boys." This irresistible track, which lyrically pits the caution of a good girl against the temptations of first love, sets the stage for the group to confidently show off their vocal finesse. "All of us sing lead," says Anaïs. "It just varies from song to song."

 

Other tracks on Replay reveal the diversity of Play's musical evolution. The lush pop confection "Let's Get To The Love Part," with its layers of sweet harmony, lets the group soar in its playful, insistent chorus. "It's pop with a touch of R&B," explains Faye. Another standout track, "Whole Again," finds the singers seamlessly blending their angelic voices in a wistful ballad. The song is the first single being serviced to Radio Disney along with an accompanying video by director Sasha Levinson.

 

Play is co-managed by Mathew Knowles--the founder/CEO of Music World Entertainment and the guiding light behind Play's labelmates in Destiny's Child--and the group's Swedish founder Laila Bagge. Play recorded Replay in New York, Los Angeles, Miami and Sweden. Richie Jones (Celine Dion, Jennifer Lopez, Anastacia) produced three songs on the album ("Just a Little," "Whole Again," and "What is Love?"). Other producers contributing to the disc include Ric Wake (Jennifer Lopez, Mariah Carey), Desmond Child and Andreas Carlsson, Bill Padley and Jem Godfrey, Hitvision, Blaze Billions and Twin. Songwriter Kara DioGuardi (Celine Dion, Marc Anthony, Ricky Martin) penned the track "What Is Love?" for Play and supplied backing vocals on several songs.

 

Replay kicks off another sensational year for the Swedish songsters, who achieved gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America with their self-titled mini-album in June 2002. That disc hit #2 on the Billboard Heatseekers new album chart and became the #1 selling item at Limited Too shops chainwide for six weeks that summer. The group's first single, the spirited pop anthem, "Us Against The World," topped Nickelodeon's online fan-based program "Nick Picks" several times. Play scored an additional hit on Radio Disney with "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me," a gorgeous remake of the Motown classic featuring Chris Trousdale of Dream Street. The group also dueted with Lil Fizz of the group B2K for "M.A.S.T.E.R., Part 2" a single from the soundtrack of The Master Of Disguise – Music From the Motion Picture. A Play home video, Playin' Around The World, was released on DVD and VHS in the first quarter of 2003.

 

In addition to a European tour opening for Destiny's Child, Play have logged many miles across North America. Stateside audiences first got a peek at Play in the summer of 2001 on the "TEENick Presents: Aaron's Party," a multi-act tour featuring Aaron Carter. Next, Play shared the bill with rising star Solange and Devin on the Young Pop Power Tour sponsored by L.E.I. Jeans/Davidoff Cool Water in March 2002. The summer of 2002 was also spent on tour: Play headlined Limited Too's Passion for Fashion show and then hit the road with the A-Teens and Baha Men. Play capped 2002 by performing "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" at New York's Herald Square during the 76th Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. The teens cruised the 2 ½ mile parade route on a float sponsored by Build-A-Bear Workshop.

 

The four young ladies of Play came together a few years ago through a combination of talent, shared influences and good fortune. As schoolgirls in their native Sweden, all four had been active in dance, musicals and talent competitions. The early influences they most frequently cite include Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson and the Swedish singer, Carola.

 

Anna and Anaïs were discovered by co-manager Laila Bagge through the dance school the girls attended. Both had appeared in musicals and displayed natural talent far beyond their years. Meanwhile, Faye and Rosie--best friends and classmates at school--auditioned separately for Laila and were overjoyed to discover that they'd both been selected from some 700 hopefuls to join Play.

 

By early 2001, Play were working with famed Swedish producer Anders "BAG" Bagge (Jennifer Lopez, Jessica Simpson), who produced many of the tracks on their debut. He brought the act to the attention of Columbia Records, which signed Play based on the strength of an audition performed halfway across the world. "We sang over the phone and I guess they liked what they heard," explains Anaïs.

 

Although the young women of Play blend their voices seamlessly, their personalities are quite distinct. Anna, the group's youngest member, is "the cute one," who, prior to joining Play, appeared in the musical Annie. This petite teenager, a relative of screen legend Greta Garbo, is famous for her upbeat, enthusiastic personality. She respects the music of Michael Jackson and Justin Timberlake and enjoys swimming, horseback riding and surfing the Internet in her free time.

 

Anaïs, the group's only brunette, is "the wild one" who isn't afraid of expressing her opinion. She comes from a musical family and cites her mother and sister as her biggest musical influences. Prior to joining Play, she performed the role of Rizzo in the musical Grease. "I really wanted to have a singing career rather than a theater career," she says. "All four of us feel the same way." Yet despite all her ambition and success, Anaïs remains a typical teenager who admits that she's never far from her cell phone.

 

Faye, who cites singer Alicia Keyes as an influence, is "the cool one." She won a national talent competition at age 11 and studied dance for several years. A fan of rap, she delights in the music of Bow Wow and Ja Rule. Faye never leaves home without her favorite lip gloss or starts a tour without her good luck mascot, a stuffed giraffe.

 

Finally, there's Rosie, the teen christened "the funny one" by her fellow members of Play. Before setting her sights on a singing career, Rosie made her screen debut with a lead role in the Scandinavian hit film, "Eve and Adam." Musically, she enjoys the rock licks of The Strokes and The Hives, who are also a Swedish import. Like Anaïs, Rosie is very attached to her cell phone.

 

A few years ago when Play first leapt onto the music scene, its members were four youngsters with stunning voices and promising futures. Today, Play fulfills its potential as it blossoms into a group that delivers memorable tracks filled with all the passion and poignancy of first love. With Replay, Play declares that playtime is over, but the fun has only just begun.