What Ever Happenned To: Remy Shand

Harpo, Wheeerre Dis Boy At?

He was supposed to be the Great White Hype; the next recipient of the torch, in terms of Blue-Eyed Soul (You know, the torch that was preceded by Jon B and succeeded by Robin Thicke, but that’s a tale for another day). His sound was 70’s throwback, and as a result, Remington Shand’s (yes, that’s his real name) debut album, The Way I Feel, was nominated for 4 Grammys, including Best R&B album. Pretty impressive for a first time out the gate project. Released in 2002, at the zenith of the Neo-Soul movement, and fueled by the hit single “Take A Message,” The Way I Feel had a very Marvin Gaye-esque vibe to it from beginning to end; alluding that Shand’s career was set up for greatness.

Then he dropped off the face of the Earth, just as quickly as he appeared.

So What Happened?

Believe it or not, I am not the only one who’s asked this question. In fact, there’s a whole FB Group dedicated to finding the whereabouts of this cat. No one really seems to know why he dropped out of the public eye. The battle for Artistic/Creative Control with the record label? Personal Issues? The high price of fame? All of the above? Who knows…..For almost 2 decades, fans have been clamoring for another album, but to no avail…Word has it that he was scheduled to release a follow up; 2003’s Day In The Shade, but for whatever reason, the album never saw the light of day.

So what has been up to for the last 17 years. Well, good news is that he is still musically active, and releasing new tunes (albeit sporadically) on his own independent label, Remy Records. For those longing to hear his signature falsetto….sorry, but it seems that the tracks consist of mostly instrumentals. Will he ever release a full-length follow-up project? Doubtful, but who knows….

After all, Bill & Ted are getting another movie after almost 30 years, so I guess anything’s possible…. 😊