Corey Hart
Biography Corey Hart
Corey Hart
Hailing from Montreal, Quebec, Corey Hart started singing at the age of 11, performing alongside the likes of Tom Jones and Paul Anka. In 1981, at the age of 18, Hart sent tapes of his own songs to the Montreal Forum addressed to Billy Joel and his bandmates. What followed speedily set his career in motion: the band’s saxophone player called Hart, and he spent the following summer playing gigs with members of the Billy Joel Band and quickly began performing solo and writing songs.
In 1983, Hart released his debut album, First Offense, which took off in Canada, the U.S. and internationally, becoming a monumental success. The album gave the world the iconic song “Sunglasses at Night,” and the video for the song was both a staple on MTV and won the first-ever JUNO Award for Best Video in 1984. The following year, Hart released his sophomore album, Boy In The Box, which achieved Diamond status certification (1 million plus sales) faster than any other Canadian artist in history. The album had four hit singles, including “Never Surrender,” which was number one in Canada for nine weeks and won Single of the Year at the 1985 JUNO Awards.
The international sensation “Sunglasses at Night” combined with his handsome James Dean persona, propelled him to be adulated by frenzied fans throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s. Hart performed in arenas around the world, and in 1985, sold out the 25,000 capacity CNE Grandstand in Toronto. Hart has sold over 16 million records around the world, has had nine consecutive singles on the U.S. Billboard top 40 and has had 11 top 10s in Canada. Hart has been nominated for a Grammy, as well as ASCAP, ADISQ, SOCAN, and JUNO Awards.
In 1999, Hart took a hiatus from touring and recording to focus his energy and time on his children and wife, singer Julie Masse. Although out of the spotlight, Hart wrote and produced several songs for 20-time JUNO winner Céline Dion. In 2003, Hart started a record label partnership with Warner Music Canada called Siena Records, where he continues to act as president. In 2014, after 12 years off from live performing, Hart made a comeback in his hometown at the Montreal Bell Centre Arena with a marathon set called “One Night – Three Decades Of Music.” At the same time, he launched his autobiography, Chasing The Sun.
This year, Hart will release his first new music in 20 years. The Dreaming Time Again EP, produced by legendary producer and fellow Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductee Bob Ezrin, will be released in May 2019.
