Nina Sky

Nina Sky is a Puerto Rican-born musical duo based in the United States, consisting of identical twins Nicole and Natalie Albino. Their debut single "Move Ya Body", released from their self-titled debut album in 2004, was a success, reaching number four on the Billboard Hot 100. Their most recent album, Nicole and Natalie, was released in July 2012.

The Albino sisters were born on March 13, 1986 in Puerto Rico, with Natalie being the older twin. Their parents later moved to New York City and divorced when the girls were young. The sisters grew up in Astoria, Queens in the Marine Terrace area. As a result of their stepfather working as a DJ, the twins were influenced by different types of music at an early age. By the age of 7, the twins had already written their first song, titled "Sisters". By 10, they knew that they wanted to become singers. When they were 13, they learned how to DJ and two years later were playing concerts in many clubs. Nicole identifies as a lesbian and is married to fashion designer Erin Magee.

The sisters wanted to devise a band name of their own, so they used the first two syllables of their names ("Ni" and "Na"), to come up with Nina. They then added Sky, which for them represented "independent twins".

In 2003, The Jettsonz (Elijah Wells & Lionel Bermingham) introduced the girls to Cipha Sounds, a hip hop DJ under the Star Trak label owned by the Neptunes (Pharrell and Chad Hugo). Cipha Sounds was impressed when he heard the duo sing and suggested that they use the "Coolie Dance" riddim. The duo then proceeded to write "Move Ya Body" (alongside the Jettsonz Elijah Wells & Lionel Bermingham, who also produced the record), mixing Caribbean, R&B, and pop rhythms. Eventually, a demo of the song was made. 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. On March 18, 2004, they had their first concert under their current name at Club Demara.

The single "Move Ya Body" was released on April 27, 2004 and reached number four on the Billboard Hot 100, and number 22 on the Billboard Year-End chart. Urban music and rhythmic top 40 stations quickly added the song to their play lists, sending the song up the charts. On June 22, 2004 they released their first self-titled album, featuring Jabba and Betty Wright. The album charted at #44 on the US Billboard 200 and number four on the U.S. R&B chart. Another single from the album, titled "Turnin' Me On," was released on November 30, 2004. It did not achieve the same success as "Move Ya Body", but charted at #5 on Billboard's Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart and was a minor success in France.

Nina Sky continued to work and promote their music. They have contributed to the reggaeton movement with songs such as "Oye Mi Canto", and "Más Maíz" with artist and producer N.O.R.E. They were also a featured artist on Sean Paul's song "Connection" from his album The Trinity.

On October 25, 2005, they released their second mixtape called La Conexión, influenced by Latin music. The album contained the single "Ladies Night" (released April 17, 2006 and featuring Ivy Queen), released with the songs "Loving You" and "Your Time". It also contained Kassanova's remix of their single "Turnin' Me On". The album features artists such as Pitbull, N.O.R.E., Notch, Richie Rivera, Mackie, and Yaga. It also includes Tony Touch's hit "Play That Song", featuring Nina Sky and B-Real, released one month before the mixtape's release. In August 2006, Nina Sky were first featured on the cover of the publication The FADER, in its 39th issue. In 2006, their third mixtape 80's Babies was released.

Nina Sky collaborated with French singer Kenza Farah for the song "Celle Qu'Il Te Faut", and was released in both French and English versions. The video was shot in New York. Nina Sky recorded their second studio album, Starting Today. The album was originally due on July 27, 2007. Producers include Stereotypes, Bruno & Phil, Neo da Matrix, Ryan Leslie, Salaam Remi, and more. Guests include Rick Ross and others that have yet to be announced. In late 2007, Nina Sky left their label, Universal, and signed with Polo Grounds Music/J Records.