Diana King’s Shy Guy is now certified Platinum in the UK, more than three decades after its release.
According to the British Phonographic Industry, the song released via Sony Records has sold 600,000 units in streams and sales in the country as measured by the Official Charts Company. It is King’s first song to earn Platinum status in the UK.
Originally released on March 14, 1995, “Shy Guy” introduced the world to the Jamaican singer-songwriter’s distinctive blend of reggae, dancehall and pop. Last year, King marked the song’s 30th anniversary with a series of Instagram Story posts simply reading, “Happy 30th Shy Guy.” Now, the track has even more reason to celebrate with its latest UK certification.
“Shy Guy” served as the lead single from King’s debut album, Tougher Than Love (Columbia Records), while also featuring prominently on the soundtrack to the blockbuster action-comedy Bad Boys, starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence.
Written by King, Kingsley Gardner and producer Andy Marvel, the song incorporated elements of Average White Band’s 1975 recording “School Boy Crush.” King’s smoky vocals, delivered in a seamless mix of English and Jamaican patois, gave the record a unique identity at a time when reggae influences were beginning to find mainstream pop audiences.
Former Sony Music A&R executive Maxine Stowe, who discovered King after placing her song “Stir It Up” on the Cool Runnings soundtrack in 1993, recalled encouraging the singer to move away from a traditional dancehall delivery.
“When I saw Rihanna break through, I thought that was what I had in mind for Diana,” Stowe told World Music Views. “I would say that Diana’s reluctance to be fully Americanized was her limitation because her voice was big enough, but culturally she couldn’t let go.”
Stowe also revealed the extensive investment required to make “Shy Guy” a crossover success.
“Having to spend over $100,000 USD on remixes and edits. It was an education on the role of remixes to engage the multiple formats of the mainstream markets. Dancehall, Dance, Urban, Rhythm & Top 40.”
Those numerous remixes proved instrumental in expanding the record’s reach across multiple radio formats and international markets.
The strategy paid off. Boosted by its inclusion in Bad Boys, “Shy Guy” peaked at No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States. It is the third highest charting song by a born female Jamaican artist. It also reached No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart. The song also topped the charts in Finland, Sweden and Zimbabwe while reaching the top five in Australia, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Norway.
