| Len | |
| Background: | group_or_band |
| Origin: | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Current Members: |
|
| Past Members: |
|
Len is a Canadian alternative rock duo based in Toronto, Ontario. The band consists of siblings Marc Costanzo (vocals, guitar) and Sharon Costanzo (vocals, bass) and a revolving lineup of touring and studio musicians.[4] The group is best known for their 1999 single "Steal My Sunshine".
Marc Costanzo began recreationally recording music at the age of 13 years old. These recordings were predominately helmed by Marc, although his older sister Sharon sometimes contributed vocals to the recordings.[5] In 1991, Marc began to produce music under the pseudonym of Len as a solo project. The name was taken from a high school friend of Marc's named Lenny. Sharon officially joined this project a year later, thus marking Len's first iteration as a duo. Len began as a punk rock band, with pop music influences.[6] Between 1992 and 1997, the brother-sister duo independently released a self-titled extended play and two studio albums, Superstar (1995) and Get Your Legs Broke (1997). Marc estimated both albums sold around 10-15,000 units each.[7] While these two albums received minimal attention in Canada, the duo found difficulty in attracting attention from major record labels.[8] The band had their first taste of success when they received retroactive acclaim for the song "Candy Pop".[9]
Len released a more hip-hop oriented album, You Can't Stop the Bum Rush, in 1999;[10] a song from the album, "Steal My Sunshine", featuring a sample of the disco track "More, More, More" by the Andrea True Connection,[11] was also released that year. It climbed the popular charts both in Canada and in the United States and became Len's biggest hit.[12] [13] Len was nominated for a 2000 Juno Award as best new group,[14] and the album was nominated as Best Alternative Album.[15]
After the song, Len's fame dropped, but they continued to release albums until 2005, followed by a seven-year hiatus.[16] During this hiatus, Marc announced the group's disbandment in a MySpace message dated 2008. He stated: "...it looks like we're not gonna make another len record. Just couldn't get it (and everyone) together." He still, however, announced he and Sharon would still record another album together.[17] Despite this, Len returned with Marc and Sharon in October 2012, in which they released their fifth studio album It's Easy If You Try. The album was promoted with one single, "It's My Neighborhood", which had a music video featuring scenes of Toronto residents lip syncing to the song.[18]
In 2016, Marc announced it is unlikely Len will record another album.[5]
| Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [19] | CAN [20] | UK | |||||||||||||||
| Superstar | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||
| Get Your Legs Broke |
| — | — | — | |||||||||||||
| You Can't Stop the Bum Rush | 46 | 32 | 177 | ||||||||||||||
| The Diary of the Madmen |
| — | — | — | |||||||||||||
| It's Easy If You Try |
| — | — | — | |||||||||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||||||||||||
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Certification | Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAN [23] | AUS [24] | UK [25] | US [26] | |||||
| 1994 | "Slacker" | — | — | — | — | Superstar | ||
| 1995 | "Candy Pop" | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Showoff" | — | — | — | — | ||||
| 1996 | "Smarty Pants" | — | — | — | — | Get Your Legs Broke | ||
| 1997 | "She's Not" | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Trillion Daze" | — | — | — | — | ||||
| 1999 | "Steal My Sunshine" | 3 | 3 | 8 | 9 | You Can't Stop the Bum Rush | ||
| "Feelin' Alright" | — | — | — | — | ||||
| 2000 | "Cryptik Souls Crew" | — | — | 28 | — | |||
| "Kids in America" | — | — | — | — | ||||
| 2002 | "Bobby" | — | — | — | — | We Be Who We Be | ||
| 2003 | "It's a Brother Sister Thing" | — | — | — | — | The Diary of the Madmen | ||
| 2012 | "It's My Neighbourhood" | — | — | — | — | It's Easy If You Try | ||
| Year | Other artist(s) | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Cool Beans" | 1994 | Hip Club Groove, Sixtoo | Cool Beans EP |
| "The Elephant Song" | 1994 | Big Truck Records Presents: Road Kill | |
| "Making Our Dreams Come True"[29] | 1996 | More of Our Stupid Noise | |
| "Big Meany" | 2010 | Hip Club Groove, Stinkin' Rich | Unreleased & Rare |
| Ceremony | Year | Award | Song |
|---|---|---|---|
| MuchMusic Video Awards | 1999 | Best Video | "Steal My Sunshine" |
| Best Pop Video | |||
| Favourite Canadian Video |