Identical twins Natalie and Nicole Albino formed the name Nina Sky by fusing the opening letters of each first name into “Nina,” then appending “Sky” to capture their mutual ambitions. Raised as a teen pop duo in Queens, New York City, the sisters benefited from their stepfather’s work as a DJ, which exposed them early to an eclectic range of sounds. Music, particularly singing, grew central to their lives until they eventually told their parents of their goal to pursue it professionally. Backed by family support, they tried out for the production team the Jettsonz, who responded by connecting them with hip-hop producer Cipha Sounds. He urged them to craft lyrics over the dancehall reggae riddim “Coolie Skank,” resulting in the party track “Move Ya Body.” A demo of that song quickly reached Next Plateau/Universal, securing the duo a contract. Urban and rhythm radio outlets added the single at once, prompting the twins to focus on completing their project. Their self-titled debut arrived in stores in June 2004. After parting ways with Universal in 2007, they joined Polo Grounds, where the 2008 singles “On Some Sulls**t” and “Curtain Call” featuring Rick Ross were released. A guest spot on Major Lazer’s Guns Don’t Kill People…Lazers Do appeared in 2009, yet without a follow-up album the group left Polo Grounds to operate independently. They self-released the 2010 EP The Other Side and the 2012 album Nicole and Natalie, whose single “Starting Today” was co-written by Bruno Mars. In 2016 Nina Sky signed with Tommy Boy Records and delivered the single “Champion Lover.”
