Alongside producer Rob Resnick, singer Cal Shapiro rose to fame in the 2010s as part of the electronic pop-rap duo Timeflies. The smooth-voiced New York native later launched a solo career as Cal, releasing his debut EP, The Identity Crisis: Side A, in 2019. During his teenage years, Shapiro learned to sing and freestyle, carrying his love for music into his college years at Tufts University in Boston where he first met Resnick. The two friends played together in a funk band around campus called the Ride prior to forming a duo called Timeflies. Pairing Shapiro's nimble wordplay and silky vocals with Resnick's dance-driven beats, they issued their debut as Timeflies in 2011. Named The Scotch Tape after Shapiro's love of Scotch whiskey, it earned them a major-label deal with Island/Def Jam. Timeflies enjoyed several years of mainstream success after their 2014 label debut, After Hours, hit number eight on the Billboard charts. Shapiro was even nominated for a Popdust award for Next Pop Superstar. After another album, EP, and a handful of singles, both members announced they were working on solo projects. Billing himself simply as Cal, Shapiro carried on in a similar electronic pop vein, offering up the 2019 EP The Identity Crisis: Side A. ~ Timothy Monger