Marqi is...

Iqram Magdon-Ismail: Born on July 22nd 1983 in Zimbabwe, Iqram spent the first thirteen years of his life moving from place to place in Africa. His passion for the African sounds carried him through the rough geographical changes he faced in his childhood. Currently at the University of Pennsylvania, Iqram lets loose his diverse African roots by contributing to Marqi's unique sound. His best hour: 2 AM, a critical point for composition of every song he has ever written, not to mention his inevitable battle with a guitar missing several strings forcing him to devise unseen chord structures that somehow produce melodious sounds. After all, hardly any music store is open at two in the morning!

Mark Kupets: Born in Atlanta, Georgia on March 6th 1983, and raised in Texas and Virginia, Mark Kupets' penchant for the guitar began at an early age, though this jazz-trombonist didn't actually pick up the instrument until he was 13. From then on, an almost obsessive passion for music led him to teach himself to sing and play the guitar on the songs of bands like The Beatles, Dave Matthews Band, Led Zeppelin and Oasis. After moving to Northern Virginia at the beginning of his freshman year of high school, Mark was introduced to Iqram Magdon-Ismail, a drummer in the school band. The two's instant rapport led them to quickly form a band, and by their senior year the two had written two albums worth of original songs, which they recorded with the band. Currently majoring in Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania, Mark balances songwriting and performing with practice and competition as a decathlete on the Penn Track Team.