A demo of his two-man group, produced by his partner ex-rocker Scott Rickett, called Soul Surfers fell into the hands of A&R executive Josh Deutsch, leading to a development deal in 2001. In 2002, Fantemet with Norah Jones' collaborator Jesse Harris, and began co-writing and recording for his debut record. Fantewas then signed by Virgin Records and released Rewind in July, 2004. Fantegained critical acclaim for the song "It Ain’t Easy". The song appeared on his 2004 album, Rewind, and was performed on NBC’s long-running late night talk and variety show, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Although the song was not considered a “hit,” the album garnered moderate success in the U.S. and abroad. The song reached No. #8 on Italian music charts.