NEWSWatch Out For... Sean Kingston
Sep. 19 2007, Published 9:00 a.m. ET
When most 17-year-olds are not sure what they want to do with their lives, proves to be the exception.
“I knew I wanted to do music all my life,” Sean, whose grandfather is legendary producer , tells OK! “I had my first recording at 11.”
Born in Miami, Sean grew up in Jamaica. “The best part of being in Jamaica is the lifestyle and the culture,” he explains. “They are not selfish or jealous or haters. They are just happy for whatever.”
His first single, “Beautiful Girl,” may have been a very last-minute addition to the album, but it proves it was worth the extra time in the studio. It was number one on the charts for four straight weeks.
“We were going to go with 'Take You There,' but in the middle of that, I just cooked up 'Beautiful Girls' and 'Me Love,' " the fun-loving teen mentions. “JR Rotem had no choice and said that hook is crazy, that is a hit right there.”
Sean, who writes 100% of his lyrics, and bases most songs on his personal experience, has definitely had hardships to overcome. His mother and sister were sent to prison when he was 15 and he's been homeless, but he always managed to hold his head high. “All that stuff is there, but now I am here for a reason,” Sean, who penned “Dry Your Eyes” for his mom, admits. “God blessed me, and I keep myself surrounded by grounded people.”
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Life is certainly good for Sean, whose biggest splurge thus far is his $35,000 Crayola box necklace, that is “iced out with different color diamonds for the crayons,” and only getting better. He just took home a Teen Choice Award surfboard for Choice R&B song, he is opening for on a few shows, loved his remix for “Big Girls Don’t Cry” and his latest single, "Me Love," is a guaranteed hit.
But when asked if all this success has been a whirlwind, he grins, “Yea, not really, no!” He will soon be up there with his idols, , , and , though Sean will not be using profanity in his lyrics.
By Alisandra Puliti
