Sean Kingston

Sean Kingston's life experiences may have put grit under his feet, but his heritage put resilience in his blood, and his music benefits from both. Born Kisean Paul Anderson in 1990, he's the grandson of Burning Spear and Bob Marley producer Jack Ruby, and he spent a tough upbringing (it included homelessness and some tangles with the law) moving between Miami and Kingston, Jamaica. Life changed, however, when he uploaded music that attracted the attention of producer Jonathan "J.R." Rotem (Destiny’s Child, 50 Cent, Rihanna). And though his first single on Rotem's Beluga Heights label was a remake of Ice-T’s gang-life anthem "Colors", he broke through with 2007's twinkling “Beautiful Girls”, which ensconced itself in the No. 1 spot of the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks straight. The song capitalised on a combination of melodious, island-friendly vibes, a recognizable sample (Ben E. King’s “Stand By Me”) and an irresistible sing-along chorus whose message was, improbably, all about pain. That year's self-titled debut album showed an uncommon versatility that enabled Kingston to spit hood tales one moment and sing syrupy pop songs the next. He burrowed deeper into the pop canon with 2009's thumping, RedOne-produced "Fire Burning" and the likewise dance-floor-filling Justin Bieber collab “Eenie Meenie”. After surviving a devastating jet-ski crash, he released 2013's Back 2 Life and continued to drop singles including 2019's sunny “Peace of Mind”, with DaVido and Tory Lanez—further proof that as pop has opened its arms ever wider to the rhythms and warmth of Caribbean sounds, Kingston's been right there to receive that embrace.