Sean Kingston was a rapper when we found him and it was a development process to get him more melodic. He is a tight dawg who rocks. At Beluga we essentially refine the talent so that it’s more of a marketable product.
That was how J.R. Rotem, head of Beluga Label which is notable for discovering and developing artists, was quoted in an Internet story when asked to described Sean Kingston who is featured in Supafest 2010, set for this Saturday, Sept. 18, at the Mall of Asia (MOA) Concert Grounds, together with Flo-Rida, T-Pain and Kelly Rowland.
Born Kisean Anderson on Feb. 3, 1990, in Miami, Florida, the Jamaican-American reggae, R&B singer/rapper spent part of his childhood in Jamaica and returned to the US to pursue a music career. It was Rotem who discovered Kingston through MySpace. In a venture between Epic Records and Koch Records, Kingston released the single Beautiful Girls in 2007 which reached No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks and topped the UK Singles Chart.
Featured in Kingston’s next album is teen sensation Justin Bieber on the first single Eenie Meenie (also included in Bieber’s My World 2.0 album). Kingston simply shrugged off disapproval to his collaboration with Bieber from the rap community.
Kingston gave Funfare an exclusive phone interview. Excerpts:
So many things have happened in the last three years since Beautiful Girls became a hit. How did you cope with being a nobody to being very famous?
“I feel very blessed to be doing what I love and very grateful for my success so far. I keep a good team of people around me and that keeps me grounded.”
What has been the biggest challenge since then?
“The biggest challenge is the travel and schedule. Traveling from city to city and country to country throws your schedule off, so you have to constantly readjust your body.”
How has success changed you and your life?
“It has allowed me to see the world and touch my fans everywhere. I can take care of my family and loved ones.”
What did you sacrifice for all this?
“My free time. I don’t get much free time to just hang out.”
How do you deal with the loss of privacy?
“It comes with the territory. I love keeping my fans updated on what’s going on with me via social networks like Twitter.”
How did you come up with Eenie Meenie?
“Eenie Meenie was a song I co-wrote and after I recorded it, Justin and I were at my house in Miami and I played it for him and he jumped on it that night.”
Describe how it was working with Bieber.
“Justin is my little brother! I love working with him.”
Do you see yourself in Bieber?
“Yes, I see a lot of myself in Justin. We are very similar in a lot of ways and our paths have been similar starting as teenagers.”
Is it your first time to perform in a concert (Supafest 2010) with T-Pain, Flo Rida and Kelly Rowland?
“Yes, this is my first time performing for Supafest Manila and I am looking forward to it. I have performed with Flo Rida and T-Pain before, but looking forward to doing it again and also looking forward to performing with Kelly Rowland.”
Give us a preview of your concert in Manila.
“I will perform all my hits. You can expect to hear Beautiful Girls, Take You There, Fire Burning, Eenie Meenie and more!”
(Note:Supafest 2010 is presented to you by Clear, in cooperation with Smart Buddy, Goldilocks, Mall of Asia, McDonald’s Delivery 24/7. The producers extend their special thanks to Dusit Thani Manila, Mossimo Music and The Philippine STAR. For tickets, call TicketWorld 891-9999 or SM Tickets 470-2222.)
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Enzo Pineda spent his 20th birthday with the abandoned kids of The Children’s Joy Foundation, Inc.(CJF) in Quezon City. He was joined by Enzopporters and Enzo Co., his loyal supporters, in reaching out and providing cheer to the needy kids cared for by this charitable organization. The children welcomed their Kuya Enzo enthusiastically, and even showcased their talents in singing, dancing, and playing the rondalla. Enzo likewise, gamely participated in their dance numbers. The kids, together with the foundation staff & officers, GMA Artist Center’s team represented by Cris Ojeda and Jenny Donato with other guests, enjoyed a hearty lunch courtesy of Mang Inasal.
After lunch, the children presented to Enzo their handmade greeting cards with heartfelt messages. It was a touching moment for Enzo. “Kung masaya kayo dahil nandito ako celebrating my birthday, mas napasaya n’yo ako!” he told the kids.
Just like in any kiddie party, Enzo distributed bags of goodies school essentials and food stuff much to the delight of the unfortunate children aged four to 15. Before leaving, he also encouraged the kids to develop their reading skills and gave away new storybooks which he personally selected. These books were written in Tagalog and English by Filipino authors.
Enzo also hosted a thanksgiving birthday dinner with his Kapuso fellow artists, family, friends and former schoolmates (from La Salle Greenhills and University of Asia & the Pacific) in attendance. Venue was the Sofra Lounge Bar restaurant at The Fort. Enzo’s celebrity well-wishers included Starstruck’s Sarah Lahbati, Rocco Nacino, Rox Montealegre, Nina Kodaka, Sef Cadayona, Ian Batherson and Dion Ignacio; Party Pilipinas regulars WynWyn Marquez, Kris Lawrence, Stef Prescott, Kelly of Eurasia, DJ/Host Rico Robles, Geleen Eugenio, Mayton Hernandez,Migz Tanchanco and choreographer Huge; fashion designers Pepsi Herrera and Edwin Tan; GMA personalities Marivin Arayata, Redgie Magno, Arsi Baltazar, Cris Ojeda, Joe Barrameda, Unang Hirit’s Lhar Santiago, Audrey Carampel of GMA News and Public Affairs; Showbiz Central’s Ruel Mendoza and Startalk’s Jopay Mañago.
Also spotted among Enzo’s special guests were Congressman Manny Pacquiao and Gov. Chavit Singson, who were joined by Enzo’s dad Eric, mom Macy and older brother Paolo. Chef Martin Jickain prepared the sumptuous buffet dinner.
After winning Starstruck V’s First Prince early this year, Enzo is now a regular at GMA 7’s Sunday noontime show Party Pilipinas and is currently part of the sitcom Kaya Ng Powers, aired every Saturday at 7 p.m. He just finished the drama series Lovebug and Diva.
(E-mail reactions at rickylo@philstar.net.ph or at entphilstar@yahoo.com)