Table Of Content

37653015098133 Nixon JUV NonFiction JUV B KINGSTON Sean Kingston CENTRAL ARKANSAS LIBRARY SYSTEM NIXON BRANCH LIBRARY JACKSONVILLE, ARKANSAS t f rA » ' ir • f • fBiue ^amtex Heidi Krumenmer MUchett £ane PUBLISHERS P.O, Box 196 Hockessin, Delaware 19707 Visit us on the web: www.mitchelllane.com Comments? email us: [email protected] MitchM £ane PUBLISHERS the United States of America. Printing 1 Blue Banner Biographies Alicia Keys Alan Jackson Akon Ashlee Simpson Ashanti Allen Iverson Bernie Mac Avril Lavigne Ashton Kutcher Brett Favre Bow Wow Beyonce Carrie Underwood Chris Brown Britney Spears Christopher Paul Curtis Christina Aguilera Chris Daughtry Condoleezza Rice Clay Aiken Ciara Daniel Radcliffe David Ortiz Corbin Bleu Derek Jeter Eminem Eve Gwen Stefani Fergie (Stacy Ferguson) 50 Cent Jamie Foxx Ja Rule Ice Cube Jennifer Lopez Jessica Simpson Jay-Z J. K. Rowling Johnny Depp JoJo Justin Berfield Justin Timberlake Kanye West Kate Hudson Keith Urban Kelly Clarkson Kenny Chesney Lance Armstrong Lindsay Lohan Mariah Carey Mario Mary J. Blige Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen Michael Jackson Miguel Tejada Missy Elliott Nancy Pelosi Nelly Orlando Bloom P. Diddy Paris Hilton Peyton Manning Queen Latifah Riharma Ron Howard Rudy Giuliani Sally Field Sean Kingston Selena Shaldra Shirley Temple Soulja Boy Tell 'Em Taylor Swift Timbaland Tim McGraw Toby Keith Usher Vanessa Anne Hudgens Zac Efron Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Krumenauer, Heidi. Sean Kingston / by Heidi Krumenauer. p. cm. — (Blue banner biographies) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-58415-679-6 (library bound) 1. Kingston, Sean—Juvenile literature. 2. Singers —United States — Biography—Juvenile literature. 1. Title. ML3930.K475K78 2009 752.42164092-dc22 [B] 2008008065 ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Heidi Krumenauer began writing newspaper articles as a teenager. She continues to freelance in addition to working full-time in management at a Fortune 400 insurance company. She has written more than 1,000 articles and has contributed chapters to eight books. Her first book, Wliy Does Grandma Have a Wibble?, was published in 2007. She is also the author of Rihanna and Brett Favre for Mitchell Lane Publishers. Heidi and her husband, Jeff, are raising their two sons in southern Wisconsin. PUBLISHER'S NOTE: The following story has been thoroughly researched, and to the best of our knowledge represents a true story. While every possible effort has been made to ensure accuracy, the publisher will not assume liability for damages caused by inaccuracies in the data, and makes no warranty on the accuracy of the information contained herein. This story has not been authorized or endorsed by Sean Kingston. PLB giCue ^Bann&i Chapter 1 “Beautiful Girls".j Chapter 2 Homeless to Household Name.9 Chapter 3 Persistence Pays Off..15 Chapter 4 Call Him Unique..19 Chapter 5 Looking Ahead.24 Chronology.28 Discography..29 Further Reading.29 Works Consulted..30 Index..32 CENTRAL ARKANSAS LIBRARY SYSTEM JACKSONVILLE BRANCH IAnL<'CnM\/ll I C ADL/AMCAC Sean Kingston performs "Beautiful Girls" at the Flemington Festival of Racing Fashion Lunch in Flemington, Australia, on March 3,2008. The release of Kingston's first hit propelled him to superstardom. ) ^'Beautiful Girls" ean Kingston will tell you that everything happens for a reason. He will also tell you that a broken heart can lead to a happy ending —a really big happy ending! When his first song, "Beautiful Girls," hit the top of the summer pop charts in 2007, Sean was grateful he had blended a bad time in his life with his love of music. Sean had been dating a girl for about two years when he caught her cheating with his best friend. "She was the most beautiful girl in school," Sean said. "There are a lot of beautiful girls, but sometimes they come with a lot of problems." Rather than let it get him down, Sean turned to the one thing that always helped him to make it through the tough times in his life —music. "Basically in the story of the track, I am talking to her. She really dogged me." The lyrics of "Beautiful Girls" tell the story of just how much he was hurt by the broken relationship. 5 Now we're fussing and now we're fighting Please tell me why I'm feeling slighted And 1 don't know how to make it better You're dating other guys, you're telling me; ties Oh, I can't believe what I'm seein' with my eye^ I'm losin' my mind, and I don't think it's clever■ You're way too beautiful, girl That's why it'll never work You'll have me suicidal, suicida ^ ^ When you say it's over Sean's "Beautiful Girls" has very wl • P^i’sorial lyrics, and the sound is something that comes from years of different musical influences. Sean grew up listening to Ben E. King's R&B hit "Stand by Me." One night while hanging out in the recording studio with his producer, J.R. Rotem, Sean again heard the classic song on the radio. He was so moved by it that he immediately started putting together a beat. Within an hour Sean had written the lyrics and knew exactly how the song would sound. "I loved the way it turned out and I think my sound is a lot different than what else is out there. It all just worked and we knew we had something special with the track," Sean said. "I'm also singing about something people can relate to — I'm singing about being in love with someone who you think is your world but they don't see it that way and you have to end the relationship." A song that has been around since 1961 inspired the new one that launched Sean's music career. "Beautiful Girls" went platinum and made Sean the first artist born after 1990