Sean Kingston: Beautiful Girls

Posted by Heather Larson Jul 21, 2007

1. His self-titled debut “Sean Kingston” is in stores July 31.

2. He’s Jamaican, but you probably could have guessed that. He was actually born in Miami though. What you may not have guessed, however, is that…

3. His grandfather is the legendary Jamaican producer Jack Ruby. Buju Banton is a close family friend.

4. He is only 17 years old!

5. “Beautiful Girls” was produced by J.R. Rotem. Kingston says, “I heard the track ‘Stand by Me,’ one night in the studio, the radio was on. I asked J.R., did anybody ever use this sample? He made the beat right there on the spot and I wrote the words down while he played it back to me. 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. I’m also singing about something people can relate – being in love and this other person who you think is your world tells you they want to end the relationship.”

6. There are no “curse words or negative slang” on his album. Kingston says, “I write my own songs so it’s like if I can write a great track without using those words than that’s the style for me.”

7. He wrote a song, “Dry Your Eyes,” about having to see his mom and sister go away to prison. He was only 14 when his mother went away.

8. He went to acting school when he was younger. Younger? He’s only 17 now!

9. “Beautiful Girls” is #17 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart right now.

10. Last summer, he was homeless for a week and slept in a Ft. Lauderdale, Florida bus stop until an aunt in Boynton Beach gave him a place to crash.