Michael Andrew, Jamaica’s next global superstar, can remember singing into a hairbrush with his mother at age 3. As destiny would have it, at age 11 he crossed paths with current super-producer Jeremy Harding, who at the time coached Michael’s prep-school football team. After hearing Michael deejay to his teammates at practice, Harding (who would later become a key driving force behind Sean Paul’s rise to stardom) carried young Michael to his 2 Hard studio on Jack’s Hill to voice the artist’s first demo. The rest is history in the making.
Now at age 20, having returned to his native Jamaica after 6 years living in South Florida, Michael Andrew has quickly gained popularity with young producers on the island. He is known well for his truly unique musical sound which he has coined the New Soul Reggae- a style that fuses Jamaican lover’s rock, roots reggae and sing-jay with international grooves of rhythm and blues and pop music. Through his music Michael Andrew speaks to the reality of the Jamaican context, reflecting the constant battle between the good and bad realities of our culture- all told through hypnotic vocal melodies.
Growing up, Michael was influenced by a wide variety of music. His main influences vary from Bob Marley and Tenor Saw to Frank Sinatra and Bone-Thugs-an-Harmony. However, it was during his time away from Jamaica when he realized his life path would have to be musical. Like so many young Jamaicans abroad, Michael found himself caught up in a controlling American legal system. “It was my troubles in FLA that really made me focus on music. In solitude I found that music lives in me and I’m here to give music to the people”.
Performances and Appearances
Florida Sound Mine Mall Tour 2003 (15 venues)
Summer Bayside 2003 AIDS Benefit (Miami, Florida)
International Night, Reggae Sumfest 2004.. Get this video and more at MySpace.com
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