Jay Sean

Jay Sean
Sean in 2011
Born
Kamaljit Singh Jhooti

(1981-03-26) 26 March 1981 (age 43)
London, England
Other namesMC Nicky J
EducationLatymer Upper School
Alma materBarts, QMUL
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • record producer
  • arranger
Years active2002–present
Spouse
​
(m. 2009)​
Children2
AwardsFull list
Musical career
Genres
InstrumentVocals
Labels
Formerly ofThe Rishi Rich Project
Websitejaysean.com

Kamaljit Singh Jhooti[1][2] (born 26 March 1981),[3] known professionally as Jay Sean, is a British singer and songwriter. He debuted in the UK's Asian Underground scene as a member of the Rishi Rich Project with "Dance with You", which reached No. 12 on the UK Singles Chart in 2003. This led to him being signed to Virgin Records and having two UK top 10 hits as a solo artist in 2004: "Eyes on You" at No. 6 and "Stolen" at No. 4. They were included in his critically acclaimed debut album Me Against Myself which,[4] though only moderately successful in the UK, sold more than two million copies across Asia and remains his most successful album to date.[5][6][7] Alongside the Rishi Rich Project, Sean was a pioneer of Bhangra-R&B fusion, which his debut album helped popularize among the worldwide South Asian diaspora.[8]

He eventually left Virgin in 2006 and founded his own independent label, Jayded Records. After a gap of nearly four years, he returned in 2008 with "Ride It", which reached No. 11 in the UK and topped the charts in several Eastern European countries, including Romania where it was one of the best-selling singles of the year. It was followed by hits such as "Maybe", which reached No. 7 on the Japan Hot 100,[9] and "Tonight". They were included in his second album, My Own Way, which became his most successful album on the UK Albums Chart, reaching No. 6, and topped the UK R&B Chart. At around this time, he began increasingly incorporating electropop sounds into his R&B music.[10]

From 2009 up to 2014, he was signed to Cash Money Records. In 2009, his American debut single "Down" (featuring Lil Wayne) topped the Billboard Hot 100, making him the first solo artist of South Asian origin and first UK urban act to top the Hot 100.[11] It was the seventh-best selling song of 2009, having sold more than three million copies in the United States that year,[12][13][14][15] eventually reaching six million sales in the United States,[16] making him the most successful British/European male urban artist in US chart history at the time.[17][18] As of 2011, it is the fifth best selling song by a British artist in the digital era.[19] Its success was matched with his followed-up hit, "Do You Remember" (featuring Lil Jon and Sean Paul), which has sold more than a million copies in the US,[20] and entered the top ten on the Hot 100,[21] making him the first male act since Chingy in 2003 to "simultaneously appear in the Hot 100 top 10 with his first two charting singles."[22] They were included in his American-debut album All or Nothing, which debuted at No. 37 on the US Billboard 200 and reached No. 11 on the Japan Oricon Albums Chart.[23] Sean has also been a featured artist on several hits including "What Happened to Us" by Australian singer Jessica Mauboy, which charted within the top 20 on the ARIA singles chart and certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association.[24] Sean was ranked No. 35 in Billboard's Hot 100 Artists of 2009.[25]

  1. ^ Jassi, Pallavi (27 September 2008). "Jay Talking". Express India. Archived from the original on 5 September 2009. Retrieved 16 May 2009.
  2. ^ Price, Simon (14 November 2004). "Nick Cave, Brixton Academy, London Jay Sean, Scala, London". The Independent. Archived from the original on 28 July 2010. Retrieved 16 May 2009.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference allmusic was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Jason Cheah (15 October 2007). "Smooth R&B". The Star. Archived from the original on 15 October 2007. Retrieved 8 December 2009.
  5. ^ Bill Lamb. "Jay Sean". About.com. Archived from the original on 24 September 2009. Retrieved 14 December 2009.
  6. ^ Nick Duerden (6 December 2009). "Jay Sean: Ahead of the race". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 8 December 2009. Retrieved 3 December 2009.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference mansized was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Jay Sean- Interview part 1/3 on YouTube
  9. ^ "Japan Hot 100". Billboard charts. 8 August 2008. Archived from the original on 10 November 2016. Retrieved 15 December 2009.
  10. ^ McCormick, Neil (24 March 2010). "Jay Sean and Taio Cruz wowing America". Daily News. New York. Archived from the original on 24 August 2011. Retrieved 12 September 2011.
  11. ^ "Jay Sean's the Urban US legend", Daily Mirror, 10 October 2009, archived from the original on 13 October 2009, retrieved 30 September 2009
  12. ^ Keith Caulfield (6 January 2010). "Taylor Swift Edges Susan Boyle For 2009's Top-Selling Album". Billboard. Archived from the original on 27 April 2014. Retrieved 7 January 2009.
  13. ^ "Jared Cotter – From American Idol to Idol Hit Maker". rPulse. 18 November 2009.
  14. ^ Jay Sean performing at z100's ALL ACCESS LOUNGE on YouTube
  15. ^ Arifa Akbar (30 October 2009). "After 2,000 gigs, Hounslow singer tops the US charts". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 26 January 2012. Retrieved 30 October 2009.
  16. ^ "Searchable Database". Recording Industry Association of America. Archived from the original on 26 June 2007. Retrieved 21 June 2011.
  17. ^ Youngs, Ian (23 September 2009). "British R&B star conquers America". BBC News. Archived from the original on 26 September 2009. Retrieved 8 October 2009.
  18. ^ "Jay Sean Live Interview with Jessie Jordan Q102 Philadelphia Jingle Ball". StreetTalkin. 14 December 2009. Archived from the original on 8 December 2012. Retrieved 15 December 2009.
  19. ^ Cite error: The named reference Grein was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  20. ^ Alan Jones (5 February 2010). "Lady Antebellum top US chart". Music Week. Archived from the original on 7 February 2010. Retrieved 15 February 2010.
  21. ^ "Jay Sean". Billboard charts. Retrieved 31 December 2009.
  22. ^ Silvio Pietroluongo (31 December 2009). "Ke$ha Controls Hot 100 Summit for a Second Week". Billboard. Archived from the original on 29 June 2013. Retrieved 31 December 2009.
  23. ^ Cite error: The named reference Oricon was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  24. ^ "Jessica Mauboy feat. Jay Sean – What Happened To Us". ARIA Charts. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 22 July 2014. Retrieved 2 May 2011.
  25. ^ "Best of 2009: Hot 100 Artists". Billboard charts. Archived from the original on 4 July 2013. Retrieved 17 December 2009.