Sean Paul Puts Modern Jamaican Reggae on the Map
His new album, "Imperial Blaze," is both high-energy and reflective.
July 23, 2009— -- With the vocal stylings of Sean Paul, modern Jamaican reggae has secured its own space on the international musical stage.
Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Paul says his heritage has been a boon to his musical career. "It makes me unique, stand out more and carve a space in popular music that no one else really occupies," he says.
And carve out he has. When Paul's fourth album, "Imperial Blaze," is released next month, fans can expect "the future sound of dancehall; a lot of club bangers and songs dedicated to women," he says.
Watch Sean Paul perform live in New York's Central Park Friday for "Good Morning America's" Summer Concert Series!
Paul's first album, "Stage One," debuted in 2000 and, since then, he has had a string of successes. His song "Gimme the Light" was a huge hit, and the multiplatinum album, "Dutty Rock" (2002), was a Grammy winner. He followed that up with "The Trinity" in 2005, which also went platinum. As Paul's popularity grew, he won the American Music Award for Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist in 2006.
Paul, 36, has always been about pushing himself forward as an artist. His first album began with songs comprised from the dancehall and each successive album has had more exclusive music. The mix of energetic and reflective tracks on "Imperial Blaze" has been "recorded especially for this album," Paul writes on his Web site.
All the while, his heritage has infused different facets of his music. For instance, his new album's lead single, "So Fine," combines fast lyrics, harmony and digital percussion.
In the creative process, he's revealing the talent of young Jamaican producers: Craig "Leftside" Parks, son of Jamaican bandleader Lloyd Parkes; Jeremy Harding, Paul's manager, and Jazon "Jigzagula" Henriques, Paul's brother.
Through his career, Paul has found that his Jamaican reggae and dancehall music don't penetrate some places. "Sometimes, people can't understand my lyrics and that makes it hard to reach certain audiences sometimes," he says.
