Trey Songz, K. Michelle, Lloyd, et TheArti$t

As a child growing up within a military family, Trey Songz had zero aspirations to become the musical superstar he is today. A shy boy, it was the encouragement of parents and friends that built his confidence and got him performing in front of live audiences. Songz was discovered at the age of 16 at a talent show by record producer Troy Taylor and was subsequently signed to Atlantic Records.

While recording his first album, “I Gotta Make It”, Trey Songz was concurrently releasing various mix tapes under the name Prince of Virginia. One song, a response to R. Kelly’s “Trapped in the Closet” gained particular attention and earned Songz some notoriety, which bolstered sales of his first album.

While his first two albums received a lot of positive attention from the R&B community, it wasn’t until his third and fourth studio albums – “Ready” and “Passion, Pain & Pleasure”, respectively – that Trey Songz managed to successfully cross over into mainstream appeal. Singles “Say Aah” featuring Fabolous and “Bottoms Up” featuring Nicki Minaj were both top ten singles in the US and are the singer’s most successful singles to date.

A versatile performer, Trey Songz has collaborated with the likes of Ne-Yo, 50 Cent, T.I. and Lil Wayne, amongst many others. Trey Songz has toured alongside Jay Z and Usher where he opened for both artists in 2009 and 2010 respectively. An energetic performer, Trey Songz has also headlined three tours and played many festivals.

In addition to picking up fans from across the US and Europe, Trey Songz has also picked up multiple award nominations over the last ten years, including three Grammy Award nominations.

Maybe it takes some of the romance out of being an artist, but wouldn’t it be more refreshing to have some musicians that could have done anything they wanted in their life? The stories of musicians who feel that they’re no good at anything else have become a cliché. We as an audience known that if they weren’t playing music then they wouldn’t be dead or in jail anyway, they’d probably be in an office of some kind. It was always hyperbole anyway, in most cases, but doesn’t it mean more to have artists that actively chose to pursue the arts?

K. Michelle is a perfect example of this. Not only did she learn the guitar and piano as a kid, not only did she have singing lessons from the man who trained Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears as well, but she earned a scholarship to Florida A&M University before she was 18. She began her degree majoring in Biology and left with a degree in Psychology, so in Michelle’s case, music’s gain is very much academia’s loss. So it’s just as well that she’s pretty amazing at what she does.

By 2009 she’d signed with Jive Records; however her first four singles there didn’t catch the public’s eye in the way many people hoped they would. They were good enough to attract the attention of Usher, Akon and Missy Elliot, who were slated to guest on her debut album on the label, but she was brought out of her contract before the record could be finished. However, her career’s saving grace came from a highly unlikely source.

During her time on Jive Records, she’d made enough of a name for herself to join the cast of VH1’s reality TV series Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta. Her razor sharp wit, sense of humour and relentless work ethic made her the shows most beloved personality, earning her a deal with Atlantic Records, as well as her own spin off show in the form of K. Michelle: My Life.

Come 2013, her debut album “Rebellious Soul” was released, debuting at number 2 on the Billboard album charts and selling 72’000 copies in its first week. K. Michelle had arrived with authority, and with the release of her 2014 album “AWBAH” (an abbreviation of “Anybody Wanna Buy a Heart?”) there isn’t a force around that can stop her. This is an artist who’s going to do great things in her time, and we should all stick around to watch it happen. Highly recommended.