Entertainment
Dean
Now more than ever, the recipe for superstardom
requires much more than just talent. To get a taste of the
flashing lights, fandemonioum, and accolades of today’s
career artist, one must also possess equal parts moxie,
artistic range, relentless hustle, and the ever elusive X
factor. Singer-songwriter 22-year-old Dean undoubtedly
embodies all the components of this equation. It’s
apparent as he stands on the precipice of a breakthrough
with the release of his stunning new album – a collection
of tunes certain to set the industry abuzz in 2015.
Covering a myriad of styles ranging from rock, pop,
EDM, hip hop, garage and soul, is a journey through the
soul of a passionate vocalist with an incomparable lyrical
panache. Attracting the attention of vocalists such as
Motown recording artist Mila J, singer-songwriter Eric
Bellinger (Beyonce, Usher, Jennifer Hudson, Justin
Bieber, Chris Brown), and buzzworthy hip hop artist
Anderson Paak,
Weaving an intricately emotional narrative through
multiple genres, Dean's extraordinary lyricism
effortlessly captures the wide spectrum of human
sentiment unlike any of his contemporaries. Growing up,
Dean was an avid music fan. As a teen, he eventually fell
under the influence of hip hop and began penning
rhymes, but it wasn’t long until he discovered R&B. “It
has a certain groove to it,” Dean explains. “The R&B
from that period was very touching and emotional
compared to other genres. So it kind of affected me.”
The allure of the 90s R&B sound impressed itself upon
Dean and changed the course of his musical trajectory
24
forever. And while he didn’t abandon hip hop
completely, he knew he had to find a creative way to
incorporate his burgeoning love for 90s R&B into the
music he was beginning to create. “I started writing
melodies,” says Dean. Yet the remedy to merge his
two worlds soon unearthed an unknown talent that his
passion for R&B brought to the surface. “That’s
when I learned I could sing,” he laughs. “That was
the vehicle through which my singing talent was
discovered.” Dean wasted no time in seeking out
local producers to work on music that coincided with
his new found direction. He soon crossed paths with
producer 2xxx! with whom he shared his idea to craft
a unique musical style based on the elements he’d
recently been experimenting with. The pair hit it off
immediately and marked the beginning of a solid
working relationship over the years. After crafting
tunes in the studio, Dean began testing out his new
material by performing at local venues. The
overwhelmingly emphatic response from the crowds
clued him in to the fact that he was onto something
big. Through a chain of exchanges, his music ended
up in the hands of music executives at Joombas
Music Group. Impressed with his vocal dexterity and
ability to craft a well written song, Joombas
immediately offered Dean a publishing deal as a
songwriter. While it appeared as though his career as
an artist would have to be postponed, Dean found a
way to create solo material while penning songs for
established artists.
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