Ahsan Watts (born 1999), known professionally as Ahsan J.A., is a soul and R&B singer from

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, the county seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. ...

. Ashan Watts gained initial attention when his cover of

The Jackson 5 The Jackson 5, later known as the Jacksons, are an American pop band composed of members of the Jackson family. The group was formed in Gary, Indiana in 1964, and originally consisted of brothers Jackie, Ti ...

's "

Who's Lovin' You "Who's Lovin' You" is a Motown soul song, written in 1960 by William "Smokey" Robinson. The song has been recorded by many different artists including The Miracles, who recorded the 1960 original version, The Temptations, The Supremes, Terence T ...

" went

viral The word ''Viral'' means "relating to viruses" (small infectious agents). It may also refer to: Viral behavior, or virality Memetic behavior likened that of a virus, for example: * Viral marketing, the use of existing social networks to spre ...

on YouTube and again after a second video featured a surprise appearance by

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...

that ended in a duet of " Ribbon in the Sky". Ahsan credits classic soul and R&B artists such as Stevie Wonder,

Frankie Lymon Franklin Joseph Lymon (September 30, 1942 – February 27, 1968) was an American rock and roll/rhythm and blues singer and songwriter, best known as the boy soprano lead singer of the New York City-based early rock and roll doo-wop group the Te ...

, and

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

for inspiring him to join his grandfather, Bishop L. C. Terry Sr, in his Fellowship of Holiness Church choir in Newark, NJ, at the age of five. His godfather, Don Richardson, who signed a contract with

Def Jam Recordings Def Jam Recordings (also simply known as Def Jam) is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop. The l ...

as a child, brought attention to Ahsan's voice. After his signing with

Interscope Records Interscope Records is an American record label based in Santa Monica, California, owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture ...

in 2012, Ahsan performed a cover of "

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" is a song written in 1943 by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane and introduced by Judy Garland in the 1944 MGM musical '' Meet Me in St. Louis''. Frank Sinatra later recorded a version with modified lyrics. ...

," featuring Lucki Gurlz. In November 2013, his single "Under" was released. The song gave attention to Ahsan's motivation to avoid succumbing to the ghetto lifestyles of his native Newark. Among his live appearances are

Arthur Ashe Kids' Day Arthur Ashe Kids' Day is an annual tennis/children's event that takes place in the end of August at the United States Tennis Association at Arthur Ashe Stadium. (USTA) Center in Flushing Meadows, Queens, New York. It is sponsored by IBM and the U ...

and at Stevie Wonder's 17th Annual House Full of Toys Benefit Concert in 2012. He has performed in Newark as guest of Mayor

Cory Booker Cory Anthony Booker (born April 27, 1969) is an American politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from New Jersey, a seat he has held since 2013. A member of the Democ ...

, Newark mayoral candidate, Ras J. Baraka., and

Darlene Love Darlene Wright (born July 26, 1941), also known by the stage name Darlene Love, is an American R&B and soul singer and actress. She was the lead singer of the girl group the Blossoms and also a solo recording artist. She began singing as a ch ...

NJPAC The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), in Downtown Newark in Newark, New Jersey, is one of the largest performing arts centers in the United States. Home to the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra (NJSO), more than nine million visitors (inclu ...

. In 2014, Ahsan toured with Ashanti to

Jackson Rancheria Jackson Rancheria is the landbase for the Jackson Band of Miwuk Indians, a federally recognized tribe of Miwok people, located near Jackson, California. It is located in Amador County, about midway between Jackson and Pine Grove. The reservation ...

References

External links

*
Red Soul Vibrations

Videostatic
{{DEFAULTSORT:Watts, Ahsan 1999 births Living people American soul singers Singers from Newark, New Jersey American tenors 21st-century American singers 21st-century American male singers