Kisean Paul Anderson (born February 3, 1990), known professionally as Sean Kingston, is an American former singer and rapper. Born in

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, and raised in

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

, he signed with J. R. Rotem's record label Beluga Heights Records, in a joint venture with Koch and

Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony is a Japanese multinational conglomerate (company), cong ...

in 2007. The label released his 2007 debut single " Beautiful Girls", which peaked atop the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and served as lead single for his eponymous debut studio album (2007). It peaked at number six on the ''Billboard'' 200 and spawned the top 40-single " Take You There", while his second album, '' Tomorrow'' (2009), saw a commercial decline, but spawned the top five-single " Fire Burning". His third album, '' Back 2 Life'' (2013), failed to chart and served as his final release on a

major label "Big Three" music labels A record label or record company is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and t ...

, but spawned the moderate hit "

Beat It "Beat It" is a song by American singer Michael Jackson from his sixth studio album, ''Thriller (album), Thriller'' (1982). It was written and composed by Jackson, produced by Quincy Jones, and co-produced by Jackson. Jones encouraged Jackson to ...

" (featuring

Chris Brown Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. A Pop music, pop and hip-hop-influenced contemporary R&B, R&B musician who works in a variety of genres, he has been called the "Honorific nic ...

and

Wiz Khalifa Cameron Jibril Thomaz (born September 8, 1987), better known by his stage name Wiz Khalifa, is an American rapper, singer-songwriter and actor. Raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he signed with the local independent label Rostrum Records to re ...

). After his second album, Kingston launched the record label Time Is Money Entertainment, through which he signed then-unknown Canadian singer

Tory Lanez Daystar Shemuel Shua Peterson (born July 27, 1992), known professionally as Tory Lanez, is a Canadian singer-songwriter and record producer. First discovered by Sean Kingston, he received initial recognition for his mixtape ''Conflicts of My S ...

in 2010. In July 2024, Kingston and his mother were indicted on several federal

wire fraud Mail fraud and wire fraud are terms used in the United States to describe the use of a physical (e.g., the U.S. Postal Service) or electronic (e.g., a phone, a telegram, a fax, or the Internet) mail system to defraud another, and are U.S. fede ...

charges. They were convicted in March 2025.

Early life

Anderson was born in

, the first of three children of Janice Turner. Anderson's family moved to their native

Kingston, Jamaica Kingston is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long spit (landform), sand spit which connects the town of Por ...

, when he was six. Anderson attended Ocho Rios High School in

Ocho Rios Ocho Rios (Spanish for "Eight Rivers") () is a town in the parish of Saint Ann on the north coast of Jamaica, and is more widely referred to as ''Ochi'' by locals. Beginning as a sleepy fishing village, Ocho Rios has seen explosive growth ...

for three years before immigrating back to the United States. His grandfather was the noted Jamaican reggae producer Lawrence "Jack Ruby" Lindo.

Career

2007–2008: ''Sean Kingston''

Kingston was discovered on

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

by Matt Tobin at Beluga Heights Records, and signed to the label in a partnership deal with

Sony is a Japanese multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at Sony City in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The Sony Group encompasses various businesses, including Sony Corporation (electronics), Sony Semiconductor Solutions (i ...

. In an interview with

HitQuarters HitQuarters was an international music industry publication and contact database founded in 1999. It was noted for its in-depth interviews with industry figures, as well as its A&R and manager contact directory, free artist promo pages and song ...

, label head and producer

J. R. Rotem Jonathan Reuven Rotem (born July 23, 1975) is a South African-born American record producer, songwriter and music publisher. Biography Early life Rotem was born in July 23, 1975 in Johannesburg, South Africa to Jewish Israeli people, Israe ...

described this process with regard to Kingston:

"Sean Kingston was a rapper when we found him and it was a development process to get him more melodic. At Beluga we essentially refine the talent so that it's more of a marketable product."

In a venture between

and Koch Records, Kingston recorded and released the single " Beautiful Girls" in May 2007. "Beautiful Girls" was a major hit internationally, topping the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and several other charts, including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Ireland, Spain and the United Kingdom. In the latter country, the song spent four weeks at the summit of the UK Singles Chart. His self-titled debut album was released on July 31, 2007, and has been certified gold by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

for its 500,000 copies sold, while peaking at number 6 on the ''Billboard'' 200. In 2007, Kingston was the opening act for

Gwen Stefani Gwen Renée Stefani Shelton ( ; born October 3, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter and fashion designer. Stefani rose to fame as a member and lead vocalist of the band No Doubt, whose hit singles include " Just a Girl", " Spiderwebs", an ...

's ''The Sweet Escape'' Tour and for select dates on

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most Cultural impact of Beyoncé, ...

's '' The Beyoncé Experience'' tour. In 2008, he was one of the opening acts for the Australian leg of

Kelly Clarkson Kelly Brianne (born Kelly Brianne Clarkson, April 24, 1982), known professionally as Kelly Clarkson, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Rising to fame after winning the American Idol season 1, first season of ''Ameri ...

's '' My December Tour''.

2009–2010: ''Tomorrow''

Kingston's second album '' Tomorrow'' was released on September 22, 2009. Producers involved in the album included

Wyclef Jean Nel Ust Wyclef Jean ( ; born October 17, 1969) is a Haitian rapper, singer, and record producer. Born in Haiti, Jean emigrated to the Northeastern United States, United States as a child. He gained fame as a founding member of the Fugees, a Ne ...

; RedOne (of recent Lady Gaga fame); plus, Kingston's original mentor, J. R. Rotem. " Fire Burning" and " Face Drop" were released as singles. Additionally, five promotional digital singles were released leading up to the album. In the meantime, Kingston co-wrote

Jason Derulo Jason Joel Desrouleaux (born September 21, 1989), known professionally as Jason Derulo (; formerly stylized as Derülo), is an American singer, songwriter and dancer. Since the start of his solo recording career in 2009, he has sold over 250 m ...

's debut single " Whatcha Say", that topped the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. He also discovered the R&B-reggae singer Iyaz on MySpace and signed him to

's record label. He also recorded the track "Miss Everything" for the UK girl-group

Sugababes The Sugababes are an English girl group composed of Mutya Buena, Keisha Buchanan, and Siobhán Donaghy. The lineup changed three times before returning to the original lineup in 2011. Formed in 1998 by Ron Tom, the manager of All Saints, ...

studio album '' Sweet 7'' which was released March 15, 2010, in the UK. Kingston and DJ Khaled are being featured on Bow Wow's new single "For My Hood", from the movie, ''The Lottery Ticket''. He had a performance in the O2 Arena where he was supported by

Mumzy Stranger Muhammad Mumith Ahmed (; born 18 January 1984), known professionally as Mumzy Stranger or his producing name SP (an abbreviation of Stranger Productions), is a British rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. He made his mainstream record ...

2010–2013: ''Back 2 Life'', ''King of Kingz,'' "Lee Strike" and other projects

His third studio album was announced to feature

T-Pain Faheem Rashad Najm (born September 30, 1984), known professionally as T-Pain, is an American singer and rapper. He is known for popularizing creative use of Auto-Tune pitch correction, often used with extreme parameter settings to create electro ...

Nicki Minaj Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian rapper, singer, and songwriter. Regarded as the "Queen of Rap" and one of the most influential rappers of all time, she is noted for her ...

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After ...

Flo Rida Tramar Lacel Dillard (born September 16, 1979), known professionally as Flo Rida ( ), is an American rapper and singer. His 2007 debut and breakout single "Low (Flo Rida song), Low" was number one for 10 weeks in the United States and broke the ...

Soulja Boy DeAndre Cortez Way (born July 28, 1990), known professionally as Soulja Boy (formerly Soulja Boy Tell 'Em), is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. He rose to prominence with his self-released 2007 debut single, "Crank That ...

Cher Lloyd Cher Lloyd (born 28 July 1993) is an English singer. She participated on the The X Factor (UK series 7), seventh series of the television talent show ''The X Factor (UK TV series), The X Factor'' in 2010, where she finished in fourth place. F ...

Akon Aliaune Damala Bouga Time Puru Nacka Lu Lu Lu Badara Akon Thiam (born April 16, 1973), known mononymously as Akon (), is a Senegalese-United States, American singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, businessman, and philanthropist. An influ ...

and Green Eyed Tayla, with its lead single being " Eenie Meenie" with

Justin Bieber Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Regarded as a pop icon, he is recognized for his multi-genre musical performances. He was discovered by record executive Scooter Braun in 2008 and subsequently brought to the U ...

, released on March 23, 2010, which is also included on Bieber's '' My World 2.0'' album. The second single from the album was supposed to be " Letting Go (Dutty Love)", which features a verse from

. It was released on

iTunes iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...

August 3, while the third, " Dumb Love", co-written by

Bruno Mars Peter Gene Hernandez (born October 8, 1985), known professionally as Bruno Mars, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. Regarded as a pop icon, he is known for his three-octave tenor vocal range, live performances, R ...

, was released on September 8. A fourth single " Party All Night (Sleep All Day)" was released on December 21, 2010. However, none of the four singles were included on any album by Kingston. Kingston represented the continents of North and South America to sing the Official Theme Song of the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games, " Everyone." He collaborated with four other artists representing their continent, South African

Jody Williams Jody Williams (born October 9, 1950) is an American political activist known for her work in banning anti-personnel landmines, her defense of human rights (especially those of women), and her efforts to promote new understandings of securit ...

representing Africa,

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

an Tabitha Nauser (Asia), Briton Steve Appleton (Europe), and Australian

Jessica Mauboy Jessica Hilda Mauboy (; born 4 August 1989) is an Australian singer. Born and raised in Darwin, Northern Territory, she rose to fame in 2006 on the Australian Idol (season 4), fourth season of ''Australian Idol'', where she was runner-up and s ...

representing Oceania. However, Kingston was unable to attend the Singapore Youth Olympics 2010 opening ceremony due to passport mix-ups. Kingston was invited to be featured with

Cash Money Records Cash Money Records is an American record label founded in 1991 by brothers Ronald "Slim" Williams and Birdman (rapper), Bryan "Baby" Williams. The label gained prominence in the late 1990s for having signed and released albums for New Orleans– ...

/former

So So Def So So Def Recordings is an American record label based in Atlanta, Georgia, founded by producer Jermaine Dupri in 1993. Specializing in Southern hip hop, R&B, and bass music, the label has signed musical acts such as Bow Wow, Kris Kross, Xsca ...

member Bow Wow on his single " For My Hood". He performed the song with Bow Wow and

DJ Khaled Khaled Mohammed Khaled (; born November 26, 1975), known professionally as DJ Khaled, is an American DJ and record producer. Originally a Miami-based radio personality, Khaled has since become known for enlisting high-profile music industry ar ...

on BET's television program '' 106 & Park'' the day after release. Kingston planned to release a mixtape with pop star

, called ''Our World''. It featured about 12–14 songs and included their versions of songs like "Pretty Boy Swag", Eagles hit single, "Lyin Eyes" and "Billionaire". The mixtape was completed and Kingston showed his fans a preview on

uStream IBM Watson Media (formerly Ustream and IBM Cloud Video) is an American virtual events platform company which is a division of IBM. Prior to the IBM acquisition, it had more than 180 employees across San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Budapest office ...

on August 19, 2010. However, the album was never released. Kingston also went on to perform on the first leg of Bieber's tour. Kingston released his first mixtape, ''King of Kingz'', as a free download only, on February 3, 2011. The mixtape includes guest appearances by

, B.o.B, and

. Kingston announced that his new album would be called '' Back 2 Life''. He also said in an interview with MTV that he would be completely re-doing the album and that the previous singles would not be on it. Kingston linked up with

T.I. Clifford Joseph Harris Jr. (born September 25, 1980), known professionally as T.I. or Tip, is an American rapper and singer raised in Atlanta, Georgia. Harris is credited as a pioneer of the hip hop subgenre trap music, along with fellow Georgi ...

on the set of the video for "Back 2 Life", the street single off his then-upcoming album of the same name. The two shot the video in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

with comedian Mike Epps. In November 2012, Kingston performed in the Dubai Caribbean Carnival at Downtown Dubai with

and Bow Wow. On April 13, 2013,

put up the preorder of ''Back 2 Life'', its cover art and track listing as well as a release date of September 10, 2013. The album failed to chart on the U.S. ''Billboard'' 200, but spawned the hit single "

", featuring

and

2013–present: ''Road to Deliverance''

In March 2013, Kingston announced plans for his upcoming fourth studio album while stating that he would be recording with Disney and pop star

Zendaya Zendaya Maree Stoermer Coleman ( ; born September 1, 1996) is an American actress and singer. List of awards and nominations received by Zendaya, Her accolades include two Primetime Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Awards, Golden Globe Award. I ...

. At the same time, he said that they were both recording a song titled "Heart on Empty", which Kingston described as "a soulful ballad that you all will be sure to remember". In November, Kingston also guest starred as Dexter and Saint in an episode of '' Black Dynamite'' on

Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (CN) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the Cartoon Network, Inc., a sub-division of the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks division of Warner Bros. Discovery. It launched on ...

Adult Swim Adult Swim (stylized as dult swimand s is an American adult-oriented television programming block that airs on Cartoon Network which broadcasts during the evening, prime time, and Late-night television, late-night Dayparting, dayparts. T ...

. In March 2015, Kingston posted on Instagram a picture with Swedish record producer

RedOne Nadir Khayat (, Latn, ar, Nādir Ḵayyāṭ; born 9 April 1972), also known as RedOne, is a Moroccan-Swedish record producer, record executive, singer and songwriter. He has worked in production for high-profile recording artists including La ...

, confirming that they were working on the album. In May 2015, Kingston posted a snippet of the then-upcoming lead single from his fourth studio album. On September 14, 2015, Kingston premiered his first single in two years, titled "Wait Up", the lead single off his upcoming fourth studio album. However the song ended up not included on any album. In December 2015, he released "sina see song" with Sri Lankan music producer Iraj Weeraratne, Indian singer Sonu Kakkar, and Kaizer Kaiz (Sri Lankan rapper). Music videos were released for "One Away" and "All I Got" in January and March 2016, respectively. In March 2017, he announced the release of the ''Made in Jamaica'' mixtape, preceded by the single "Chance" that featured

Vybz Kartel Adidja Azim Palmer (born 7 January 1976), better known as Vybz Kartel, is a Jamaican dancehall Toasting (Jamaican music), deejay. Among his various nicknames, he is referred to as Worl' Boss, Teacha and King of Dancehall. As summarized by ''Roll ...

. However the mixtape was scrapped. In 2018, he participated with Italian singer Giusy Ferreri on the vocal part of the single " Amore e capoeira", by Italian record producers Takagi & Ketra. In 2019, he released his single "Peace of Mind" with Canadian singer

and Nigerian singer

Davido David Adedeji Adeleke (born November 21, 1992), known professionally as Davido, is a Nigerian American, Nigerian-American singer, songwriter and record producer. Davido was born in Atlanta, U.S, and raised in Lagos, Nigeria. He made his mus ...

. In June 2020, he announced the creation of the "Professional Rapper Boxing League" with hip hop super-agent, Triple the Mogul. On May 21, 2021, Kingston returned with the single, "Darkest Times" (featuring G Herbo), while also announcing his upcoming fourth studio album. On December 31, 2021, Kingston participated with Japanese rapper Tomoro on the single "Let Me Hold You". On September 30, 2022, ''Road to Deliverance'' was released as Kingston's fourth studio album. In 2023, Kingston co-wrote

's single " Sensational".

Personal life

In May 2011, Kingston was involved in a near-fatal jet skiing accident in Miami and was immediately rushed to the hospital. Kingston was required to pay a $180 fine for careless operation in the accident. By 2018, he had begun to ride jet skis again.

Legal issues

May 2024 fraud and theft charges

On May 23, 2024, Kingston's rented Southwest Ranches, Florida, mansion was raided by a police

SWAT A SWAT (''Special Weapons and Tactics'') team is a generic term for a police tactical unit within the United States, though the term has also been used by other nations. SWAT units are generally trained, equipped, and deployed to res ...

team and his mother was arrested. The federal arrest warrant was issued on several instances of alleged

fraud In law, fraud is intent (law), intentional deception to deprive a victim of a legal right or to gain from a victim unlawfully or unfairly. Fraud can violate Civil law (common law), civil law (e.g., a fraud victim may sue the fraud perpetrato ...

and theft. Kingston was arrested a few hours later in California after a concert in

Fort Irwin Fort Irwin National Training Center (Fort Irwin NTC) is a major training area for the United States military in the Mojave Desert in northern San Bernardino County, California. Fort Irwin is at an average elevation of . It is located northeast ...

, and he was booked into jail in

San Bernardino County San Bernardino County ( ), officially the County of San Bernardino and sometimes abbreviated as S.B. County, is a county located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of California, and is located within the Inland Empire area. As of th ...

. Kingston waived his right to fight

extradition In an extradition, one Jurisdiction (area), jurisdiction delivers a person Suspect, accused or Conviction, convicted of committing a crime in another jurisdiction, into the custody of the other's law enforcement. It is a cooperative law enforc ...

and was sent to

Broward County Broward County ( ) is a County (United States), county in Florida, United States, located in the Miami metropolitan area. It is Florida's second-most populous county after Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County and the List of the most ...

jail in Florida. A week later, Kingston was released from police custody after posting bail of $100,000.

July 2024 wire fraud charges

On July 19, 2024, a federal grand jury indicted Kingston and his mother on one count each of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and five counts each of wire fraud. The charges stem from their alleged involvement in a scheme to defraud sellers of high-end specialty vehicles, jewelry, and other goods purchased through fraudulent documents and wire transfers. It was reported that Kingston and his mother had $1 million worth of items they obtained fraudulently and did not pay for. For each count, Kingston and his mother could face up to 20 years in prison. The charges follow a February lawsuit filed against Kingston by Ver Ver Entertainment, which claims Kingston did not pay for items such as luxury watches that he purchased. The lawsuit also alleges that Kingston claimed to have a "current and ongoing working relationship" with Justin Bieber and would be able to get Bieber to work on promotional videos on behalf of the company, even though the two had not made a song together since releasing "Eenie Meenie" in 2010. On March 28, 2025, a jury convicted them on all charges. The judge put Kingston on house arrest with electronic monitoring. He is required to post a surety bond consisting of his $500,000 home plus $200,000 in cash. Turner was remanded to federal custody. Sentencing is set for July 11, 2025. He was held at the Federal Detention Center, Miami after being unable to complete the bond.

Activism

Kingston filmed a public service announcement with Do Something to encourage teens to become active in their communities by forming a Do Something club. In 2010, he appeared with one of his dogs in an ad for

PETA People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA; ) is an American animal rights nonprofit organization based in Norfolk, Virginia, and led by Ingrid Newkirk, its international president. Founded in March 1980 by Newkirk and animal right ...

, encouraging people not to chain their dogs outside.Sean Kingston: Chill With Your Dogs
," ABS-CBNnews.com, September 15, 2010.

Discography

* '' Sean Kingston'' (2007) * '' Tomorrow'' (2009) * '' Back 2 Life'' (2013) *''Road to Deliverance'' (2022)

Awards and nominations

Image Awards The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. The over 40 ...

** 2008, Outstanding New Artist (Nominated) *

MOBO Awards The MOBO Awards (Music of Black Origin, also known as the MOBOs) are an annual British music award presentation honouring achievements in " music of black origin", including hip hop, grime, UK Drill, R&B, soul, reggae, jazz, gospel, and Ba ...

** 2007: Best Reggae Ever Acts (Win) *

MTV Video Music Awards Japan The MTV Video Music Awards Japan (MTV VMAJ for short) are the Japanese version of the MTV Video Music Awards. Like the MTV Video Music Awards in the United States, in this event artists are awarded for their songs and videos through online vo ...

** 2013: Best Reggae Video " Back 2 Life (Live It Up)" (Nominated) *

Teen Choice Awards The Teen Choice Awards were an annual awards show that aired on the Fox television network between 1999 and 2019. The awards, based on a popularity vote that could be overridden by the producerswho reserved the right to choose the winnerscovered ...

** 2007: Choice R&B Track " Beautiful Girls" (Win) ** 2007: Choice Summer Track "Beautiful Girls" (Nominated) ** 2009: Choice Summer Song " Fire Burning" (Nominated)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kingston, Sean 1990 births Living people 21st-century American rappers 21st-century American singers African-American male rappers 21st-century American male rappers African-American male singers African-American songwriters American emigrants to Jamaica American expatriates in Jamaica American hip-hop singers American male pop singers American male singers American male songwriters American rappers of Jamaican descent Epic Records artists Musicians from Kingston, Jamaica Singers from Miami Musicians from Saint Ann Parish Pop rappers Rappers from Miami Songwriters from Florida Southern hip-hop musicians