For nearly two decades, Sean Kingston has been building on his breakout success. The Jamaican-born singer is one of the most recognizable voices in the industry, and most recently, his megahit "Beautiful Girls" earned itself yet another accolade. Kingston learned this month that the track surpassed 1 billion views on YouTube, making him one of an elite, select group of artists to ever achieve this accomplishment.
This wasn't the only celebration for Kingston. At the top of the morning on September 30th, he shared his anticipated Reggae album Road to Deliverance. Prior to its release, we caught up with Kingston to discuss the album, longevity in the industry, and bridging the gap between generations of musicians.
"The album is just basically just me telling my experiences that I've been going through, growing up in Jamaica, the culture, and really tapping into a lot of different storylines. Just going to a different space where people can relate to a lot of different stuff that's going on in the world right now."
Kingston named "Lucky Him" and "Hypocrites" as his two standout tracks before revealing that he has another album on the horizon.
With 10+ years under his belt, he reflected on the new generation of hitmakers demanding their space in the spotlight, some of whom will land on his next record. I wanted to know how Kingston felt about the current state of his career while continuing to tour and make music successfully.
"It's a blessing. God is amazing. I really, I really studied music. I'm a real musician," he shared. "I eat, I sleep, I breathe music. This is what I love to do. So, for me, it's just like, you know, when I'm writing a song, it's just me telling my stories, my experiences, and me connecting deeply with the audience."
We don't see much of Kingston engaged in social media drama or industry flare-ups. On the contrary, he said that he makes time to "cater to young people" behind the scenes in the industry in an effort to teach them the business. It's important to him that he bridges the gap between veterans and those on their way to becoming icons such as himself.
"I teach them the game and I want to let them know, like, I think a lot of people, they don't give me my flowers," Kingston shared. "Majority of the people like, I could go on and on and on. We're talking Lil Tjay, we're talking NoCap, we're talking Travis Scott. I'm talking about real big people. It's been times where these people, they came to my house and they needed a helping hand. Probably not even on a level of music or whatever, but just the business."
"Learn the business and me being a big brother, [I] tell him, 'Bro, I don't think that's a good deal. I don't think you should do this.' I'm always nurturing and making sure that the younger audience and the younger people that's coming up, know what they're doing."
"We got to make sure you understand the business and that you don't make the same mistakes that I've made. You really got to know that. This is a business at the end of the day. It's the music business. It's just not the music."
It's clear that Kingston isn't slowing down anytime soon. Now that he's fresh off of a 35-city, sold-out tour, he's ready for the next adventure. The singer prides himself on being an artist who values those fans that have supported him throughout the years. "[They're] the reason I am who I am," he said.
He makes sure "that every picture has to be taken."
"No matter, even if I don’t want to take it other days because I’m going through it. If I’m going through it, it doesn’t matter," he said. "You know, your fans support you and they want the best for you and they're in your circle. So, at the end of the day, that's something they're going to cherish forever. So, I gotta take the picture, I gotta sign autographs. It's just about just staying true to who you are and just being humble."
If you haven't already, stream Road to Deliverance below.
