Jeremih
Encyclopedia
Jeremiah Felton who performs under the mononym Jeremih , is an American recording artist and producer signed to Def Jam Recordings
. Jeremih's debut single, "Birthday Sex
" (which was also recorded in French), peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100
. His first and self-titled album, Jeremih
, debuted at number six on the Billboard 200
, selling 59,000 copies in its first week. On September 9, 2010, he released his second album, All About You
.
, Illinois
. Born into a musical family, he began playing instruments at the age of three and taught himself how to play several, including drums
, piano
and the saxophone
. Jeremih attended Morgan Park High School
, where he was part of the marching band
as well as a Latin jazz
band, where he learned to play percussion instruments like conga
s and timbales
. He graduated at the age of 16 and enrolled into the University of Illinois
to pursue a career in engineering
. Having graduated from high school at an early age, he said in an interview that he found himself "getting in a lot of trouble" while attending the university and plans on returning to earn his degree.
at one of the campus's talent show
s, he received positive feedback and realized his vocal ability, saying that the "music was just taking over". In 2007, he enrolled in Columbia College Chicago
to pursue a degree in music business.
, Jeremih collaborated with record producer
Mick Schultz
. Together, they recorded a song entitled "My Ride". Jeremih received guidance by his cousin Day26
group member, Willie Taylor
. In February 2009, Jeremih met with Island Def Jam chairman L. A. Reid
and executive vice president
of A&R
Karen Kwak. After performing for the two, Jeremih was signed to Def Jam Recordings
that same day. His eponymous debut album, Jeremih
, was released in June 2009 under Def Jam; it debuted at number six on the Billboard 200
and sold 59,000 copies in its first week. In promotion of the album, Jeremih took part in America's Most Wanted Tour, alongside Lil Wayne
, Young Jeezy
and Soulja Boy Tell 'Em
. The second single, "Imma Star (Everywhere We Are)
", has peaked at number 51 on the Billboard Hot 100
.
In August 2009, Jeremih was selected by Ron Huberman and Mayor Richard Daley of the Chicago Public Schools
(CPS) to campaign children to return to school. Community activists protested and demanded CPS to undo their decision, claiming that Jeremih's music was "not appropriate for students" and "promotes teen sex". Huberman argued that "school officials would be naive to pretend students don't listen to Felton's music already". Daley also argued that recording artists have the freedom of speech
, noting that Jeremih was "a young man, [with a] back-to-school message, a young man who has had great success recording, producer, going to school, went to public school". In September 2009, Jeremih performed on ABC Daytime
s soap opera One Life to Live
, alongside recording artist Lionel Richie
. The two performed "Just Go
", a song from Richie's album with the same title.
titled "I Like
" featuring Ludacris
. The single is available for purchase on iTunes
. "All About You
" was released on September 28, 2010.
The confirmed second single off the album is "Down On Me
" featuring rapper 50 Cent
. A video was shot in 3D for this but it has been confirmed that it's not the official music video, which has since been shot and released on December 17, 2010.
, Stevie Wonder
and R. Kelly
as his biggest influences. He described their music as "timeless", calling them "true musician-artists". With the release of his debut album, Andy Kellman of Allmusic compared Jeremih's vocals to Slim
of 112
and Raphael Saadiq
, noting that his "charmingly sly voice...is hard to not like". In contrast, Ken Capobianco of The Boston Globe
felt that Jeremih's voice was "thin", showing "little range". Jody Rosen expressed that Jeremih "has a way with tunes and hooks". He received comparisons to The-Dream
, R. Kelly and Stevie Wonder.
The Music of Black Origin Awards (MOBO Awards) is an awards ceremony established in 1995 by Kanya King
.
!Source
|-
|align="center"|2009
|Jeremih
|Best R&B/Soul Act
|
|align="center"|
|-
American Music Awards
The American Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony created by Dick Clark in 1973.
!Source
|-
|align="center"|2009
|Jeremih
|T-Mobile Soul/R&B Breakthrough Artist
|
|align="center"|
|-
NAACP Awards
An NAACP Image Award is an accolade presented by the American National Association for the Advancement of Colored People to honor outstanding people of color in film, television, music, and literature.
!Source
|-
|align="center"|2010
|Jeremih
|Outstanding New Artist
|
|align="center"|
|-
Chicago Music Awards
The Chicago Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony for music artist professionals to get recognized for their talents and hard work. Ephraim Martin, CMA President, is the founder.
!Source
|-
|align="center"|2010
|Jeremih
|Best New Entertainer Of The Year
|
|align="center"|
|-
!Source
|-
|align="center"|2010
|Jeremih
|Songwriter Of The Year
|
|align="center"|
|-
!Source
|-
|align="center"|2010
|Jeremih
|R&B Entertainer Of The Year
|
|align="center"|
|-
!Source
|-
|align="center"|2011
|Jeremih
|Best Male Vocalist Of The Year
|
|align="center"|
|-
Def Jam Recordings
Def Jam Recordings is an American record label, focused primarily on hip hop and urban music, owned by Universal Music Group, and operates as a part of The Island Def Jam Motown Music Group...
. Jeremih's debut single, "Birthday Sex
Birthday Sex
"Birthday Sex" is the debut single by American recording artist Jeremih. It is the lead single from his debut album, Jeremih. The song was written by Jeremih and Keith James and produced by Mick Schultz. "Birthday Sex" peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop...
" (which was also recorded in French), peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. His first and self-titled album, Jeremih
Jeremih (album)
Jeremih is the eponymous debut studio album by American recording artist Jeremih, released on June 30, 2009, under Def Jam Recordings. It debuted at number six on the Billboard 200, selling 59,000 copies in its first week.-Background:...
, debuted at number six on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, selling 59,000 copies in its first week. On September 9, 2010, he released his second album, All About You
All About You (album)
- Commercial performance :The album has managed to sell 18,000 copies in its first week of sales. On Billboard 200 albums, it debuted at number twenty-seven and has also entered in at number eight in the Top R&B/Hip-Hop albums chart. As of April, 2011 the album has sold 109,974 copies in USA.-...
.
Early life
Jeremih was born in ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. Born into a musical family, he began playing instruments at the age of three and taught himself how to play several, including drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
and the saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
. Jeremih attended Morgan Park High School
Morgan Park High School
Morgan Park High School , located in Chicago, Illinois, at the intersection of 111th street and Vincennes Avenue is a public high school that opened its doors on its present site in 1916, as part of the Chicago Public Schools...
, where he was part of the marching band
Marching band
Marching band is a physical activity in which a group of instrumental musicians generally perform outdoors and incorporate some type of marching with their musical performance. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwinds, and percussion instruments...
as well as a Latin jazz
Latin jazz
Latin jazz is the general term given to jazz with Latin American rhythms.The three main categories of Latin Jazz are Brazilian, Cuban and Puerto Rican:# Brazilian Latin Jazz includes bossa nova...
band, where he learned to play percussion instruments like conga
Conga
The conga, or more properly the tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed Cuban drum with African antecedents. It is thought to be derived from the Makuta drums or similar drums associated with Afro-Cubans of Central African descent. A person who plays conga is called a conguero...
s and timbales
Timbales
Timbales are shallow single-headed drums with metal casing, invented in Cuba. They are shallower in shape than single-headed tom-toms, and usually much higher tuned...
. He graduated at the age of 16 and enrolled into the University of Illinois
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
to pursue a career in engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
. Having graduated from high school at an early age, he said in an interview that he found himself "getting in a lot of trouble" while attending the university and plans on returning to earn his degree.
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...
at one of the campus's talent show
Talent show
A talent show is an event where participants perform their talent or talents of acting, singing, dancing, acrobatics, drumming, martial arts, playing an instrument, and other activities to showcase a unique form of talent, sometimes for a reward, trophy or prize...
s, he received positive feedback and realized his vocal ability, saying that the "music was just taking over". In 2007, he enrolled in Columbia College Chicago
Columbia College Chicago
Columbia College Chicago is one of the largest art colleges in the United States with nearly 12,000 students pursuing degrees within 120 undergraduate and graduate programs...
to pursue a degree in music business.
Career beginnings and debut album
While attending Columbia College ChicagoColumbia College Chicago
Columbia College Chicago is one of the largest art colleges in the United States with nearly 12,000 students pursuing degrees within 120 undergraduate and graduate programs...
, Jeremih collaborated with record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
Mick Schultz
Mick Schultz
Mick Schultz is an American music producer and songwriter. His most notable accomplishments to date include the production of Jeremih’s debut and second albums, including the platinum hit “Birthday Sex”. He has also produced for artists such as Jenna Andrews and Jesse James.- Early life :Schultz...
. Together, they recorded a song entitled "My Ride". Jeremih received guidance by his cousin Day26
Day26
Day26 is an American male R&B music group formed on August 26, 2007 by Sean "Diddy" Combs in a handpicked selection at the end of MTV's Making the Band 4. The group consists of Robert Curry, Brian Andrews, Willie Taylor, and Michael McCluney. The moniker is a tribute to the day when Andrews,...
group member, Willie Taylor
Willie Taylor
Willie Taylor, , is an American singer and song writer. He is best known as a contestant from MTV's Making the Band 4, where he was chosen by Diddy to be a member and one of the main vocalists of the band Day26 on August 26, 2007.-Early life:Taylor is formerly a member of the Chicago-based group...
. In February 2009, Jeremih met with Island Def Jam chairman L. A. Reid
L. A. Reid
Antonio "L.A." Reid is a three-time Grammy Award-winning US record executive, songwriter, and record producer. Best known as the co-founder of LaFace Records, he is responsible for signing and helping bring Mariah Carey, Pink, Justin Bieber, Rihanna, Kanye West, Avril Lavigne, Toni Braxton, TLC,...
and executive vice president
Vice president
A vice president is an officer in government or business who is below a president in rank. The name comes from the Latin vice meaning 'in place of'. In some countries, the vice president is called the deputy president...
of A&R
A&R
Artists and repertoire is the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists. It also acts as a liaison between artists and the record label.- Finding talent :...
Karen Kwak. After performing for the two, Jeremih was signed to Def Jam Recordings
Def Jam Recordings
Def Jam Recordings is an American record label, focused primarily on hip hop and urban music, owned by Universal Music Group, and operates as a part of The Island Def Jam Motown Music Group...
that same day. His eponymous debut album, Jeremih
Jeremih (album)
Jeremih is the eponymous debut studio album by American recording artist Jeremih, released on June 30, 2009, under Def Jam Recordings. It debuted at number six on the Billboard 200, selling 59,000 copies in its first week.-Background:...
, was released in June 2009 under Def Jam; it debuted at number six on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
and sold 59,000 copies in its first week. In promotion of the album, Jeremih took part in America's Most Wanted Tour, alongside Lil Wayne
Lil Wayne
Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. , better known by his stage name Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. At the age of nine, Lil Wayne joined Cash Money Records as the youngest member of the label, and half of the duo, The B.G.'z, with B.G.. In 1997, Lil Wayne joined the group Hot Boys, which also included...
, Young Jeezy
Young Jeezy
Jay Wayne Jenkins , better known by his stage name Young Jeezy, is an American rapper. He is the member of the hip hop group United Streets Dopeboyz of America and a former member of BMF...
and Soulja Boy Tell 'Em
Soulja Boy Tell 'Em
DeAndre Cortez Way , better known by his stage name Soulja Boy Tell 'Em, or simply Soulja Boy, is an American rapper, record producer, actor, entrepreneur, and internet personality....
. The second single, "Imma Star (Everywhere We Are)
Imma Star (Everywhere We Are)
"Imma Star " is a song by American R&B recording artist Jeremih. It serves as the second single from his self-titled debut album, Jeremih...
", has peaked at number 51 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
.
In August 2009, Jeremih was selected by Ron Huberman and Mayor Richard Daley of the Chicago Public Schools
Chicago Public Schools
Chicago Public Schools, commonly abbreviated as CPS by local residents and politicians and officially classified as City of Chicago School District #299 for funding and districting reasons, is a large school district that manages over 600 public elementary and high schools in Chicago, Illinois...
(CPS) to campaign children to return to school. Community activists protested and demanded CPS to undo their decision, claiming that Jeremih's music was "not appropriate for students" and "promotes teen sex". Huberman argued that "school officials would be naive to pretend students don't listen to Felton's music already". Daley also argued that recording artists have the freedom of speech
Freedom of speech
Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely without censorship. The term freedom of expression is sometimes used synonymously, but includes any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used...
, noting that Jeremih was "a young man, [with a] back-to-school message, a young man who has had great success recording, producer, going to school, went to public school". In September 2009, Jeremih performed on ABC Daytime
ABC Daytime
ABC Daytime is a programming block on the ABC Network which has historically encompassed soap operas, game shows and talk shows.-Schedule:...
s soap opera One Life to Live
One Life to Live
One Life to Live is an American soap opera which debuted on July 15, 1968 and has been broadcast on the ABC television network. Created by Agnes Nixon, the series was the first daytime drama to primarily feature racially and socioeconomically diverse characters and consistently emphasize social...
, alongside recording artist Lionel Richie
Lionel Richie
Lionel Brockman Richie, Jr. , is an American singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Since 1968, he has been a member of the musical group Commodores signed to Motown Records...
. The two performed "Just Go
Just Go (Lionel Richie song)
"Just Go" is a single by Lionel Richie from his 2009 album Just Go. The song, a duet with Akon, was released on March 12, 2009 and - following its UK release - was described by noted R&B writer Pete Lewis of the award-winning 'Blues & Soul' as "a seductively tuneful single with a Caribbean-tinged...
", a song from Richie's album with the same title.
All About You (Second Album)
On June 1, 2010 Jeremih released the first single off of his second studio album All About YouAll About You (album)
- Commercial performance :The album has managed to sell 18,000 copies in its first week of sales. On Billboard 200 albums, it debuted at number twenty-seven and has also entered in at number eight in the Top R&B/Hip-Hop albums chart. As of April, 2011 the album has sold 109,974 copies in USA.-...
titled "I Like
I Like (Jeremih song)
"I Like" is a song by American singer Jeremih and is produced by Mick Schultz. The song features rapper Ludacris It is the lead single from his second album All About You. The song was released to iTunes on July 6, 2010 by Def Jam.-Music video:The music video for the song was shot on location on a...
" featuring Ludacris
Ludacris
Christopher Brian Bridges , better known by his stage name Ludacris, is an American rapper and actor. Along with his manager, Chaka Zulu, Ludacris is the co-founder of Disturbing tha Peace, an imprint distributed by Def Jam Recordings...
. The single is available for purchase on iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
. "All About You
All About You (album)
- Commercial performance :The album has managed to sell 18,000 copies in its first week of sales. On Billboard 200 albums, it debuted at number twenty-seven and has also entered in at number eight in the Top R&B/Hip-Hop albums chart. As of April, 2011 the album has sold 109,974 copies in USA.-...
" was released on September 28, 2010.
The confirmed second single off the album is "Down On Me
Down on Me (song)
"Down on Me" is a song by American singer Jeremih and is produced by Mick Schultz. The song features rapper 50 Cent, and is the second single off his second album All About You. The song was released to US radio stations on October 12, 2010 by Def Jam...
" featuring rapper 50 Cent
50 Cent
Curtis James Jackson III , better known by his stage name 50 Cent, is an American rapper, entrepreneur, investor, record producer, and actor. He rose to fame with the release of his albums Get Rich or Die Tryin and The Massacre . Get Rich or Die Tryin has been certified eight times platinum by...
. A video was shot in 3D for this but it has been confirmed that it's not the official music video, which has since been shot and released on December 17, 2010.
Musical style
Jeremih cites Michael JacksonMichael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
, Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
and R. Kelly
R. Kelly
Robert Sylvester Kelly , better known by his stage name R. Kelly, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. A native of Chicago, Kelly began performing during the late 1980s and debuted in 1992 with the group Public Announcement. In 1993, Kelly went solo with the album 12 Play...
as his biggest influences. He described their music as "timeless", calling them "true musician-artists". With the release of his debut album, Andy Kellman of Allmusic compared Jeremih's vocals to Slim
Slim (112)
Marvin Eugene Scandrick III, better known by his stage name Slim, is an American R&B singer better known for being part of the band 112....
of 112
112 (band)
112 is an American R&B quartet from Atlanta, Georgia. Formerly artists on Diddy's Bad Boy Records, the group signed to the Def Soul roster in 2002. They had great success in the late 1990s and early 2000s with hits such as "Only You", "Anywhere" and "Peaches & Cream"...
and Raphael Saadiq
Raphael Saadiq
Raphael Saadiq is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. Saadiq has been a standard bearer for "old school" R&B since his early days as a member of the multiplatinum group Tony! Toni! Toné! He also produced songs of such artists as TLC, Joss Stone, D'Angelo, Mary J...
, noting that his "charmingly sly voice...is hard to not like". In contrast, Ken Capobianco of The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
felt that Jeremih's voice was "thin", showing "little range". Jody Rosen expressed that Jeremih "has a way with tunes and hooks". He received comparisons to The-Dream
The-Dream
Terius Youngdell Nash , better known by his stage name The-Dream, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. He is known for co-writing "Umbrella" for Rihanna and "Single Ladies " for Beyoncé, as well as for his three solo albums, Love Hate, Love vs...
, R. Kelly and Stevie Wonder.
Discography
Studio albums- JeremihJeremih (album)Jeremih is the eponymous debut studio album by American recording artist Jeremih, released on June 30, 2009, under Def Jam Recordings. It debuted at number six on the Billboard 200, selling 59,000 copies in its first week.-Background:...
(2009) - All About YouAll About You (album)- Commercial performance :The album has managed to sell 18,000 copies in its first week of sales. On Billboard 200 albums, it debuted at number twenty-seven and has also entered in at number eight in the Top R&B/Hip-Hop albums chart. As of April, 2011 the album has sold 109,974 copies in USA.-...
(2010)
Awards and nominations
MOBO AwardsThe Music of Black Origin Awards (MOBO Awards) is an awards ceremony established in 1995 by Kanya King
Kanya king
Kanya King MBE is the founder of the MOBO Awards.-Achievements:King is a consultant to a number of Government initiatives for disadvantaged youth including the Home Office Task Force to reduce gun violence...
.
!Source
|-
|align="center"|2009
|Jeremih
|Best R&B/Soul Act
|
|align="center"|
|-
American Music Awards
The American Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony created by Dick Clark in 1973.
!Source
|-
|align="center"|2009
|Jeremih
|T-Mobile Soul/R&B Breakthrough Artist
|
|align="center"|
|-
NAACP Awards
An NAACP Image Award is an accolade presented by the American National Association for the Advancement of Colored People to honor outstanding people of color in film, television, music, and literature.
!Source
|-
|align="center"|2010
|Jeremih
|Outstanding New Artist
|
|align="center"|
|-
Chicago Music Awards
The Chicago Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony for music artist professionals to get recognized for their talents and hard work. Ephraim Martin, CMA President, is the founder.
!Source
|-
|align="center"|2010
|Jeremih
|Best New Entertainer Of The Year
|
|align="center"|
|-
!Source
|-
|align="center"|2010
|Jeremih
|Songwriter Of The Year
|
|align="center"|
|-
!Source
|-
|align="center"|2010
|Jeremih
|R&B Entertainer Of The Year
|
|align="center"|
|-
!Source
|-
|align="center"|2011
|Jeremih
|Best Male Vocalist Of The Year
|
|align="center"|
|-