Singer Sean Kingston lets relationships inspire music

By MESFIN FEKADU

NEW YORK — After the huge success of his self-titled debut, singer-songwriter Sean Kingston still had one problem: girls.

“It’s like I meet this girl. She’s like, ‘I don’t want to be with you, you’re too chubby. I don’t like the chubby guys,’” he explains about his new single, “Face Drop.”

“But I’m like, ‘Yo, you should take the time out to see how I am inside.’ It should be about my inner, not my outer. But she judged me and didn’t want to be with me. [But] now I got my own girl, I’m doing my own thing, and I made her face drop. She’s like, ‘Oh my God!’”

Kingston’s first CD went gold, and three singles hit the top 15, with “Beautiful Girls” becoming a No. 1 summer smash.

The 19-year-old Miami-born, Jamaican-bred performer is also hoping music lovers will be blown away with the sound of his sophomore album, “Tomorrow.” The CD’s first single, the party jam “Fire Burning,” is a hit, and Kingston’s hoping to further duplicate the success of his first CD with album collaborators such as Wyclef Jean, Good Charlotte and RedOne, the producer behind Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face” and “Just Dance.”

Kingston recently talked about image, his relationships and success.

Q. Did you ever feel like you needed to lose weight or adjust your image since your success?

A. Not really. That’s what a lot of people love about Sean Kingston. Because people tend to say, “OK you’re star, you have to have a six pack, you have to do this, you have to do that.” But back in the day, these guys were all about music. It wasn’t about you have to be this, that. It was about music. I agree that you have to carry yourself a little bit on star standards — you can’t carry yourself sloppy. ... I don’t want to be sloppy and I don’t want to be unhealthy, but this is me. Take it or leave it.

Q. Are you ever afraid that you might one day be considered a singles artist as opposed to an albums artist?

A. I feel that you are absolutely right, that you can be looked at as a singles artist. But when people start to see, “Wow, this kid is starting to put out great singles, let’s see what his album sounds like.” I feel like I grew up on music, I grew up on reggae, my grandfather is a huge producer, Jack Ruby. He worked with Bob Marley — he was a huge producer back in the day in his days in Jamaica. So this is something that I know I can do. ... I hate when people say it’s just a few songs on the radio because it’s not really like that. I feel like I have longevity.

Q. How has life changed?

A. I’ve traveled the world. I’ve be able to take care of my family and that’s what’s most important. Because, I came from nothing, and just to be where I’m at, living my dream, it’s amazing, and I wouldn’t trade it for nothing in the world.

Q. You and your mother were separated when you were a child, and you lived with your aunt. How is your relationship now?

A. Everybody’s doing fine now. The relationship is great. My mom is like my co-manager now. My sister is like my co-stylist. So everybody has a position and everybody’s happy, and stuff is going great now.

Q. Now that you’ve made it, how do you look at how you grew up?

A. I’m from Kingston, Jamaica, and people don’t really make it to become big celebrities, like crossover celebrities like ... I am. So I feel like to be doing what I’m doing right now ... and to come in at 16, there was a lot of stuff. But now I’m 19, and I’m connected with the right people. It’s amazing.