Biography
British-bred singer/song writer (and 1/3 of UK R&B group FDM), Jermaine Riley has been looking up to many a hero of R&B/pop culture for quite some time now. Michael Jackson being the first, as Jermaine spent hours in front of the TV as a child, emulating the icon. "I wouldn't go anywhere without my white socks and black plimsolls, it didn't matter what I was wearing." he says. "I wanted to be him." With MJ at the top, this list soon grew, along with his anticipation to see his very own name on it.
Fast forward to adulthood; hundreds of shows, several tours, a few music videos and an everlasting back catalogue of songs later and you will find Jermaine preparing to fly the skies once again. Solo.
"Making music and being on stage performing come 2nd nature to me… but doing it by myself makes everything new again. Whatever fearlessness I've had for the past 8 years has to come from a different place now."
Not only an adept dancer and entertainer, Jermaine's song writing and unique tone have garnered the acclaim of fans, artists and producers far and wide. Most recently, such noteworthy talent skipped managers and publishers but landed him on platinum UK rapper Chipmunk's new album Transition, as the voice behind the emotive autobiographical track "Then And Now". Giving him the boost he needed amidst turbulent times. "I wrote that when I was broke!" he exclaims. "The irony of it becoming my first major song placement is crazy to me."
Now, amidst penning songs for many different artists and producers, both upcoming and established, Jermaine has unleashed Hello Earth, his highly anticipated follow up to 2008's 'Goodbye Krypton: The Mixtape', and insists that this new solo project is NOT a mixtape.
"It's all original material this time. I think its quality enough to allow people to put the album stamp on it, despite it being free… "Mixtape" makes it sound disposable to me and I want people to pay attention."
Sprinkled with a star-studded cast of producers and several notable features from upcoming talent, this newest self-penned offering has definitely set a positive tone for his ongoing career as a significant singer/song writer/entertainer. Up, up and away…
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