Kingston, Jamaica · dancehall · reggae

Sean Paul

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Dancehall's global hitman — 'Temperature' and 'Get Busy' still detonate any dancefloor on contact.

Sean Paul Ryan Francis Henriques was born in Kingston, Jamaica, on January 9, 1973. He is sometimes called 'Chanderpaul,' a nickname that stuck after people noted the similarity between his name and that of cricketer Shivnarine Chanderpaul, and which he later used himself in shows and recordings.

Paul played water polo for Jamaica's national team from age 13 to 21, following family tradition, before giving up the sport for music. He worked as a bank teller and studied hotel management before meeting producer Jeremy Harding, for whom he recorded the song 'Baby Girl,' the collaboration that launched his recording career in the mid-1990s.

His debut album, Stage One, appeared in 2000. Its follow-up, Dutty Rock, released in 2002, made him one of dancehall's most widely heard voices, built on singles 'Gimme the Light,' 'Get Busy' and 'Like Glue.' 'Get Busy' topped the US Billboard Hot 100, and Dutty Rock won the Grammy for Best Reggae Album.

Paul's guest verse on Beyoncé's 'Baby Boy' widened his pop audience, and 'Temperature,' from his third album The Trinity, gave him a second US number-one single in 2005. His delivery, a rapid, melodic patois flow set over dancehall riddims, adapted easily to pop and dance production.

He has kept appearing on other artists' hits since, including Blu Cantrell's 'Breathe,' The Saturdays' 'What About Us,' Clean Bandit's 'Rockabye,' Sia's 'Cheap Thrills' and DJ Snake's 'Fuego,' alongside his own single 'No Lie.' 'Rockabye' has passed 2.7 billion views on YouTube, with 'Cheap Thrills' and 'No Lie' each over a billion.

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