Biography
read full storyIt was his melodic smooth voice that carried the break out song of 2009 Holiday, with deejay Ding Dong, to the top of the charts and that has carried him across the globe as the lead singer for the eclectic roots group, C Sharp. With yea ...
It was his melodic smooth voice that carried the break out song of 2009 Holiday, with deejay Ding Dong, to the top of the charts and that has carried him across the globe as the lead singer for the eclectic roots group, C Sharp. With years of practice behind his belt, the 25 year old drummer, keyboardist and songwriter is not only ready to take his sound to the world but to carry his band to even higher heights.
Born in Westmeade Portmore to a musical family, Chevaughn has been singing since his days in the choir at the Apostolic Church of God, having first received vocal training from his older sister who always encouraged him to pursue his dream.
Chevaughn said, "I grew up in church loving to sing and playing the drums. Then my eldest sister Kethrina used to hear me singing so she started giving me voice lessons and soon after that I was singing for everyone, everywhere. After that came the school choirs and JCDC competitions and the Tastee Talent Contest in 1997." A past student of the Bridgeport High School, Chevaughn also took on one of his many loves the drums, working as a drummer for two years for a prominent performing arts company in Jamaica.
In 2002 Chevaughn had a brief stint with Jamaican gospel group, Heart and Soul and has done a number of charity performances with famed local philanthropist Father Ho Lung. After which the singer furthered his education at the Edna Manley School of the Visual and Performing Arts from 2003-2006 majoring in 'Popular Music'. It was at Edna Manley that Chevaughn learnt to test the depth and range of his voice under the tutelage of June Lawson as his jazz vocal coach, Curtis Watson who was his classical voice coach and Michael Sean Harris who coached the youngster in popular music and still does to this day. It was also during his years at Edna Manley that Chevaughn met up with the Further Notice band, becoming a member and who would later work with the singer under the name Notice Productions (producers of Holiday). For Chevaughn luck was on his side as upon finishing Edna Manley he continued to work with Father Ho Lung and Friends touring around the world and eventually stepped in as the lead singer of C Sharp, when the original lead singer left the band in 2006.
For Chevaughn being with C Sharp has shaped his music immensely and describes the group as family saying, "our musical chemistry is wicked, we write together effortlessly. In the band everyone has a role. With C Sharp I learnt a whole lot about recording and how to vocally approach all styles of music." Including Chevaughn, C Sharp consists of: Dawin 'Wiy'a Campbell, Aeion 'Yaaka' Hoilett, Lamont 'Monty' Savory and Randevon Patrick. C Sharp combines the different musical loves of all the band members fusing rock, pop, African beats with reggae, dancehall and roots for a completely unique eclectic sound.
The group is known for hits such as No More, What's the Matter with the World, Don't Come, among many others. As a member of C Sharp, Chevaugh has continued to explore the world bringing his musical message to across Europe, Canada, Mexico and the United States. Hence in 2009 when the opportunity to provide the hook for an upcoming Notice productions song, it wasn't an easy decision for the jovial singer to make. Not wanting to alienate his band members Chevaughn got the 'ok' from them before providing the banging hook that stole the summer in Holiday. For Chevaughn, he never thought the song would have been as successful as it is and was tentative to put his name to the track. Being the lead singer of a popular band, Chevaughn didn't want persons to think he was going solo. After discussions with his band the youngster decided a few popular collaborations would not only boost his career but that of C Sharpe's as well.
Since his release Holiday has been magic for Chevaughn garnering him nominations at the EME (Excellence in Music) Awards among others and putting him in heavy rotation across Jamaica and the Caribbean. He described how the song came about saying, "we were there listening to the beat and thought it brought out something very bright and nice and so I started the bridge first and sang a whole heap of things before the holiday idea came out. We had the idea to have a number of artistes on it and Ding was one of them. We carried the demo to him and he heard it and did the first verse the same time and then went to studio." Currently Chevaughn continues to perform with C Sharpe and also performs on shows with Ding Dong; he has made big stages such as Reggae Sumfest, Jamaica Jazz and Blues, Shaggy and Friends, Rebel Salute among others. Chevaughn and C Sharp are in the midst of finishing their yet-to-be-titled sophomore album that will be released in summer of 2010.
As a solo artiste the singer has done big collaborations including Tables Craig Jackson from Voicemail, Ding Dong and Chris Martin as well as a song with Elephant Man called Happy - all for Notice Productions. Also in the works is a song with himself and DeMarco for selector/producer Foota Hype. With musical influences such as Donny Hathaway and the recently departed 'King of Pop' Michael Jackson, Chevaughn calls his music a complicated fusion of genres that will continue to grow with time and dedication- which he has in abundance. As for the future the promising young artiste says fans can expect only the best, "there will definitely be more quality, forward thinking love filled, feel good music to last for generations. Also expect performances that will bless all with a smile in my heart," he said.