Sean Paul First Pitch at the Marlins Game at Landshark Stadium
Sean Paul is in his own rights one of the most successful Jamaican Artists to ever top the U.S. Charts. Rising from the dancehalls of Kingston to full-fledged international stardom, Sean has played a major role in bringing dancehall to international mainstream. With more than 10 million albums sold, a Grammy, two billboard awards, and smash hits from collaborations with artists like Beyonce, Rihanna and Blu Cantrell, it’s hard not to feel a bit star-struck when one first meets Sean Paul. Despite his amazing success, however, Sean Paul is surprisingly humble. As he walks inside the Marlins Stadium clad in jeans and a tee shirt, he smilingly greets his fans like he would greet a well known friend or a member of his entourage. Sean makes no hesitations when shaking the hand of a hysteric female fan who jumps from the crowd just to hold his hand and repeatedly yell out how much she loves him. His bodyguard takes notice of the woman and keeps her in eyesight but Sean seems unaware of his stardom and his effect on the crowd. A smile lits up his face when the father of the nine year old boy whose baseball he’s signing asks him to turn around and pose for a picture with the little boy in front of him, who may very well be Sean Paul’s biggest fan. Premier Guide Miami’s Marie-Junie Pierre got the chance to conduct a one on one interview with the internationally acclaimed star after his first pitch at the Marlins Game.
PGM: Sean, thank you so much for meeting with Premier Guide Miami tonight. First of all, how was the game?
SP: It was great. It was actually my first time playing baseball but I remembered shooting mangoes from the trees in Jamaica and I pretended like I was doing the same thing so I just went for it.
PGM: I’m really happy to hear that you enjoyed yourself. Now speaking of Jamaica, you come from a family of swimmers from there and your parents were polo swimmers. Is that correct?
SP: Yes. They were. My grandfather was a polo swimmer and he used to participate in competitions. My mother was also a swimmer.
PGM: Having come from a family of swimmers and being an avid swimmer yourself until the age of 21, what was it like making a leap from swimming to music?
SP: It wasn’t really a leap. I had reached a point where swimming had become a pastime for me. I wasn’t winning any competitions and all my friends were going away to college. Music had always been my passion so I made the decision to pursue a career in the music industry.
PGM: You’ve had a lot of success with your previous albums. Your new album, Imperial Blaze was released on August, 2009. Tell me a little bit more about this album. Why “Imperial Blaze”? What is the meaning behind the title?
SP: Imperial Blaze to me, means the “King of Fire”, like the fire that’s inside of me, where my energy and my music originate.
PGM: That’s a very interesting perception. What should we expect from this album as opposed to your previous albums?
SP: My previous albums were about partying but I think this album differs because it is a lot more personal. A lot of tracks on this album are about relationships and not just my own relationships but more precisely the relationships between men and women in general.
PGM: How do you think you have evolved as an artist in this album? How has your music evolved?
SP: I have evolved a lot technically music-wise. I’ve been working with younger generations in producing music and utilizing protools which enables me to do a lot more in terms of mixing and modernizing music. Recording has greatly evolved throughout the years, starting from tapes, to analog and now digital and kids growing up in this digital world are able to do a lot with it. They are taking it to the future. I feel that these kids in Jamaica are the best to represent the progress that we have been making in reggae and dancehall in order to take it to the future and to bring it to a broader audience in movie and tv screens. Working with these kids is something that I could do for my history, my music, and my country. It is definitely an honor. .
PGM: These kids are definitely lucky to have you as a mentor. What should we be looking forward to from you? Are there any future business endeavors in the horizon? What should we expect from Sean Paul?
SP: I definitely want to do some charity work. I also plan to come out with my own fashion line.
PGM: Sean, Premier Guide wishes you the best of luck and success and we really appreciate your time. Thanks again for meeting with us.