SPOTLIGHT: Jesse Boykins III - Featured Artist

Jesse Boykins III has a timeless sound. He shares a point of view that crosses all genres and generations. Every note and each word in all his recorded works to his live performance is skillfully crafted evoking emotions that move the listener to examine and acknowledge those feelings within themselves.

Jesse was born in Chicago February 20, 1985. As a toddler Jesse moved to Kingston Jamaica where he spent most of his childhood and later to Miami where he integrated the strict family values instilled in him with an adoration of music and began a journey to create what would ultimately become the Jesse Boykins III brand.

Throughout his childhood in Jamaica and Miami, Jesse spent most of his time outside of school learning valuable life lessons from his family. His aunts and uncles taught him the value of setting goals for himself; his grandmother a respect for spirituality; and his mother a sense of passion and the importance of staying dedicated and focused in order to reach them.

It was in 4th grade that Jesse began writing music. He'd pick up on everyday sounds that most people would fail to notice and use them as fuel to create melodies and write songs which he would record on his Karaoke machine. It was around this time that he realized a desperate hunger to discover music other than what he was hearing on the radio which until then had been his main source of musical inspiration. He had heard of Stevie Wonder, Donny Hathaway, Marvin Gaye, Jimmy Cliff, The Beatles and plenty of other soul artists but it wasn't something that he was exposed to in his everyday life. He used the internet to discover these artists and learned from them how to create depth in his lyrics. He studied their use of metaphor and imagery, examined how they used these techniques to create stories and worked these methods into his own personal style. In high school he and three friends formed a boy band called Perfect Gentlemen. The group toured local junior high schools and Jesse began developing his performing skills. Soon Jesse found himself recording with The Grammy Jazz ensemble and was recruited to attend school at The New School University in New York.

While at The New School, school Jesse perfected his skills as a writer, performer, arranger and producer and as a vocalist. He also studied with classical trainer Kamal Scott and Universal recording artist Bilal. Fueled by passion he began experimenting with various genres of music. He created bonds with other talented and dedicated musicians and formed his supporting band, The Beauty Created.

After graduation Jesse turned full focus on creating the Jesse Boykins III brand. He continued recording and began distributing music and videos, creating limited edition merchandise and touring all while maintaining a consistent brand look and feel. With a handpicked, dedicated team within less than a year he was able to self-release two albums and build a loyal fan base. With his first official video release Tabloids he achieved worldwide recognition and charted at 2 on the Billboard Video Monitor. At only 23 years old, in addition to his released music his extensive catalog spans all genres from R&B to rock. As an artist Jesse Boykins III works daily creating music for the sake of music that captures the ear and souls of his listeners.

http://www.jbiiimusic.com

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