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kameko
  • Born: in Baltimore, MD
  • Years Active: 2000s
  • Genre: R & B

A truly talented singer/songwriter, Kameko doesn't fit easily into any prepackaged category of commercial music. The African-American Baltimore native can sing and write songs in circles around most of the commercially successful urban artists out there, yet his music is far too unique and original to fit into any commercial idiom. The thing is, Kameko doesn't follow any particular template of music, so it's troublesome to even link him to any particular style of popular music such as contemporary R&B or neo-soul. This is a guy who cites influences as disparate as Jackie Wilson (the falsetto), Al Green (the passion), Jimi Hendrix (the guitar), Michael Jackson (the showmanship), Whitney Houston (the range), and Björk (the quirkiness), and a guy who has more in common with one-in-a-millions like Prince or Stevie Wonder than he does anyone from his own era. If you were to associate him with someone, however, you might pick fellow soul-styled singer/songwriter eccentrics like Jay Kay (of Jamiroquai), Erykah Badu, Seal, Macy Gray, or D'Angelo. Such comparisons are beside the point, though. Kameko is an original, through and through, and that's what's so amazing about him -- you can't categorize him, which makes his music quite an intriguing listening experience. Born and raised by his mother and sister in Middle River, a mostly white suburb of Baltimore, MD, Kameko never fit in as a child. He was shy as a result, though he began singing at a young age, influenced greatly by his mother, who would sing jazz, spirituals, whatever. Kameko felt more at home in the city of Baltimore, where he would visit his grandmother on the weekends and attend church. It was there -- in the inner city, among fellow African-Americans, at church -- that Kameko began to come to terms with his talent for singing. It wasn't long before his talent began to garner him substantial attention. He transferred to Carver Center for the Arts & Technology, a school for the gifted, and went on to win the Apollo Theater Competition for the state of Maryland and, in turn, a full scholarship awarded by the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. The scholarship took him to New York, where he joined the Alvin Ailey Theater Group and eventually made his theatrical debut in an off-Broadway production of The Wiz. There he starred alongside such brand-name talents as Peabo Bryson, Ce Ce Peniston, Grace Jones, Howard Hewett, and Tony Terry. He then moved abroad to Europe, where found much acclaim as a touring artist, opening for the likes of Toni Braxton and Vanessa Williams and garnering a following of his own as well. He eventually decided to return to America after the loss of his mother, a life-changing event that made him re-evaluate his priorities. Upon returning to America, he launched a recording career, beginning with a website (www.kameko.net) and an independently released debut album (Evalt: Evolutionary Alternative). In doing so, he consolidated his many talents -- as a songwriter, arranger, singer, and performer -- and sought to carve himself a niche of his own in the process. ~ Jason Birchmeier, Rovi

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