Sean Paul facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sean Paul OD
Paul in 2024
Born	Sean Paul Ryan Francis Henriques (1973-01-09) 9 January 1973 (age 52) Kingston, Jamaica
Occupation	Singer rapper songwriter
Years active	1994–present
Spouse(s)	Jodi Stewart ​ (m. 2012)​
Children	2
Musical career
Genres	Dancehall reggae hip-hop R&B
Labels	VP Atlantic Dutty Rock Island

Sean Paul Ryan Francis Henriques is a famous Jamaican singer and rapper. He was born on January 9, 1973. Sean Paul became well-known around the world with his second album, Dutty Rock, released in 2002. His songs "Get Busy" and "Temperature" both reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Sean Paul often uses the nickname "Chanderpaul." This name comes from how similar his first two names sound to the cricketer Shivnarine Chanderpaul. He started using it in his shows and recordings, and it became a part of his stage name.

Many of Sean Paul's albums have been nominated for Grammy Awards in the Best Reggae Album category. His album Dutty Rock actually won this award. He has also been featured on many other popular songs. These include "Baby Boy" with Beyoncé, "Cheap Thrills" with Sia, and "Rockabye" with Clean Bandit. "Cheap Thrills," "Rockabye," and his own song "No Lie" have all been viewed over a billion times on YouTube. "Rockabye" has even reached over 2.7 billion views!

Early Life and Sports

Sean Paul Ryan Francis Henriques was born in Kingston, Jamaica on January 9, 1973. His mother, Frances, is a painter with English and Chinese Jamaican family roots. His father's family came from Portugal to Jamaica a long time ago. Sean Paul also has African and European family history.

He grew up as a Catholic and also went to a Jewish private school in Jamaica. Sports were a big part of his family's life. His grandfather played on Jamaica's first men's national water polo team. His father also played water polo in the 1960s and was a long-distance swimmer. Sean Paul's mother was a butterfly swimmer.

Sean Paul himself played for the national water polo team from age 13 to 21. He then decided to focus on his music career. He went to Wolmer's Boys' School and the College of Arts, Science, and Technology (now the University of Technology, Jamaica). He studied business and also learned about French cooking in a hotel-management program. In 1992, he worked as a bank teller.

Music Journey

Early Days and First Album (1994–2000)

Sean Paul started his music journey in 1994, appearing in a music video. A friend, Zachary Harding, heard him sing at a small event in Kingston and thought he sounded like the famous dancehall artist Super Cat. Zachary's brother, Jeremy, later met Sean Paul. Sean Paul recorded a song called "Baby Girl" with Jeremy, who then became his manager and producer.

Sean Paul spent a lot of time at the studio, and they made more songs together. When they created "Infiltrate," they knew they had something special for the radio. As Sean Paul became more known locally, Jeremy Harding helped him with everything, even acting as his security guard sometimes.

In 1997, Sean Paul worked with singer Spanner Banner on a song called "Ladies Man." He also appeared in the 1998 movie Belly and contributed to its soundtrack with the song "Top Shotter," featuring DMX and Mr. Vegas.

In 2000, Sean Paul released his first album, Stage One, with VP Records. That same year, he collaborated with Canadian rapper Kardinal Offishall and singer Jully Black on the song "Money Jane."

Global Success and Atlantic Records (2001–2015)

Paul performing in 2005

In 2001, Sean Paul released the single "Gimme the Light." This song became a huge hit in Jamaica and then worldwide in 2002, reaching number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. This success helped him sign a record deal with Atlantic Records and VP Records. "Gimme the Light" was included on his second album, Dutty Rock, which came out in November 2002. The music videos for his songs from this album were played a lot on MTV and BET.

In early 2003, his song "Get Busy" was released and quickly became number one on the Billboard Hot 100. This was Sean Paul's first number-one hit and the first time a dancehall song topped that chart. Dutty Rock was a huge success globally, selling over six million copies. It won the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album in 2004. "Get Busy" was also nominated for a Grammy. At the same time, Sean Paul was featured on Beyoncé's number-one hit "Baby Boy" and Blu Cantrell's "Breathe." These collaborations made him even more famous in the United States. This album helped make dancehall music and a new style called "dancehall pop" very popular.

Sean Paul's third album, The Trinity, was released in 2005. It started at number 5 on the Billboard 200 chart, setting a new record for a reggae/dancehall artist. It sold 4 million copies worldwide. The album had five big hits: "We Be Burnin'", "Ever Blazin'", "(When You Gonna) Give It Up to Me" (with Keyshia Cole), "Never Gonna Be the Same," and the US chart-topper "Temperature." "Temperature" became one of his most famous songs. The music video for "(When You Gonna) Give It Up to Me" was even in the movie Step Up in 2006. Sean Paul won an American Music Award for this song. In March 2007, he performed at the 2007 Cricket World Cup opening ceremony in Jamaica.

Sean Paul also appeared in the video games Def Jam: Fight for NY and Def Jam: Icon.

Paul in 2007

His fourth album, Imperial Blaze, came out in 2009. The first song from it was "So Fine." The album had 20 songs, including party tracks like "Press It Up" and "Private Party," and love songs like "Hold My Hand" (with Keri Hilson).

Sean Paul appeared in Shaggy's music video "Save a Life," which also featured other artists. They held a concert to raise money for a children's hospital. In 2010, he performed his songs "Temperature," "Hold My Hand," and "So Fine" at the premiere of Big Brother Africa: All-Stars.

Sean Paul's fifth album, Tomahawk Technique, was released in 2012. The first song, "Got 2 Luv U", featured American singer Alexis Jordan. The second song, "She Doesn't Mind", was also very popular. Tomahawk Technique was nominated for the Best Reggae Album Grammy Award. In 2011, Sean Paul started his own record label, Dutty Rock Productions.

Paul in June 2012

In 2013, Sean Paul worked on his sixth album, Full Frequency, which was released in 2014. It included songs like "Other Side of Love" and "Entertainment 2.0" (with 2 Chainz and Juicy J). He also released a remix of "Entertainment 2.0" with Nicki Minaj. The album featured other artists like Damian Marley and Iggy Azalea. In 2013, Sean Paul was featured on the song "What About Us" by the British girl group The Saturdays. This song went straight to number one on the UK charts.

In 2014, Sean Paul was a main artist at a festival in Costa Rica. He also appeared on the English version of the popular Latin American song "Bailando" by Enrique Iglesias. This version became a top 10 hit in the United States. He also worked with the electronic music group Major Lazer on the song "Come On to Me" and with Nigerian singer Timaya on a remix of "Bum Bum."

New Record Label and Comeback (2016–Present)

Sean Paul became an independent artist in 2014 after leaving Atlantic Records. In 2016, his career saw a big comeback when he was featured on Australian singer Sia's song "Cheap Thrills." This song topped the Billboard Hot 100, making it Sean Paul's first number-one hit since 2006. It was a global success, reaching number one in over 15 countries.

After this success, Sean Paul signed a new record deal with Island Records in July 2016.

In October 2016, the British electronic group Clean Bandit released the song "Rockabye," which featured Sean Paul and Anne-Marie. This song reached number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US and was number one on the UK Singles Chart for nine weeks, becoming the Christmas number 1 song. It was a huge global hit in 2017, reaching number one in 18 other countries.

In November 2016, Sean Paul released a new single called "No Lie" featuring Dua Lipa. This song was the first single from his EP Mad Love the Prequel, released in 2018. "No Lie" became a global hit, reaching the top ten in 10 different countries. Its music video also passed 1 billion views on YouTube in April 2022, making it his most popular music video. Another song from the EP, "Mad Love" with David Guetta and Becky G, also became popular worldwide.

In 2018, Sean Paul was featured on a remix of CNCO's song "Hey DJ" with Meghan Trainor.

In March 2019, Sean Paul worked with Colombian singer J Balvin on a song called "Contra La Pared." This song was a hit in Latin America and Spain. Sean Paul has mentioned that using strong Jamaican Patois (a mix of English and other languages) can sometimes make it harder for Jamaican musicians to become successful in the United States and the United Kingdom.

In October 2019, he received the Order of Distinction (OD) from the Jamaican government for helping make reggae music popular around the world. In August 2019, he was nominated for Favorite Crossover Artist at the Latin American Music Awards.

In March 2021, Sean Paul released his seventh album, Live n Livin, under his own label, Dutty Rock Productions. He also worked with fellow Jamaican artists Spice and Shaggy on the song "Go Down Deh." They performed this song on popular TV shows like Good Morning America and Jimmy Kimmel Live!. The song was very well-received and was called the "dancehall track of the year" for 2021 by NPR.

In May 2022, Sean Paul released his eighth album, Scorcha, through Island Records. In September 2022, he appeared on season 22 of The Voice as Gwen Stefani's coach advisor. In April 2023, he collaborated on another song called "Niña Bonita" with Colombian singer Feid. This song became a top-10 hit in Colombia and Ecuador. In October 2023, Sean Paul was nominated for Crossover Artist of the Year at the 2023 Billboard Latin Music Awards.

Other Ventures

In 2011, Sean Paul started his own record label, Dutty Rock Productions. In 2017, he signed Jamaican artist Chi Ching Ching to his label. In 2022, to promote his album Scorcha, he released his own brand of Jamaican patties called the "Scorcha Patty" and hot sauce. He did this with a Jamaican restaurant in the United Kingdom called Port Royal.

Giving Back

Sean Paul is also involved in helping others. In 2016, he donated $1 million Jamaican dollars to the Bustamante Hospital for Children. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he started the "Sean Paul Foundation" in 2020. This foundation helps families in Jamaica who are struggling by giving them groceries and providing tablet computers to primary school students.

Caring for the Planet

Sean Paul has spoken out about climate change. In 2015, he attended a United Nations Climate Change conference. He talked about his worries about pollution and how beaches in Jamaica are being washed away. He has encouraged people to reduce waste, use solar power, and drive electric cars. He worked with artists like Paul McCartney and Natasha Bedingfield on a song called "Love Song to the Earth" to raise awareness about climate change. In 2018, Sean Paul was named an ambassador for climate change in the Caribbean. In 2022, he shared that he has made his entire house solar-powered to help fight climate change.

Personal Life

In 2012, Sean Paul married Jamaican television host Jodi Stewart. They announced they were expecting their first child in August 2016. Their son was born on February 26, 2017. Their second child was born on August 20, 2019.

Albums

• Stage One (2000)
• Dutty Rock (2002)
• The Trinity (2005)
• Imperial Blaze (2009)
• Tomahawk Technique (2012)
• Full Frequency (2014)
• Live n Livin (2021)
• Scorcha (2022)

Film and TV Appearances

Film

Television

Documentary

Video games

Awards and Nominations

Grammy Awards

Other Awards

See also

In Spanish: Sean Paul para niños