Iyaz Admits to Blowing Off Sean Kingston

By Jo Piazza Posted Feb 23rd 2010 09:30AM

You may know Keidran Jones by his stage name, Iyaz. That's what the Virgin Islands born singer of the hit song 'Replay' has been going by since he was discovered by reggae fusion star Sean Kingston on his MySpace page in 2008. He has since lent his voice to the new 'We Are The World' and walked the red carpet at this year's Grammy Awards.

In the midst of his star blowing up, PopEater took some time to chat with the up-and-coming 22-year-old singer about his quick rise to the top of the charts, how being a star has destroyed any hope for a personal life in 2010 and why he initially blew off Sean Kingston.

Sean Kingston discovered you on MySpace and tried to reach out to you after you had a hit in the Caribbean called 'Island Girls,' but you blew him off. Are you self-destructive?
He kept leaving me messages on my MySpace, but I didn't believe it was him so I didn't respond. Finally, he called me from Japan and I was like, 'Oh wow, this really is Sean Kingston, sorry buddy.'

What were you doing when you were 'discovered?'
I was in college. I was actually in college with my dad and my sister at the same time at the New England Institute of Technology in Rhode Island. Dad was studying architecture and my big sister was doing networking and computer science. Pops went first. He was working as an architect his whole life, but he wanted to get a degree, so he gets there and he was teaching all the teachers and stuff. Then I showed up studying audio and visual arts. Sean got in touch with me and I just kept going to school, and then a few weeks later, I was in the music studio.

So you met with Sean and then what happened to get you into the studio?
Sean introduced me to the music producer JR Rotem, and JR just totally took over producing my songs and my life. I have no personal life now. I can honestly say my life has changed in that I have no personal life.

But your music is pretty personal. 'Replay' is about a girl that you lost. What are you going to write about if you have no personal life?
Maybe I'll write about how I have no time to get her back.

Your first single made it to the top of the charts across the globe. You have an album coming out in the spring. What do you hope your career looks like in ten years?
By 2020, I want to be like Jay-Z or Russell Simmons. I don't want to be just about a song. I want to be a brand. I want to see people walking down the street and wearing my clothing and singing my mixture of Island Pop.

What exactly is Island Pop?
Island Pop is a mixture of reggae, calypso and rock. It is every genre out there mixed together. When you think island, you think different cultures. It is about anything that makes you feel good.

Want more Iyaz? Check out his music on iTunes!

Tags: iyaz, Sean Kingston