Christopher Martin will be in Guyana to perform in the National Park on the 26th of September 2009! GSB.com goes a little deeper into the life of this talented Jamaican Artiste.
A star has risen. Christopher Martin, the talented singer/performer from Back Pasture in St. Catherine who shot to instant fame and recognition shortly after winning the coveted Digicel Rising Stars title in 2005, is fast becoming one of the most sought after performers on the Jamaican music landscape.

With a slate of singles permeating radio and the Jamaican music charts including Giving It and Jamaican Girls, Christopher created history when he became the first Digicel Rising Stars alumni to score a hit single on any chart in Jamaica.

‘It has been a wonderful journey so far, filled with new and promising encounters. It is also challenging but I love what I am doing, so it makes that much easier’, Christopher remarked when asked about the journey from being an unknown to a popular personality.

Christopher’s growth as an artiste and an individual ever since he shot onto the scene in 2005 is quite evident. His vocal chops have improved drastically, he is now under the guidance of the Big Yard label which is one of the most prolific musical entities in Jamaica, and he has gained a lot of respect from his peers.
‘I’ve grown tremendously and I am more confident in my performance. My voice also seems more richer and I know exactly what it is I am capable of. I think I have gained the respect from others, due to the amount of work that I have been putting in’, said Martin.

Martin was born on Valentine’s Day in 1987 to parents Cleveland and Maxine Martin. He attended the Watermount All-Age School and later the St. Jago High School. It was during his high school years that his love for the dramatic arts and sports developed. He participated in various sporting activities including football and he even participated in the School’s Drama Festival where he was awarded the best actor award in 2003. That same year he was named Mr. St. Jago High and he also earned the sectional prize for Most Talented.

Additionally, Martin has won numerous awards for singing, throughout his high school years. In 2005, he was awarded the Gold Medal in the Jamaica National Skills competition in singing.

Christopher graduated from St. Jago High school in 2003. After winning the Digicel Rising Stars competition, Martin participated in Digicel’s Christmas promotions in 2005. His debut single Love is all We Need formed part of the promotional campaign.

Martin’s subsequent releases included Conscience, Christmas in Jamdown featuring the Katalys Crew, My Love for You, Take My Wings, Tonight, Giving It, and Jamaican Girls. He has worked with a number of top producers in the reggae/dancehall arena including Robert Livingston (Big Yard), Arif Cooper, Shane Brown and Christopher Birch.

He has performed on a number of stage shows, events, functions and entertainment events across Jamaica and even overseas. One of his major accomplishments in 2006 was signing a contract with Blue Cross of Jamaica. He will make appearances on the behalf of the company until June 2006. Martin’s parents have been the source of his motivation to pursue his musical ambitions. ‘My parents and my peers at school really motivated me. They always said that I would be a star’, he said. He said his main objective is to bring the music and his interpretation of the music to farther heights. ‘I want every household across the world to know and love my music and where I come from’, Martin added.

Martin is presently studying Business Management and Accounting at the University of Technology (UTECH) in Jamaica. His lifelong goal is to become an entrepreneur.

Martin lists singing, reading, socializing and baking among his hobbies. His website which can be seen by logging on to www.chrismartin.com.jm is up and running. His fans can interact with him via that medium. Very soon, a fan club will be officially launched where fans can get closer to him.

Who would have thought that a simple jingle for a local company would be the start of a music career that seems destined for success? Well that is exactly how young Guyanese singer Timeka Marshall got her break. In 2006 a local telecommunications company staged a competition for their new jingle. Timeka entered and won. This became the springboard for recording her first R&B Single “We Should Separate”, which was released and quickly followed by a music video. Produced by Muzikmedia and shot on location in Jamaica both the track and the video gained popularity on the Caribbean music scene and held their own in heavy rotation on radio and television stations across the region. Yet there was much more to unearth in the way of Timeka’s talents.

After performing “We Should Celebrate” on the Guyanese entertainment circuit to appreciative audiences, Timeka was keen to cultivate her songwriting talents and attended the Barbados Music seminar and Showcase in February 2007. There she blew regional and international music executives away with her obvious talent and enticing sensuality. With just one performance of the gritty dancehall track “Nothing At All”, Timeka was immediately signed to a developmental deal which would see her working with some of Jamaica’s top producers.

Timeka’s commitment and hard work in the initial months she spent in Jamaica has paid off, with the release of two singles – “Free” and “Ice-cream Boy” (a fresh taste on a classic) produced by international reggae producer Clive Hunt and his team of talented musicians. Her relationship with Jamaica and the treasure trove of musicians, directors and producers there continues to grow. As soon as the two singles were in heavy rotation on Guyana’s airwaves, Timeka returned to Jamaica to continue recording. This dedication is a clear indication of her intention to take her music throughout the region and beyond and add to the growing list of Caribbean artistes who now rank among the international superstars of the entertainment industry. In February, 2008 she was one of the opening acts on Bob Marley’s Tribute concert “Smile Jamaica” in Montego Bay and a string of appearances followed as she continued to hone her performance skills and introduce herself to the Jamaican public.

As Timeka continues to evolve as an artist, she looks set to begin 2009 on as much a high note as how she started her career. She recently shot the music video for her saucy and seductive single “All Night”, with the accomplished Jamaican director Jay Will. The video’s director, known for his creative imagination and a solid body of work behind him, decided on a sizzling concept for the video, to match the steamy theme of the track. This latest single is produced by one of Jamaica’s most prodigious producers, Stephen McGregor, who is known only to work with the most talented within dancehall and reggae music. Yet another feather in Timeka’s cap, she has proven that her music has been accepted regionally, with approval coming from the nation with arguably the harshest critics. But this intelligent young woman is already acutely aware of how fickle the industry can be, and as such has already landed lucrative endorsement deals. She has been chosen as a spokesperson for the DDL Fritolay brand and in this role she has visited several schools in Guyana impressing on the students the importance of education and HIV/ AIDS awareness. Even in Jamaica, she has embraced the opportunity to empower her peers as evidenced by her acceptance of an invitation from the KLAS radio station to be included on a tour of specific High schools across the country. 

The KLAS Teen Jam High School Tour seeks to spread positive messages to young teens as it rolls across the island, with the music which is played along with the artistes who accompany it. The artistes typically perform, share stories with teens, give advice as they sign posters and CD’s. When she’s not in the studio, Timeka can be found gracing the catwalk of numerous fashions shows and is one of the most sought after models in the Guyanese fashion industry. Such is the diversity of her talent. It has barely been two years since winning the jingle competition, yet Timeka has accomplished more in that short time than she could have imagined. Back in Guyana, she recently won two awards at the Guyana music awards for Best New Artist and Best R&B Artist of the Year. In Jamaica, the country which she has made home within recent months, she has recorded with some of their leading producers and is steadily making waves on the local circuit with her latest single “Love” on the Disturbia rhythm produced by Preston Onfroy.

Following on the heels of veteran musician and producer Eddie Grant, Natural Black and First Born’s reggae success Timeka has begun to reposition Guyana as a viable force on the international music scene. And her work is far from over.

Robyn Rihanna Fenty (born February 20, 1988), who performs under the mononym Rihanna is a Barbadian singer, model, and former beauty queen. She also serves as the cultural ambassador for Barbados. She is the first Barbadian artist to win a Grammy Award. Rihanna is currently signed to the Def Jam Recordings label. She has attained five Billboard Hot 100 number ones thus far ("SOS", "Umbrella", "Take a Bow", "Disturbia" and T.I.'s "Live Your Life").

Rihanna broke into the recording industry in 2005 with the release of her debut album, Music of the Sun, which features the hit single "Pon de Replay". Less than a year later, Rihanna released A Girl Like Me and earned her first number-one single, "SOS". In 2007, Rihanna released her third studio album, Good Girl Gone Bad. Along with the Reloaded edition, the album has yielded eight singles, including "Umbrella", "Don't Stop the Music", "Take a Bow" and "Disturbia".

Rihanna was born in Saint Michael, Barbados, to Ronald and Monica Fenty. She has two younger brothers, Rorrey and Rajad Fenty. Her mother, a native of Guyana, is Afro-Guyanese and her father is Afro-Barbadian and caucasian.

Rihanna attended Charles F. Broome Memorial School, a primary school in Barbados, and then the Combermere School, where she formed a musical trio with two of her classmates at the age of fifteen. In 2004, she won the Miss Combermere Beauty Pageant. She was an army cadet in a sub-military programme that trained with the military of Barbados and Shontelle was her drill sergeant.

In 2003, friends introduced Rihanna and her two bandmates to record producer Evan Rogers, who was vacationing in Barbados with his wife. The group auditioned for Rogers, who said that "the minute Rihanna walked into the room, it was like the other two girls didn't exist." She eventually moved to Connecticut to live with Rogers and his wife. Rogers, along with his partner, Carl Sturken, helped Rihanna record material in the U.S. to send to various recording companies. Rihanna's demo made its way to Def Jam, which invited her to audition for the label's then-President Jay-Z, who quickly signed her.

Rihanna's music has been described as a Reggae/R&B/Dancehall vibe. With the release of her debut album Music of the Sun and its lead single "Pon de Replay", Jason Birchmeier of Allmusic described Rihanna's musical style as "synthesize Caribbean rhythms and beats with standard-issue urban dance-pop: Caribbean-inflected urban, if you will." Rihanna is also described as utilizing "dancehall-lite beats and a reggae vocal cadence." NME describes the singer as a "heady mix of dancehall, reggae and R&B." Barry Walters of Rolling Stone considers Rihanna's A Girl Like Me to be "lightweight dancehall and R&B jams." After the release of Good Girl Gone Bad, Allmusic's Andy Kellman credits Rihanna to be "as pop as pop gets."

Rihanna cites Beyoncé, Mariah Carey, Alicia Keys, Fefe Dobson, Whitney Houston, Destiny's Child, Celine Dion, Brandy, and Gwen Stefani as musical influences.

Jon Bream of the Star Tribune commented "in the tradition of Madonna and Janet Jackson, Rihanna has become the video vixen of the '00s ... Rihanna has perfected the pout, the long-legged strut and trend-setting hairdos that keep women and men alike checking her out on YouTube." George Epaminondas of InStyle considers Rihanna's music videos to be "cinematic" due to her "blend of lush island rhythms and swinging pop and ... mischievous sensuality."Rihanna commented that Marilyn Monroe and vintage clothing served for visual inspiration for the music video "Hate That I Love You"; in contrast, the "dark, creepy" scenes of "Disturbia" have drawn comparison to Michael Jackson's Thriller

Rihanna created her Believe Foundation in 2006 to help terminally ill children. Rihanna has performed a number of concerts to raise funds for both charities and the Foundation. She is also a 2008 Cartier LOVECHARITY Bracelet Ambassador, performed at Madonna’s Raising Malawi fundraiser, and helped a woman find a bone marrow donor.

In September 2008, Rihanna joined other female pop, rock, R&B & country singers such as Carrie Underwood, Ciara, Beyoncé Knowles, Leona Lewis, Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, and Fergie to record "Just Stand Up!", the theme song to the the anti-cancer campaign Stand Up to Cancer and its theme song.

Rihanna has teamed up with H&M and other celebrities like Timbaland and Good Charlotte for "Fashion against AIDS." The collection is designed to spread awareness about HIV/AIDS. It was released at H&M in early February 2008. She went on the Glow in the Dark Tour with Kanye West, Lupe Fiasco, and N.E.R.D.

Rihanna was also selected as the spokesmodel for Gucci’s first UNICEF ad campaign. She will appear in the fashion house’s Tattoo Heart campaign, premiering in December. Rihanna will be photographed in series of special edition print ads with UNICEF items, twenty-five percent of sales will benefit the children’s charity.

In New York, Rihanna was then enlisted by Gucci's Frida Giannini along with Madonna to light the UNICEF Christmas snowflake. Rihanna, is now the face of the fourth annual Gucci Campaign to Benefit UNICEF, which aims to raise funds for children in Africa through the sale of its Tattoo Heart collection of bags.

Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter, dancer, music video director and actor. He made his recording debut in late 2005 with Chris Brown at the age of 16. The album featured the hit single "Run It!", which topped the Billboard Hot 100, making Brown the first male artist to have his debut single to top the chart. The album has sold over two million copies in the United States and was certified double Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).