Biography of Mishon
The 15-year-old
vocalist has already stirred up noise with his debut single "Excuse Me
Mama," which shows off the Los Angeles native's soaring vocal dexterity
and considerable teen charm. The track is just the tip of the iceberg,
as Mishon is poised to capture even more fans with his exciting debut
CD, due this summer on producer/songwriter Vincent Herbert's new
Streamline Records, a joint venture with Interscope Records.
The multi-talented teen is already a TV star thanks to his role as
spunky kid brother Tay on the ABC Family Channel drama "Lincoln
Heights," which began shooting its third season this spring. Though
Mishon has developed his own fan base thanks to his acting chops, he
says that singing has always been his first love. Singing since he was a
small child, his interest in music impressed his parents enough to
enroll him in a local performing group of talented children that
performed gigs throughout Southern California.
But it wasn't until he handpicked the song, "Lean On Me" to perform
unexpectedly at the funeral of his great grandfather. At age 9 that
folks around him really took notice of the emotion he was able to wring
from the song. "They asked if anybody had anything to say, and I stepped
up to the microphone and started singing," Mishon explains. "And that's
really what broke me out of my shell because I used to be a very shy
child."
One person who took notice was his cousin, Demetreus "Doe Mac"
Henderson, who had started Dynasty Records and wanted to help his young
relative polish his talent. Mishon began working on tracks with his
cousin at age ten, even completing a couple of independent CD releases.
In the meantime, Mishon got interested in acting. After rounds of
auditions at age 12, the preteen took some time off but went back to it
at age 14. One of his first auditions was for the "Lincoln Heights"
pilot, which was later picked up. But music never stopped for Mishon,
who continued to hone his performing craft and record more songs for his
eventual solo album.
When Dynasty got a distribution deal with Streamline, Mishon went to the
label's Santa Monica offices to sing live for all the executives.
Vincent Herbert, the mastermind who's created hits for the like's of
Destiny's Child,
Jo Jo, Toni Braxton,
Michael Jackson,
Stevie Wonder and many more, was so
blown away by the young star that he introduced him to Jimmy Lovine,
president and CEO of Interscope Geffen A&M Records. Plans for his major
label debut went underway immediately.
Inspired by Michael Jackson, Usher, Jodeci,
and Boyz II Men, Mishon is rapidly developing a style all his own. He
runs through the yearning lyrics of the dance floor single "Excuse Me
Mama" with smooth assurance, sharing a tale of a guy trying to meet that
special someone while hanging at the mall. "It's a refreshing song, like
something young and new," enthuses the singer. "It's about seeing a girl
but you don't know what to say to her, so I gotta step up to her and
express how I feel. I could definitely relate to the song." Though the
song has earned him comparisons to Chris
Brown, Mishon says he's flattered but he's got his own style. "I
really wasn't too devastated by it," he laughs about the comments.
The young singer has teamed with uber-songwriters and producers
including Sean "The Pen" Garrett (Usher,
Pussycat Dolls,
Ciara), The Underdogs (Chris Brown,
Jordin Sparks), Dre and
Vidal (Ciara, Usher, Mary J. Blige),
Carlos "L.O.S" McKinney (J.
Holiday, The Dream), Herbert and others on his debut album. Among
the other tunes on Mishon's debut are the sweet groove "Thinking Bout Ya"
and the spare electronic bombast of "Lifeguard," both of which will have
the dance floor pumping. And Mishon promises that like his performing
idols, he's got a few fly dance moves of his own saved for the stage.
While Mishon is ready to kick-start his run at the charts and already
shines on the small screen, he remains humble and reminds other teens to
keep their priorities straight. "Something I would like to tell teens is
that if they're a musician--or whatever they may do-- they should
remember that their parents always support them, so they shouldn't be
afraid to talk to their parents," says Mishon, whose name is a mashup of
the first names of parents Michael and Shontay. "I know that a lot of
teens are kind of rebellious sometimes, but just keep your support
behind you and keep God number one and follow your dreams, don't ever
give up. That's been my stronghold for the last five years."
Biography
courtesy of Thinktank Marketing
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Listen to Music
"Excuse Me Mama"
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