Jeremih
Jeremy Phillip Felton (born July 17, 1987),[2][3] known professionally as Jeremih (/ˈdʒɛrəmaɪ/ JERR-əm-eye),[4] is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, and record producer. He embarked on a musical career after meeting record producer Mick Schultz in 2008, and signed a recording contract with Def Jam Recordings the following year.
This article is about the singer. For his self-titled album, see Jeremih (album). For the prophet, see Jeremiah.
Jeremih
Jeremih's 2009 debut single, "Birthday Sex" peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 chart; it preceded the release of his self-titled debut studio album in June that year, which peaked at number six on the Billboard 200. His 2010 single, "Down on Me" (featuring 50 Cent) saw continued commercial success and matched the chart position of the aforementioned, also receiving sextuple platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It preceded the release of his second album All About You (2010), which was met with a critical and commercial decline. His 2014 single, "Don't Tell 'Em" (featuring YG) became his third top-ten hit on the Billboard Hot 100. The song and its follow up singles, "Oui" and "Planez" (featuring J. Cole) each received quintuple platinum certification by the RIAA and preceded the release of his third album, Late Nights: The Album (2015). He formed the duo MihTy with singer Ty Dolla Sign in 2018, with whom he has released an eponymous collaborative album (2018).
Early life[edit]
Born in Chicago, Illinois, Felton began playing drums at the age of three and is able to play the saxophone, several percussion instruments, and piano/keyboards.[5] He attended Morgan Park High School, where he was part of the marching band as well as a Latin jazz band. He also learned to play percussion instruments like congas and timbales.[6] Felton was a good student and earned academic honors at Morgan Park High School, allowing him to graduate a year early.[7][8] He enrolled at the University of Illinois and Parkland College in Urbana-Champaign.[9][10][11] After spending a semester at the university studying engineering, he wanted to change his education to something related to music. He transferred to Columbia College Chicago in 2007 to pursue a degree in music business.[12][13] After performing a tribute to Ray Charles at one of the campus's talent shows, he received positive feedback and realized his vocal ability, saying that the "music was just taking over".[13]
Musical style[edit]
Jeremih cited Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, and R. Kelly as his biggest influences.[63] He described their music as "timeless", calling them "true musician-artists".[63] With the release of his debut album, Andy Kellman of Allmusic compared Jeremih's vocals to Slim of 112 and Raphael Saadiq, noting that his "charmingly sly voice...is hard to not like".[14] In contrast, Ken Capobianco of The Boston Globe felt that Jeremih's voice was "thin", showing "little range".[64] Jody Rosen expressed that Jeremih "has a way with tunes and hooks".[65] He received comparisons to The-Dream, R. Kelly, and Stevie Wonder.[66]
Collaborative albums