Sean Kingston to perform on campus Wednesday

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Sean Kingston

Contemporary vocalist Sean Kingston will perform a free outdoor concert on Western Carolina University’s Central Plaza on Wednesday, Aug. 22.

The concert, which is part of the university’s “Week of Welcome” activities, begins at 7:30 p.m. following a music from deejay beginning at 6 p.m.

Kingston’s self-titled debut album sold more than a million copies and yielded three back-to-back Top 10 singles, including “Beautiful Girls.” Kingston later released the album “Tomorrow,” which had singles “Fire Burning” and “Face Drop,” and most recently “Back 2 Life,” which fuses reggae, hip-hop, rhythm and blues and electronic effects. His latest album draws from his experience recovering from a 2011 jet skiing accident in Miami Beach that hospitalized him for a month and required two open-heart surgeries.

“I couldn’t go anywhere while I was recovering, so I spent all my time writing songs and listening to beats,” said Kingston in the biography on his website. “All I wanted was to get back to doing music, which is what I’ve been devoting my life to since I was 8 years old.”

Kingston first recorded songs on a personal studio his mother bought him when he was 11 years old. Born in Miami, Kingston also spent time living with his father in Jamaica. When his mother was convicted of tax evasion and bank fraud, the teen experienced homelessness and bounced from the homes of his friends and relatives. A lawn-mowing job enabled him to earn enough money to make a demo, which led him to be signed by Beluga Heights in 2006 and ultimately a contract with Epic Records.

The concert is sponsored by A.K. Hinds University Center and the Department of Residential Living. For more information, contact the University Center offices at 828-227-7206 or visit wow.wcu.edu online.