A KALTBLUT exclusive! May I introduce you to UK Recording Artist and Model Rickstar who did a fashion story with designerAshton Michael and Rik Villa before the release of his new single and video of James Dean. Which will be out on the 24th of October. Rickell Brown, aka Rickstar, is a native of London, and is a singer-songwriter, dancer and model, currently based between London, New York and Los Angeles. Having received a great response across the globe, his work to date has encompassed eleven singles, including Beat of My Heart, I Just Wanna and So Dope, four EPs – Vintage Soul, Modern Mind, Eclectic State of Mind, Under the Influence and Funkafied Suave – plus an array of music videos. Born in London, Rick spent much of his childhood with his grandparents in New York City, where he discovered his love for music. Early influences included Motown singers Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder. Later Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson and Prince captured his imagination, and inspired him to become an entertainer, following in the footsteps of his family, who include Jamaican dancehall musician Mr. Vegas and Jamaican-Canadian reggae musician and producer Leroy Sibbles.
Relationships can go bad in any situation, and you lose confidence, so what I did was imagine me being a character. One of the characters I embodied was the iconic rebel, James Dean, after watching a documentary on his life. He was also someone who loved to be photographed, and was a clean-cut, sweet boy, but still rebellious at the same time. I believe you can find your own power in another character, so I put the pen to paper and started writing. In the song I identify with these emotions as a way of coming to terms with a broken relationship.” Dean’s iconic image became popular as a representative of the rebellious youth of the 1950s. His moody presence resonated with young people growing up after WW2, his look predating the independent teens of the 1960s, as an unforgettably restless, troubled and compelling figure. Rickstar has paid tribute and blazed a new trail on his return to the music scene with the single James Dean.
Rick completed his education in London, studying at the Sylvia Young Theatre School (alma mater of Victoria Beckham and Amy Winehouse). He then auditioned beating thousands of promising young performers to gain a place at the prestigious Urdang Academy, where he graduated with a BA (Hons) degree in Dance and Musical Theatre. Whilst training, he was a member of popular boy band SOS (Sons of Soul) later known as Rough Copy. He also worked as an extra/dancer on the Beyonce I Am tour and with Tinie Tempah at the Brit Awards. He also danced with Martha and the Vandellas at Carnegie Hall in New York, choreographed by Tynisha Scott, toured in Paris alongside Eric Roberson, and performed alongside the Noisettes for Richard Branson’s popular Virgin Media show at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.
In 2011, he began writing and working on solo material as Rickstar, at the same time as creating his girl group The Rickettes. After meeting lawyer and music executive Sarah Stenette (Iggy Azalea, Jessie J, Rita Ora and Zayne Malick), his sound and look developed, with his modeling career encouraged by Rita Ora’s sister, who was part of Stenette’s group, First Access Entertainment.
Rickstar moved to New York, continuing to craft his style and sound, and worked with producers including Rich Harrison (Beyonce, Usher, Amerie). He fell in love with the DC GoGo funk sound, and was compared by Harrison’s manager to Lenny Kravitz and Terence Trent D’Arby. He started work with a DC label distributed by Atlantic Records and owned by Cliff Jones, and developed his modeling featuring in many magazines. Whilst performing at leading New York venues, such as SOB’s, Rick maintained his UK profile and continued to build his solid fan base worldwide.
His music videos have been shown on 106 and Park, BET, The Box, MTV, Smash Hits and Flava TV.
In 2015, Rick established a third base in Los Angeles, with a reputation as a much sought after singer-songwriter, dancer and model. After a period of artistic and musical exploration and experiment, he developed a new, eclectic sound, encompassing funk, pop, rock, and deep soul.
Now, in 2017 he returns to the music scene ready to achieve new heights with his single James Dean, produced by UK producer Mayday Carter.
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