Xavier Lewis
Xavier Lewis ("The Antidote to R&B"), a singer & songwriter based in Atlanta, GA, has won the January SingerUniverse “Best Vocalist Of The Month” Competition, for his performance of his song “Give Back" (co-written by Hosea James Givan II). This song has been released as a single, and will be included on his debut album, which Lewis will release independently later this year.
“Give Back ” is a soulful, uptempo number which has an anthem-like feel to it. The song, with both its lyric & music, is reminiscent of the classic R&B sound of Teddy Pendergrass/Harold Melvin & Blue Notes (in the vein of "Wake Up Everybody"). And Lewis' lead vocal performance is excellent--his soulful, passionate vocals sometimes resemble Luther Vandross' stirring voice. "Give Back" was recorded in Atlanta and produced by Eric Ramey (who is based in Huntsville, AL).
Lewis grew up in Miami, FL, and he got into music at a young age. He attended Miami Union Academy (a private school), where he learned to play several instruments (baritone horn, trumpet, percussion). and he started singing publicly early on. Lewis was inspired by listening to such artists as Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones and Whitney Houston, and he's been impressed by the multi-faceted career of R. Kelly (for being able to write and sing in many styles).
Following high school, Lewis attended Oakwood University in Huntsville for two years, but then he decided to move back to Miami to pursue his music career and for family reasons. In 2005, his friend Betty Wright (legendary R&B singer), referred him to hip hop/soul artist Urban Mystic, and he subsequently worked as a background singer in Mystic's band for two years.
Xavier Lewis
Lewis' big break came in 2008, when he became a semifinalist on the popular America's Got Talent NBC-TV series. Lewis performed on the show twice, and he was selected by the show's producers to sing on the Today show (on NBC). The exposure from these TV appearances helped Lewis establish his solo artist career, and set the stage for him to release the singles "Give Back" and "Georgia Clay" (the latter has become the theme song for the TV show Atlanta Business Today), and record his upcoming debut album. Notably, Clay also entered a talent competition called the Georgia Lottery All Access Music Search, and he won the Grand Prize in the pop/R&B category.
Currently, Lewis (who is managed by Reginald Bernard) is looking forward to a successful 2012. "I'm excited about my videos for both 'Give Back' and 'Georgia Clay,'" said Lewis. "People have told me that 'Georgia Clay' could be an anthem for the state of Georgia, and the video will be released in February. I'm also looking forward to completing my album and releasing it this year."
In addition to his recording and video projects, Lewis has continued to perform steadily live. He has played many shows, and has opened for such major artists as Toni Braxton, Anthony Hamilton and Angie Stone.
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