Born Chester Jermaine Jennings on June 3rd, 1978, Lyfe Jennings is an American R&B and soul singer/songwriter, hailing from Toledo, Ohio US.
Having lost his father at a young age, Jennings' childhood was marred by hardship, receiving a ten-year prison sentence for arson at the young age of 14. His time spent in jail helped to change his life around, developing a deep passion for music, finding solace in the honest and emotive sound of Erykah Badu, which would be reflected in Jennings' own musical style. Being in jail led to Jennings to develop a very introspective and deeply conscious sound, reflecting upon the hardship he endured and the lessons learnt.
Upon his release in 2002, he recorded a four-song demo and began to perform live, appearing at the famous Apollo nightclub. After an audience response that was initially negative, due to his appearance walking on stage with an acoustic guitar, the crowd were quickly swayed by his gritty, textured voice, often singing in falsetto alongside his heartfelt songwriting. Lyfe claims he went on to sell over 1,000 copies of his demo CD during his time performing at the Apollo, leading to significant hype around the artist.
Producers and record labels were eager to make contact with Jennings, persuading him to move to New York City, US to attempt his hand at a music career and major-label recording contract. Columbia Records went on to secure the deal, releasing his debut album, "Lyfe 268-192" (his inmate number), in August 2004.
This record was followed by "The Phoenix" in 2006, which looked more towards Hip-Hop for influence, featuring guest appearances from Three 6 Mafia and Young Buck. This was followed by "Lyfe Change" in 2008, which played host to a number of new collaborations with various producers. Moving to Warner Bros., Lyfe Jennings released his fourth album, "I Still Believe" in 2010, with guest appearances by Bryan-Michael Cox, Bobby Valentino, Ludacris and Jazmine Sullivan. Following another stint in prison, Lyfe jennings returned in 2013 with "Lucid," released on the Mass Appeal label.
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