August Alsina
August Alsina | |
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![]() Alsina performing in May 2015 | |
Background information | |
Birth name | August Anthony Alsina Jr. |
Born | [1] New Orleans, Louisiana, United States | September 3, 1992
Genres | |
Occupation(s) |
|
Instrument | Vocals |
Years active | 2007–present |
Labels | Def Jam |
Website | augustalsina |
August Anthony Alsina Jr.[2] (born September 3, 1992) is an American recording artist from New Orleans signed to Def Jam Recordings.[3][4] He is best known for his single "I Luv This Shit" with Trinidad James. His debut studio album Testimony was released on April 15, 2014.
Early life
Alsina was born in New Orleans, Louisiana.[5] He attended middle school in New Orleans.[6] Although no one in his family was musically inclined, he was inspired to sing by Lauryn Hill in Sister Act 2. Alsina first uploaded videos to YouTube in 2007 at age 14, starting with a cover of "Hypothetically" by Lyfe Jennings.[7]
With both his father and stepfather battling crack cocaine addiction, Alsina's mother moved him to Houston, Texas in search of a fresh start after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Then, Alsina's father died.[5][6] Alsina had disagreements with his mother at some point and was "kicked out." After his older brother, Melvin La'Branch III, was shot and killed on August 31, 2010, he became more committed to his music, and relocated to Atlanta in 2011.[8][9][10]
Musical career
2012–14: Downtown: Life Under The Gun and Testimony
His first mixtape The Product was released in April 2012,[11][12] though an "Untitled" mixtape with six acoustic covers premiered in October 2011.[13] His single "I Luv This Shit" featuring Trinidad James was released in January 2013, and[14][15] his mixtape The Product 2 followed in May 2013.[16][17]
The EP Downtown: Life Under the Gun was released on August 20, 2013, with a video for "Hell on Earth" released the following month.[18] On December 9, 2013, the third single from his EP Downtown: Life Under the Gun, "Ghetto" featuring Rich Homie Quan, was serviced to urban contemporary radio[19] and it was the most added song on urban radio the week ending December 12, 2013.[20] On January 14, 2014, Alsina released "Make It Home" featuring Jeezy, as the lead single from his debut studio album. Along with the release, it was revealed that the album would be titled Testimony, which was released on April 15, 2014.[21] He was named part of the 2014 XXL freshmen class.[22]
2015–present: This Thing Called Life
On December 11, 2015, Alsina released his second studio album, This Thing Called Life.[23] It debuted at number 14 on the Billboard 200, with first-week sales of 41,000 copies in the United States.[24] The album was supported by five singles; "Hip Hop", "Why I Do It" (featuring Lil Wayne), "Song Cry", "Been Around the World" (featuring Chris Brown) and "Dreamer".
2017–present: Drugs
On January 6, 2017 Alsina released the singles Drugs then on June 1,2017 Lonely & then on June 6, 2017 Don't Matter was released for the album.
Artistry
Alsina's music generally falls into the Alternative R&B category that predominantly involves fusions with Hip-hop. His musical influences are Usher and Lyfe Jennings.[25]
Discography
- Testimony (2014)
- This Thing Called Life (2015)
Awards and nominations
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2014[26] | August Alsina | Best Male R&B/Pop Artist | Nominated |
Best New Artist | Won | ||
"I Luv This Shit" | Best Collaboration | Nominated | |
Coca-Cola Viewers' Choice Award | Won | ||
2015 | August Alsina | Best Male R&B/Pop Artist | Nominated |
No Love (Remix) | Best Collaboration | Nominated |
Tours
Headlining
- Testimony Live[27] (2014)
Opening Act
- The UR Experience Tour (2014) (with Usher)
References
- ^ September 3, 2013 Tweet from August Alsina, twitter.com, Retrieved 25 September 2013 (tweet confirms birthdate" "21 today... & my 1st time in Vegas! ...Know dat I'm wasted ...")
- ^ (8 April 2013). R&B Singer August Alsina Talks Working With The Dream, Preps Def Jam Debut Archived September 27, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, Life + Times (confirms middle name; other sources confirm he is a "junior")
- ^ Feeney, Michael (20 September 2013). August Alsina has fans going wild in NYC as he gets ready to release remix with Chris Brown and Trey Songz, Daily News (New York)
- ^ (24 July 2013). MTV Jams' Fab 5 List: Spotlight On August Alsina, mtv.com
- ^ a b "Bio | August Alsina | Artists | Def Jam". Island Def Jam. Retrieved 2014-02-02.
- ^ a b "Moving To Houston — Who Is August Alsina?". Complex. 2013-08-20. Retrieved 2014-02-02.
- ^ (28 March 2012). New Orleans' August Alsina: R&B's Next Best Man , AllHipHop
- ^ (11 May 2012). August Alsina - Music Saved My Life, Global Grind
- ^ (10 April 2013). Interview: R&B Singer August Alsina Talks The-Dream, His Def Jam Deal & New Orleans Upbringing, Respect. (magazine)
- ^ (11 June 2013). Started From The Bottom, Now He's Here: August Alsina, theboxhouston.com (KBXX)
- ^ (20 August 2013). Who Is August Alsina - The Product Mixtape and Signing to Def Jam, Complex (magazine)
- ^ (15 April 2012). New Music: August Alsina – The Product (Mixtape) (World Premiere), thisisrnb.com
- ^ (11 October 2011). NEW MUSIC/EMERGING ARTIST: AUGUST ALSINA – UNTITLED ACOUSTIC MIXTAPE, thisisrnb.com
- ^ (20 February 2013). New Video: August Alsina (feat. Trinidad James) - "I Luv This Shit", Vibe
- ^ (26 April 2013). Introducing August Alsina, an R&B Crooner Unafraid of Making a Masterpiece, Vibe
- ^ Stovall, Calvin (7 May 2013). Mixtape Review: August Alsina, The Product 2, Black Entertainment Television
- ^ (15 May 2013). Mixtape Of The Week: August Alsina The Product 2, Stereogum
- ^ (16 September 2013). Watch August Alsina's "Hell On Earth", The Source (magazine)
- ^ "freq-flip-dec-2013". Frequencynews.com. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
- ^ "BDSRadio Charts". Charts.bdsradio.com. Archived from the original on October 28, 2013. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
{{cite web}}
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suggested) (help) - ^ "New Music: August Alsina f/ Jeezy – 'Make It Home'". Rap-Up.com. 2014-01-14. Retrieved 2014-02-02.
- ^ Sia, Niccole. "XXL Freshmen 2014 Cover Revealed". XXL Magazine. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
- ^ "This Thing Called Life by August Alsina". iTunes. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
- ^ Hernandez, Victoria (December 21, 2015). "Hip Hop Album Sales: August Alsina, R. Kelly & Rick Ross". HipHopDX. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
- ^ "Artist Influences for August Alsina". MTV. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
- ^ Yahr, Emily (June 30, 2014). "BET Awards: List of winners and highlights, including Nicki Minaj, Chris Rock, Lil Wayne". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
- ^ "Testimony Live Tour Dates". August Alsina Official Website.
External links
- 1992 births
- Living people
- 21st-century American singers
- African-American male singers
- American male singers
- African-American singer-songwriters
- African-American songwriters
- American singer-songwriters
- American hip hop singers
- American contemporary R&B singers
- American soul singers
- Def Jam Recordings artists
- R&B musicians from New Orleans
- Southern hip hop musicians
- Songwriters from Louisiana
- Singers from Louisiana