R&B singer/songwriter Loick Essien emerged from the thriving U.K. urban scene armed with a sound just as confident and polished as his more established contemporaries. Born and raised in Fulham, West London, Essien began performing Michael Jackson and Bobby Brown songs at his Ghanian-born single mother's hairdressers at the age of four. Whilst attending Ravenscout Theatre School, he appeared in the video for Richard Blackwood's debut single, and impressed the comedian so much that he asked Essien to co-host his MTV talent show. After being introduced to producer Skillz during a Big Brovaz video shoot, he was invited to record some tracks at his London studios, and following a year at the famous Sylvia Young Theatre School, where Essien realized acting wasn't for him, he began performing his own material at various community shows. He provided guest vocals for tracks by Chipmunk and Bashy, and in 2009, signed a deal with Sony Music, where he worked on his debut album, Identify, with the likes of Labrinth, Stargate, and Dappy from N-Dubz. ~ Jon O'Brien