AUBURN HILLS, Mich. – The Detroit Pistons announced today that British singer-songwriter, rapper and record producer Jay Sean will perform at halftime when the Pistons host NBA All-Star Kevin Love and the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday, April 19 at The Palace of Auburn Hills.
“We are pleased to have an artist like Jay Sean added to our growing list of halftime concert performers,” said Harlan Hendrickson, Vice President of Marketing for Palace Sports & Entertainment and the Pistons. "We look forward to his performance and know it will provide additional excitement for our fans."
Jay Sean, born in London, England to Punjabi Sikh parents, debuted in the UK’s Asian Underground scene as a member of the Rishi Rich Project with “Dance with You” which reached #12 on the UK Singles Chart in 2003. He then signed with Virgin Records as a solo artist and produced two UK top-10 hits with “Stolen” at #4 and “Eyes on You” at #6 in 2004. Both songs were included in his debut album, Me Against Myself, which sold more than two million copies across Asia.
Jay Sean signed with Cash Money Records in 2008 and released his American debut single “Down” featuring Lil Wayne in 2009 which topped the Billboard Hot 100. He became the first solo artists of South Asian origin and first UK urban act to top the Hot 100. It was the seventh best-selling song of 2009, selling more than three million copies in the United States that year and has sold more than six million copies worldwide. He became the most successful British/European male urban artist in US chart history. “Down” became the best-selling single by a British/European male artist in North America since Elton John’s “Candle in the Wind” in 1997.
In November, 2009, Jay Sean released “Do You Remember” with Jamaican superstar Sean Paul and Lil Jon. The song entered the Hot 100 top 10 during the week of January 9, 2010 breaking a three-week streak of no titles moving in the top 10 since December 2009 and sold more than one million copies in the United States. Jay Sean began working on a second album under the Cash Money label in July 2010. Three hits from that album include “2012 (It Ain’t the End)” featuring Nicki Minaj, “Hit The Lights” featuring Lil Wayne and “Like This, Like That” featuring Birdman.
At the 2009 UK Urban Music Awards, Jay Sean and Lil Wayne won the Best Collaboration award for “Down” and Jay Sean ranked #35 on the 2009 Billboard’s Hot 100 Artists of the year. He was also nominated for the music industry’s 30 Under 30 award. In 2009, he also performed in Justin Timberlake’s charity concert to raise funds for the Shriner’s Hospital for Children alongside artists such as Taylor Swift and Alicia Keys. It was one of the highest-earning charity events of the year, raising more than $9 million.