Sean Kingston FAULT Magazine Cover shoot and Interview

Creative Director / Photographer: Raen Badua
Grooming: Camille Ariane | Exclusive Artists using Cole Skincare for Men
Photo Assist: Angelo Agojo

If the mark of a great artist is the ability to create timeless music for every generation, Sean Kingston has by far proven his ability. It’s been nearly 14 years since he burst onto the scene with runaway track Beautiful Girls and consistently continued to break the mould with each subsequent release. With his highly anticipated new album on the horizon and hot on the heels of his latest single “Darkest Times”, we caught up with Sean to discuss his process, his music and of course, his FAULTs.

Speaking of Darkest times, when was yours and what pulled you through them?

My darkest time was when my mother went to prison. When my mom went to prison, it affected us so much because we had never spent a day without having access to her before. We had to learn to fend for ourselves on another level. What got me through that time was my love of music and God. Not even family was there for us like God was. That’s just real. We had a couple of people that let us sleep on their couches. My mom was the backbone of the family.

You took your time to perfect this release; with the music industry being so fast-paced these days, did you ever fear falling behind the trend?

No I never fear falling behind the trend because I am a part of the culture. Some of the hottest young artists today come to me to collab and ask me to write for them. They are at my house; they are my friends. And I make timeless music. My music from the past is still streaming today.

You’ve been working non-stop for years, do you feel you’ve taken the time to reflect on how far you’ve come?

Yes I always stop. The main thing to do with anything you do is to stay prayed up. To stop and smell the roses and enjoy the moment. Sometimes you get caught up in the process and forget about the big picture. And how you put yourself back in balance is by keeping family around, staying grounded, and always putting God first.

If you could go back to the start of your career and leave yourself one piece of advice, what would it be?

Don’t take time for granted because time is the most selfish thing. Time waits for no man. Stay prayed up, and never leave God out of your situation.

Was there been a change in your process when working on this release?

Yes, this is the first time I have been out of work for so long due to the pandemic. It gave me a lot of insight. I stayed focused, sat back and relaxed, and approach it not just from a business point but from the standpoint of reality. Not having work, not being able to travel like I normally do. Not going to thirty countries in a year like I normally do. I had to approach the situation from a real hustler standpoint. And it brought me back to the core of who I am.

What’s been the hardest hurdle of your music career so far?

The hardest hurdle in my music career is the politics. A lot of people try to get you out of the game and keep you out of the game because of what you know, your elevation and how you grow. A lot of people like new artists because they don’t know too much about the industry. Once you get seasoned, they don’t want you here anymore because they can’t take advantage. So that’s been the hardest hurdle—the politics.

What do you want your songwriting to say about you the person?

I’m a feel-good type of dude. A happy go lucky. I live what I speak. I keep it real. If I’m in love with a girl, I talk about a girl. If I’m outside doing my thing, I’m outside doing my thing. My new thing is keeping it real all day, everyday. That’s what I want to do and it’s feel good. That’s how I’m feeling, you know. I brag about my jewelry, I show it off. I talk about my whips and travelling. But I don’t make music for just for myself. I make music for everyone. I do make people feel good every day. I want the grandmas and the little kids to be happy. I want everyone to enjoy this music and be happy. And that’s how I live my life.

What’s the biggest misconception you think people have of you?

The biggest misconception people have about me is that people have a preconceived notion of who you are from what they read. And if people don’t have a story, they literally will make one up. And that goes for every famous person.

What’s something you’ve done this year for the benefit of your mental health?

Feeding the homeless, giving back is one of the greatest things that I love to do. I love to give back, you know what I’m saying. I don’t give to get. I give freely with love. My mom taught me that. My mom instilled that in me. That is a family thing that we do. We go downtown and feed the homeless. We do a theme called ‘Party with a purpose’. We gather everything for the children and give it back. You got to bring an article of clothing or something to donate, toys, whatever you got. You can go to the dollar store and pick up something for a dollar. Drinking and eating for free bring something so we can give it to the people. Giving back. Making sure that my family eats, making sure that everyone is happy around me. That is good for my mental health. That makes me feel happy. And jewellery.

What is your FAULT?

My biggest FAULT is that I am too giving. And people take advantage of that. They take advantage of my good heart. People take advantage of the things you do for them. You can do a thousand things for somebody, and you don’t do it one time; they don’t remember the thousand things you did. My FAULT is doing too much and over exhausting myself. I’m underappreciated for the things that I do. If I got 13 pieces of the best chains in the game, and I got 12 dudes around me, we all rocking one. You know what I mean. And if I could give it to you, I’m going to give it to you too, but no one is going to appreciate it at the end of the day. Because when you give them one, they want two and then ten; that’s just how it is. People don’t appreciate people any more.