NICK KAMEN
	Born in Harlow, Essex, U.K., Nick’s first introduction to music came from his brother Chester, who used to play-act rock shows with Nick as a child, and later became a guitarist in his own right. Nick developed a taste for American R&B and in particular Sam Cooke. After relocating in London in 1980, he sought out similar minded artists and musicias and by 1984 had begun recording demos. Nick's musical work was put on hold, though, when he was chosen to in a Levi’s advertisement.  Nick was blessed with extremely photogenic looks, and had a separate career as a model alongside his music. The Levi's advert gained infamy due in no small part to Nick stripping to his boxer shorts in a launderette as part of the storyline, and following this success he was in great demand to appear on magazine covers all across Europe. Nick continued to pursue his musical interests when possible, and touted his demo around several labels before Seymour Stein for Sire Records realised his potential. The record label boss had also discovered Madonna, and it was therefore no surprise when Madonna and her producer Stephen Bray were roped in to help produce Nick's debut single 'Each Time You Break My Heart'. The song could easily have been from either of Madonna's first two albums, and found success in the charts worldwide as a result. Stewart Levine (who also produced Culture Club and Simply Red) heard the song and was impressed enough to oversee the debut album, which spawned two more hits and a whirlwind world tour. Nick's second album, 'Us' also fared well, but the critics had begun to make their minds up that he was just a pretty face, despite Nick's talents as a songwriter being evident. ‘Tell Me’, a single from the album hit the top of the charts across Europe again in spite of the backlash. Despite having released 4 albums in total (the most recent of which was in 1995), Nick has remained out of the consciousness of the music buying public and seems forever destined to be remembered for the Jeans advert and not the musical career he had dreamed about since childhood. IF YOU LIKE THESE, YOU'LL LIKE NICK KAMEN:  Madonna, Kylie Minogue, Luther Vandross, Alexander O'Neal.
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