IF you’ve watched the first season of the hit show X-Factor then this up and coming singer ‘s face might look a little familiar to you. Marcus Canty did not win the first season of X-Factor however, he did come in 4th place, and this R&B /soul singer have been climbing his way up the ladder of stardom ever since.
Marcus Canty grew up in Maryland, and didn’t tap into his singing talents until the tender age of 11. His first public performance was on the world resound stage at the Apollo Theater in New York City, and there he won second place against both youth and adult contestants. While singing in talent shows and other competitions throughout the US Canty still continued to sing in his church choir, school choir, and county and state choirs.
The gifted singer also had a real love for basketball and was an avid player from the time he was eight until his teens, t but decided since he knew he would never grow to be 6’6’’ tall, he decided to stick with singing and pursue that dream instead.
In 2009, Marcus was chosen over hundreds of high school seniors across the nation by the National Foundation for Advancement In The Arts – Young Art (which recognizes and supports America’s most talented 15-18 year olds in the visual, literary and performing arts), and inducted into the organization. In the summer of 09 after graduating from High School, Marcus performed around his native Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia area, where he opened for artist such as Hurricane Chris, B5, and Bow Wow.
It was during this time where the young singer began to establish a relationship with an independent record label in Detroit. The artist states, “I went to Detroit and started working with a company called MVR Entertainment on an album that we were going to shop around to labels,”
As Marcus started working on the album he heard about the “X Factor” auditions and saw his chance at stardom. And once he learned that music executive Antonio “L.A.” Reid would be serving as a judge and coach on the talent show, and he knew he had to make it to that audition, even though it meant he would be walking away from making an album that was going to be shopped around to major labels.
The decision was a tuff one for Canty to make, but he felt it was meant for him to go to an open audition for the show. When I grabbed the microphone at the ‘X Factor’ audition, a whole other person came out,” he recalls. “I love performing for huge crowds but I started performing like I never had before. In my first audition, I was just excited to be so close to L.A. Reid,” Marcus says of his first audition in Seattle. “When I was a kid, I was always trying to get music to L.A. before I met him. My ideal label situation was him at the head of the company.”
Marcus Canty while on the X-Factor performed songs from some of his music influences such as Stevie Wonder, Boyz II Men, Luther Vandross, and Marvin Gaye. Even though Marcus did not win he was offered along with two other singers that were mentored by L.A. Reid a recording contract. On March 7, 2012 Canty released his first single “Won’t Make a Fool Out of You”, which was features in the film Think Like A Man.
Last month Canty released his second album, This is…Marcus Canty, which can be downloaded on iTunes. Check out this video called “In & Out” feat Wale. I think this talented youngster is going places! Let us know what you think!
