Tuesday 10 May 2011

A closeup look at Montreal-bound Shawn Desman


When Canadian R&B and pop sensation Shawn Desman hits the stage of The Telus Theatre (1290 Rue St. Denis ) on Saturday evening May 28, his mere presence will help the Just for Kids Foundation (JFK) continues its fabulous work of buying much needed equipment for the Montreal Children’s Hospital. Desman is part of reFresh 2011, presented by FRESH Entertainment and Garage.

The audience will consist entirely of teens. Desman, an accomplished dancer, producer, songwriter and singer of hits such as Electric,” “Shiver and “Night Like This” will be the main attraction of the event.

His 45-minute concert is expected to excite a sellout crowd of 1,200 teen party goers. The Juno award winning artist, who has both platinum and gold albums to his name, will take the stage after the opening act of up and coming R&B singer Patrick Christopher. From the moment he released his self titled debut platinum-selling album in the fall of 2002, Desman has enjoyed phenomenal success in the music industry. His album spent an incredible 49 weeks on the SoundScan Top 200 sales chart and produced two Top 10 singles and two number one videos. He instantly proved he was about to become a superstar entertainer worthy of all the critical acclaim and destined to be at the forefront of the global music stage.

Desman’s visibility then soared to even greater heights after the subsequent release of his sophomore gold-selling album “Back for More” which produced a #1 hit single, three Top 10 hit singles, and also garnered him a Juno Award for Best R&B/Soul Recording. Desman’s hit single “Spread My Wings” was featured in the film “Kangaroo Jack” and appeared on the soundtrack. Desman has also worked with acclaimed producers Rodney Jerkins (Michael Jackson, Destiny’s Child, and Whitney Houston) and Tricky Stewart (Beyonce, Rihanna, and Mary J Blige) His high-energy, infectious single, “Let’s Go,” exploded onto the Top 40 radio chart after just one week, peaking at number one. His extensive tour schedules, both in Canada and abroad, showcased him as a dynamic and energetic performer and received extensive praise from international fans. It was these stellar live shows, coupled with the awards and album sales, which further bolstered Desman’s successful debut and international growth.

The release of “Back for More” in Europe resulted in Desman moving to Germany for a short time as the singles flew up the international charts. Despite the frenetic pace of his own career, Desman, has collaborated with other artists and producers to continue to explore the possibilities of music. He has co-written and co-produced three consecutive Juno Award winning albums in the Best R&B/Soul category. His passion for music continues to have him write and produce for artists and labels around the world. Desman continues to have a very successful acting career including roles in Paramount MTV”s feature film “How She Move,” “Honey” starring Jessica Alba and “Get Over It” featuring Carmen Electra. Having spent most of his life working diligently as a world renowned entertainer and performer, Desman continues to strive to leave an indelible mark on the human experience.

FRESH Entertainment’s Mike Goldfarb snagged a pretty impressive main sponsor in Garage, the Montreal based brand that creates, designs, markets and distributes young women’s fashion apparel to its boutiques across Canada, in the U.S and in parts of the Middle East. Party goers will be able to win prizes at the event that range from t-shirts and other apparel to gift cards. “Garage recognizes and embraces the need to stay on trend both from the fashion and recreational perspective with our market,” says marketing manager, Melissa Bissell, “We continually interact with our customers in non-traditional forms and feel that ‘reFRESH’ is an excellent way to reach our target audience for a great cause.”

FRESH Entertainment is a Montreal-based entertainment company that was launched in 2009. Despite emerging on the scene as a DJ company, in 2011, the brand repositioned itself as a full-fledged events agency offering turnkey management and an exclusive roster of specialty performers for corporate and private functions. Since 2009, Fresh Entertainment has launched several parties similar to ‘reFRESH’ with the same successful recipe of an inter-high school party that gives back to a good cause. “These events can attract up to 1,200 teens,” says Goldfarb, founder and president of FRESH Entertainment. “The first event we launched garnered so much attention that it inspired us to develop an entire series of events geared specifically to stimulation-seeking teens. We always make it our mandate to collaborate with a charity organization. We feel it is our duty as role models to educate teens to give back and be more socially active."

This time, the charity of choice is the "Just for Kids" Foundation (JFK) which raises funds to purchase new, high-priority equipment for The Montreal Children's Hospital (MCH). This equipment becomes a vital part of The MCH's everyday operations, as it helps diagnose and treat its young and vulnerable patients. This new equipment is state-of-the-art and provides less invasive and often lifesaving-procedures. “Teens have the opportunity to party with friends, meet new people, and get up close and personal with Shawn Desman in a safe atmosphere that is alcohol and drug free, while supporting a cause that is close to home,” says Goldfarb. Living in a generation widely dominated by social-media, students spanning across and off the island of Montreal are promoting the ticket sales of the event on Facebook. This gives them a sense of entitlement, responsibility and excitement towards achieving a successful turnout and guarantees that the event reaches its target audience. With incentives for the highest number of tickets sold, the buzz on Facebook is tremendous.

Tickets are $20 and went on sale May 9 at the Telus Theatre box office and through all Admission outlets: online at www.admission.ca or by telephone (514) 790-1245, or by contacting one of the student promoters. The complete list of student promoters is available on the official FRESH Facebook events page (http://www.facebook.com/freshtalent?sk=events).

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