McLean

The son of lovers rock legend John and cousin of '90s reggae star Bitty, soul singer McLean has been described by producer Fraser T. Smith as a modern-day Marvin Gaye. Born in Dagenham, London, in 1980, Anthony McLean began singing in church and, inspired by the U.K. garage scene, became a regular fixture on pirate radio stations. After taking on several jobs including night watchman and alarm factory worker in order to support his musical aspirations, he received his big break in 2007 when his self-penned track "Broken" received over 20 million hits across various social networking sites. The online buzz led to a deal with Atlantic Records imprint Asylum and collaborations with MJ Cole and Chase & Status under the pseudonym Digga. In 2010 he released his first major-label single, "My Name," which reached number ten and appeared on the Young Soul Rebels charity single "I Got Soul." His debut album, which also features the single "Finally in Love," was produced by the likes of Nate "Danja" Hills, Grammy-winner Phil Tan, and Naughty Boy, and was scheduled for release in 2011. ~ Jon O'Brien