Seven

Singer/songwriter Seven has conquered his native Switzerland and Europe over the course of this decade, and word has spread to America, where he has formed an underground following for his rhythmic pop/soul sound.

The son of a tenor and a pianist, Seven was playing in bands from the time of his youth, and performed on national TV in Switzerland with his group Natural Acapella while still a teen.  After three years of touring with the band, Seven went out on his own, recording and releasing his debut, Dedicated To... prior to his 20^th birthday.  It created a stir in his home country and set the stage for his 2004 sophomore album, Seven Soul, which reached the top 40 in Europe.

His proficiency as a songwriter and performer earned for him the 2004 award for Best Newcomer at AVO SESSION Basel by the SUISA Foundation, on the same night he was serving as the warm-up act for Lionel Richie. 

The success of the first two albums set the stage for his commercial smash Lovejam, his first top 10 release.  It opened up all of Europe for him and earned for him an invitation to perform at the opening night of Robert Redford's Sundance Film Festival in UTAH in January, 2006.

For his fourth disc, Home, Seven teamed with a who's who of US R&B artists and producers, including Rahsaan Patterson, Conya Doss, Sheila E, Larry Gold, James Poyser and Tamar Davis.  Showing his Prince influence (and playing with several former Prince band members), Seven gave perhaps his most seasoned and infectious performances to date and created a buzz across the Atlantic well before the disc became available in the US.

By Chris Rizik