Second chance brings new direction for Sean Kingston

Sean Kingston says he is using his life experiences to inspire his songwriting.

A near-death experience could have put singer Sean Kingston out of the game for good - instead it made him stronger.

In May 2011 the Beautiful Girls singer crashed his jet ski into a bridge in Miami, causing serious injuries including a fractured wrist, broken jaw and damage from water on the lungs.

After making a full recovery, the Jamaica native was inspired to get back into the recording studio - a process which resulted in Back 2 Life, his third studio album.

Today the 23-year-old was living life to the full, making the most of this, "second chance" - expanding into production and writing songs for other artists such as Jason Derulo's smash hit What Ya Say.

He also penned Replay for Iyaz, a young musician whom he found online and signed to his Time Is Money Entertainment label.

"I'm really passionate person about my music and what I do. Now, I tend to slow stuff down and really concentrate. I work with every artist and producer I want and really make stuff from the heart."

In contrast to his 2007 self-titled debut, featuring bouncy double-platinum breakout Beautiful Girls, and sophomore album Tomorrow , his most recent offering fuses reggae, hip-hop, R&B, and electro.

"This album's a really honest reflection of where I'm at in my life right now. I'm proud that it shows everything, because it shows my growth too."

Teaming up with Jonathan (J.R.) Rotem, Red One and new producers Nic Nac, Kingston found himself tapping into his musical roots, which saw his sound take an entirely new direction.

"On this album I felt the need to get back to my culture," said Kingston, who was born in Miami but moved to Jamaica when he was seven. "It's much more organic than anything I've done before-the music's real and it hits you on a gut level."

The singer/songwriter blended strong vocals with fiercely inventive effects and moving live instrumentation, whilst drawing inspiration from tough experiences.

"I knew I needed to address some difficult things on the album, but my goal was to do it in an upbeat sort of way... The songs on Back 2 Life are catchy and up-tempo and everyone can have a great time to them."

Having sold more than 12.5 million tracks to date, Kingston's top priority was continually elevating his sound to new and unexpected levels.

"A lot's happened over the past few years - I've travelled the world and had relationships and dealt with breakups, so I'm singing from the heart about things that I actually went through."

Since achieving superstardom when he was just 17, Kingston has amassed countless fans, including a strong following in New Zealand.

He will perform one R18 concert at the Sideline Bar in Napier tomorrow night with Savage and Sammielz.

Tickets are $45 general admission or $65 VIP, available from Big Noise Audio in Hastings, ASN nutrition in Napier and Scott Drive Four Square in Flaxmere.