Today Newspaper St. Maarten

Shadow Man to perform at 2012 Heineken Regatta

GREAT BAY – St. Maarten’s Addison “Shadow Man” Richardson is the first artist that organizers of the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta have announced will be performing at their 32nd annual event from March 1 to March 4, 2012. Shadowman is just one of several featured St. Maarten artists who will be responsible for creating “a great party atmosphere during the largest Regatta in the Caribbean.”

Shadow Man is probably best known in the region for his sizzling hit “White Line”, which has been heating up the airwaves on TV’s Tempo and which make you want to get up and gyrate to its lyrical beat. He first burst onto the music scene on his native island of St. Maarten at age nine when he electrified the stage for the first time competing in a school singing competition. He placed among the top finalists and won a life-changing opportunity to hone his vocal talent with one of the island’s leading songstresses – Anastasia Larmonie.

Shadow Man’s charismatic voice, raw talent and confidence also caught the ear and attention of some local promoters who enlisted him when he was just 13 to perform the opening act at their major reggae shows. This gave the up-and-coming artist a great opportunity to rub shoulders with some of the region’s icons – including Jimmy Cliff, Steel Pulse and his cousin Bankie Banks. Although still quite young, Shadow man was already one of the biggest earners in the industry at the time.
Bent on helping him develop, package and market his talent, one of Shadow’s close relatives took him to Bronese Recording Studio – affiliated with top names like Burning Flames and Jimmy Cliff – and within 16 hours he churned out his first hit “Mind Blowing” at age 13. His love for music led him to the studios of local St Maarten radio station PJD2, where he started entertaining mass audiences as a disc jockey – a love affair that remains as strong as ever today.

As a young adult, Shadow Man continued to impress listeners locally, but he quickly realized that he had to do more to get his sounds out there in the global and regional music industry. At 24, he moved to Europe and did a stint as a Staff Sergeant in the Dutch Army while still networking in the music industry, keeping up to date with trends and new names in music and penning new material. After 13 years abroad, he jumped on a plane and headed back home in 2000 to return to the stage and hit the studio.
His biggest album to date “Me & My Music” features a combination of 11 of his hottest jams. It also includes remixes, and collaborations with regional artists like Ziggy Rankin, Terry Seales, and much more. He tags his genre as ‘Contemporary Caribbean’.
“This means all things Caribbean. This is the way I feel about my music. I love the way we as Caribbean people live together and our music is universal. This album is about all things Caribbean and it’s for the people of the Caribbean and those who love it,” he said.
Music is more than just a gig for Shadow Man. It’s a passion and an art form.
“It’s always been my love for music that has given me that drive to succeed. Life is music and music is the word, sound and power – that’s my motto. On the stage is where I feel most at peace.”

Shadowman draws inspiration from everyday life and seeks to entertain to the max, but he always keeps it clean. Shadow Man believes music should move away from the explicitly sexual content that currently dominates the scene to more positive themes that tell clean positive stories. He believes music should be free of expletives, negative messages, yet be groovy enough to electrify just about any dance floor. So expect to hear much more from and about this St. Maarten musician as he steps up his tempo one song at a time.
“I’m never giving up ‘because I will not fail. It’s my dream and I intend to live it to the fullest. The sky is the limit and I am headed for the sky.”
For more info check out his website www.myspace.com/shadowman1300. You can also find Shadow man on Facebook, and stay tuned for other St Maarten Heineken Regatta news by visiting www.heinekenregatta.com.