Surfacing

“Another Side”

Corbin Bleu

Hollywood Records

Artist info

He’s a singer, dancer, model, actor and only 18. Bleu (ne Reivers) has hardly ever had a moment in his life when he wasn’t in show business. That makes him a solid professional at an age when most performers are just beginning to get their feet wet. His danceable, funky R&B; puts him easily in the compass of Justin Timberlake, and an elegant savoir-faire throws

him into that fantasy universe inhabited by such as R. Kelly. His true competition, however, will

be Chris Brown, a peer both in

age and talent as a tenor and terpsichorean.

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Back story

Bleu, born to a Jamaican father and Italian mother, has been working profes-

sionally since age 2, moving from television commercials to print ads and finally to theater at age 6, appearing in an off-Broadway play. It was all in the family, as his father, David Reivers, had a successful acting career. The play led to a role in the series “High Incident,” which in turn led to work in such feature films as “Mystery Man” and “Galaxy Quest.” He studied at the Debbie Allen Dance Academy and majored in theater at New York City’s High School of the Performing Arts, which his mother had attended. More roles followed, including a crucial role on the Discovery Kids/NBC show “Flight 29 Down,” but it was as Chad in the 2006 Disney Channel movie “High School Musical” that his name became known. He toured with the concert staging of the movie’s music last winter, and the recording deal with Hollywood Records, a Disney-owned entity, was almost predestined. His MySpace site has received more than 1.7 million plays.

Influences

Justin Timberlake, Michael Jackson, Usher