Jackson Bradshaw

Jackson Kyle Bradshaw (born October 3, 1986) is a Canadian R&B, actor, and former male model. Having modeled in fashion shows and for various advertisements and fashion labels since he was sixteen, Bradshaw retired from modelling in 2009 and went on to pursue a career in music. In 2010, he released his debut single "Daze of Summer" which was commercially successful, reaching the top ten in the UK. Despite releasing two other successful singles, Bradshaw's music career was briefly derailed by a variety of problematic difficulties, as well as poor decisions by himself and his manager.

In 2012, however, Bradshaw released his "comeback" single titled "Missing You", which would go to become his most successful single to date, where in the UK it was his breakthrough and biggest hit there. On June 25, 2012, after a long period of delays, he finally released his debut album, Something Special, which has since go on to sell 600,000 in the UK and has been certified 2x Platinum by the URAPS and Gold by the RIAA. In July 2012, Bradshaw was announced as a judge on Urapopstar Idol 13.

Bradshaw announced that he was at work completing his second album which would be released later on in 2013. Bradshaw also launching his acting career by appearing in an episode of Horrors of America, where his acting abilities were praised. Bradshaw has been cast in his first film titled Identity starring opposite L.E.X., Benjamin McAllister, and Ashley!, where he will play a former CIA agent.

Early life
Jackson Bradshaw was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and was the middle child of his parents. Bradshaw had four other brothers, with his two eldest brothers being identical twins. Bradshaw has stated that he and his family have always maintained a close and loving relationship with each other.

Bradshaw and his family had a very big fascination with and also had a vast amount of knowledge about modern music history when Bradshaw was little. He and his family showed appreciation towards many genres of music but mostly bought, listened to, and liked R&B and country music.

Modeling career: 2001 - 2009, 2011
Bradshaw was only fifteen when he was approached and discovered by a modeling agent who was on vacation in Vancouver. After being invited to New York do some test shots, Bradshaw was signed to the modeling agency and would spend the next few years modeling clothes (especially men's beachwear, swimwear, and underwear) on runways and also posing in plenty of print ads for big name fashion brands.

In late 2008, Bradshaw became more interested in pursuing a music career and started to focus less on modeling. In early 2009, Bradshaw quit modeling to take his pursuit of a music career more seriously.

One of Bradshaw's last jobs as a model was when he posed in a inlay picture with Syd Wolfe for the singer's debut album Big Bad Wolfe in early 2009. The picture resurfaced on the internet a year later, when Bradshaw was starting to become known for his music, and sparked a minor controversy.

In 2011, while on hiatus of his music career, Bradshaw briefly returned to modeling in Spring 2011 and has since been seen in a few commercials and print ads for various fashion labels. Soon after, Bradshaw decided to focus more on his music and once again decided to leave his modeling career behind, this time for good.

Beginning of music career: 2009-2010
In late 2008, Bradshaw became more interested in a music career and recorded a demo that was full of country songs; he had initially tried to pursue a career in country. However, Bradshaw initially changed his mind about pursuing music career and decided to stay with modeling; he did not shop his country-oriented demo around to any agent, manager, or label. In early 2009, Bradshaw ended up quitting modeling anyway and decided to take his pursuit of music more seriously. He decided that he would pursue a music career in genre that he was mostly very passionate about which was R&B music.

Starting in early 2009, Bradshaw began performing at clubs and bars in Vancouver late in the nighttime where the sets would sometimes last late until after midnight at times. When he would sing live, he would sing his own material with the lyrics of songs being old poems that he had written earlier in his life when he was still a model at a young age. He also independently released two "mixtapes" which he gave away for free at his live sets. Bradshaw often got rave reviews from locals because of his material and his live performances and became very well-known and somewhat respected on the live music scene in Vancouver.

In early 2010, Bradshaw left Vancouver for the UK in hopes to heighten his music career.

Early attempts at music career: 2010-2011
In early 2010, Bradshaw went to the UK in hopes that he would get more exposure with his music and because the UK has a bigger music market than his home country of Canada. He also felt that the mainstream British public was "more accepting" of R&B and soul music than Canadian or American audiences. Around the same time, Bradshaw was named by Billboard magazine as one of the "Artists To Watch 2010". In summer 2010, Bradshaw was signed to Fusion Records.

In August 2010, Bradshaw's debut single "Daze of Summer" was released in the UK. Critically acclaimed and commercially successful, the single debuted at #8 on the UK Singles Chart and subsequently peaked at #6; it also became a top ten hit in his native Canada. Later that summer, Bradshaw participated in the Fusion: Live Tour where he sung a three-song set list. In November 2010, Bradshaw released his second single "I Bet That You Don't Love Me". Despite being inadequately promoted, the single still became another UK top ten hit for Bradshaw, when it peaked at #10 on the UK Singles Chart.

Bradshaw was supposed to release the first incarnation of his debut album which was then titled Come Closer in December 2010. Bradshaw, however, stated that he and his management ran into problems regarding the album's title due to "bad given advice but an unsavory figure in the industry who was influential for some stupid crazy reason at the time." The concern of the album then shifted towards the album's material which then caused Jackson to postpone the album's release until January 2011. Subsequently, the album was intially temporarily shelved because Bradshaw had gone back into the studio to re-record more than half of the album. The album was shelved by mid-January 2011 by Bradshaw's own management and Bradshaw decided to "start over from scratch" and re-record the whole album because he felt that the album was "unacceptable". Bradshaw had to cancel two singles as a result of the shelving of the album. In May 2011, Jackson confirmed that he had finished recording a new version of his debut album and stated that it would be out that summer.

In June 2011, Bradshaw released his third ever single "Hard To Find". "Hard To Find" was marketed at Bradshaw's "comeback" and also the "song of the summer". It was also supposed to be the lead single from Bradshaw's second incarnation of his debut album which was no longer being called Come Closer but was now being called Keep Me Talking. "Hard To Find" suffered from poor promotion, which was caused by Bradshaw's escalating conflict with his manager Chrizhelle Chessacole, and consequently stalled at #12 on the UK Singles Chart. During the promotion of the single, Bradshaw was shot in the leg by Chessacole; though he would not press charges against him, Bradshaw fired Chessacole as his manager as a result of the shooting incident. Due to the poor performance of "Hard To Find", his shooting and subsequent hospitalization, and the firing of his manager, Bradshaw cancelled a then upcoming single titled "I Wonder" and once again postponed and shelved Keep Me Talking as his debut album. Once Bradshaw fully recovered from his shooting, he entered the studio to re-record his debut album entirely once again, though he adamantly decided to keep two songs from the Keep Me Talking sessions.

Something Special: 2012 &mdash; 2013
After spending the rest of 2011 re-recording his debut album, Bradshaw announced that the album was done and that this would be the "final and official version of the album". In April 2012, Bradshaw revealed that the album's title was Something Special. Bradshaw stated that should he have to shelve the album once more, he would give up on the music industry and also hoped that the "third time to get this album right [was] the charm."

In May 2012, Bradshaw released his fourth single overall titled "Missing You" which also serves as the lead single from Something Special. Once again marketed as his "comeback" single, the single earned praise from critics and fans. The single was also commercially successful, surprisingly debuting at #2 on the UK Singles Chart, ultimately becoming Jackson's highest peaking single and also his breakthrough hit. The single also reached the top three in Canada and the top twenty in the United States.

On June 25, 2012, Bradshaw finally released his debut album, Something Special. The album featured collaborations from Aimee Lyons, Honey, Hey Lolita, and Stephanie Kesh while featuring production from Diplo, Dot Da Genius, and Carl Falk, among other producers. The album debuted and peaked at #2 on the UK Albums Chart and has since sold over 500,000 copies in both the UK and US. In the UK, the album has been certified Platinum by the Urapopstar Recording Association Phonographic Society (URAPS) and Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

In September 2012, Bradshaw was nominated for his first Urapopstar Award for Best Male. That same month, he was slated to release the double A-sided single "Before You Walk Out"/"In Touch", with both songs of the AA single featuring Honey; "Before You Walk Out" was on the album while "In Touch" was not. The single ultimately got repeatedly postponed and eventually cancelled. Meanwhile, outside of the UK, "You Complicate Me" was released as the second overall single of the album and became an international hit. It was slated for release in the UK in late 2012 but it was postponed. In January 2013, Bradshaw released a single remixed version of his second UK single from Something Special titled "Cold" which featured American rapper/singer L.E.X.. "Cold", with the help of Bradshaw being under a temporary advisement and management of the Australian-based career and crisis management firm Az, Drake, Paynter, & Coulter, reached #3 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Bradshaw's second top ten in the UK in his career. On March 18th, he released "You Complicate Me" as the third and final single in the UK where it charted at #6.

Despite saying that "You Complicate Me" would be the third and final single in the UK, Bradshaw announced that he would be releasing the song "Above Ground" as a digital only single from the album. Soon after the announcement, it was announced that the track was upgraded to being the fourth single from the album though it was cancelled soon after. Bradshaw confirmed that the single will return to be released as a digital and airplay only single sometime in June.

Second studio album: 2013 to present
Bradshaw has confirmed that he has finished his second album, which will be set for a proposed release date sometime in summer 2013. The lead single from the album might be released the same day as the album.

Urapopstar Idol 13: 2012 to present
In July 2012, Bradshaw was announced as a judge for Urapopstar Idol 13. The show is currently on hiatus but is set for return in May 2013. Producers of the show confirmed that when the show returns, one of the four judges of the season will be taken off the show; it is unknown who it will be yet alone if it will be Bradshaw.

When rumors began surfacing that the Canadian version of The Uraps Factor was to happen, Bradshaw expressed that he would like to be apart of the show should it actually come into fruition. He also expressed interest in appearing, albeit in a cameo or a guest scripted role, on the American drama television series Nashville.

Acting
In October 2012, Bradshaw guest appeared on the second season premiere of the American supernatural/science fiction thriller Horrors of America in the episode "Asylum Stories". In the episode, he plays a cruel, narcissistic, and sadistic Los Angeles gang leader who takes his girlfriend, who is his equal in a sense, to an abandoned asylum for fun only for them to be haunted by their past brought forward by the spirits of the asylum. Bradshaw's acting abilities and performance in the episode earned rave reviews.

In February 2013, it was confirmed that Bradshaw would appear in the upcoming film Identity, which is about law-abiding innocent college student who is mistaken for his identical twin brother, who is a big time drug lord and criminal, whom he never knew existed. Bradshaw will play a former CIA agent who helps him find the twin brother while running away for authorities looking for him. In the film, he will co-star alongside with L.E.X., the star of the film playing the college student, Benjamin McAllister, and Ashley!.

Influences
Bradshaw considers alternative rock singer Luke Ramada and R&B singer, Paulo Araujo his influences. He has even publicly admired their work in public. Bradshaw also states that his favorite artists are also Patti LaBelle, Michael McDonald, Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, and many others that are mostly R&B or country artists.

Voice
Bradshaw possesses the voice range and type of tenor. He often sings in his falsetto range and oftentimes in his upper head register; he also sometimes sings his lower register as well but rarely in the middle of his voice with the exception of certain recordings of his (such as "You Complicate Me"). When Bradshaw sings his middle voice range, he is known to have a "hint of a blues-like quality with a slight rasp" to it while his falsetto, upper voice, and lower voice has been described as being equivalent to "honey and silk" and being "tender" and "smooth" by critics.

Persona and image
Aside for his voice, Bradshaw is known for being a "gentleman" as well as his good looks and his charisma. He is known to be very nice and very charming to people, with many consistently noting this about him. Despite being known as the "boy-next-door" in the industry, Bradshaw's problems with alcoholism and sex/love addiction have been reported in the press as well. Despite this, Bradshaw is hardly involved in any scandals and he his seldom reported in the tabloids or the gossip blogs, though the number of stories about him on those media outlets are slowly growing.

Popularity, awards, and accolades
In August 2012, Bradshaw ranked at #23 on the URAPS Rate 18, gaining an approval rating of 75%. It was his first entry into the top forty of the list and was his highest rank ever; previously the highest Bradshaw ever went on a URAPS Rate was at #60. Bradshaw was also nominated for a Urapopstar Award for Best Male in 2012.

Personal life
For years, Bradshaw has struggled with alcoholism and sex and love addiction. Bradshaw began drinking when he was fifteen during his modelling days and developed a drinking problem when he was nineteen. Bradshaw learned to hide his alcoholism craftily from his family, friends, and other people he worked with when he was still modelling. His sex and love addiction developed when he was twenty and he began being promiscuous, often having one night stands. His alcoholism and promiscuity developed further when he launched his music career and, in its early stages, it began flailing. Bradshaw managed to get help when he did find more success in his music career but has since has bouts of on-again/off-again sobriety.

Relationship with Ruby Stephingham
In late spring 2011, Bradshaw began a relationship with Ruby Stephingham (Ruby and the Gems) which ended later that summer. In the summer of 2012, the couple reunited briefly and broke up soon after, this time for good. During their second reunion, it was rumored that Stephingham was pregnant but this proved to be false. Stephingham left Bradshaw for Jetfire member Sean Cotes.

Bradshaw has publicly grieved over the end of his relationship with Stephingham, which has received a lot of attention from the media. Bradshaw has also written songs about his failed relationship with Stephingham for his debut album Something Special. His #2 UK hit single, "Missing You", is about the end of their relationship.

Relationship with Sophie Anna Cardenti
In summer 2012, Bradshaw had an affair with Sophie Anna Cardenti, who is currently married to popular Australian-Canadian television personality Silvio Cardenti and also the sister-in-law to prolific Australian journalist Evandro Cardenti.

Sophie Anna Cardenti and Bradshaw met on the set of his music video "You Complicate Me" in his hometown of Vancouver. During production, sources claim that the two could never keep their hands off each other and that their chemistry and sexual tension was "explosive" on and off the set. The two kept in touch after shooting for the video had wrapped.

In autumn 2012, Bradshaw and Cardenti began a relationship, despite her still married to Silvio, who eventually found out about the relationship when he caught them in bed together. In February 2013, Silvio filed for divorce naming Bradshaw in the divorce papers; divorce proceedings began in spring 2013. In April 2013, Cardenti revealed she was pregnant by Bradshaw and that they were still together.

The scandal was a media sensation in Canada where Bradshaw and Cardenti received backlash for their affair, while plenty of sympathy was shown towards Silvio. Bradshaw has seen his reputation and career decline in the Canada and he has since by labelled as "vicious homewrecker" by the Canadian press and public.

Bradshaw has exiled himself in disgrace from Canada and is now looking for a house for himself and Cardenti to live in.

2011 Shooting and Hospitalization
On June 21, 2011, Bradshaw was shot by his manager, Chrizhelle Chessacole following a heated argument over Bradshaw's career direction and also over creative and financial issues. Chessacole was said to have shot Bradshaw twice in his left leg before he immediately called the paramedics. Chessacole quickly fled the UK and returned to his homeland of the United States to avoid arrest. Bradshaw did not file charges against Chessacole but managed to fire him as his manager in a phone call from him.

Doctors confirmed that Bradshaw was not ever in a coma or in critical condition, therefore assuaging persistant rumors that he was. Doctors did confirm, however, that the reason why Bradshaw was kept in the hospital so they could monitor his left leg which had become infected and was in danger of being amputated if it was further infected. The doctors eventually managed to save his left leg and it was not amputated.

Bradshaw spent over a month in the hospital while trying to recover from his gunshot wounds and was discharged from the hospital on July 27, 2011.