Jackson Bradshaw

Jackson Kyle Bradshaw (born October 3, 1986) is a Canadian R&B singer, songwriter, actor, and model. Bradshaw began his modelling career in 2001 at age sixteen and then retired in 2009 to pursue a career in music. In 2010, Bradshaw released his debut single "Daze of Summer" which reached the top ten in the UK. Though Bradshaw released two more singles in 2010 and 2011, his career was briefly derailed by various difficulties, bad career decisions, and setbacks.

In 2012, Bradshaw released his "comeback" single "Missing You" which reached #2 in the UK, becoming his biggest hit there to date. On June 25, 2012, Bradshaw released his debut album Something Special after a series of delays throughout a two year period. Something Special has been certified Platinum by the URAPS in the UK and Gold by the RIAA in the United States. Bradshaw began experiencing international success with his singles "Cold" and "You Complicate Me", which both hit the top ten throughout Europe.

In 2013, Bradshaw released "Don't Say Goodnight", which became his biggest international hit to date, reaching #1 in various European countries, as well in Canada and the United States; the single reached #5 in the UK. On July 29, 2013, Bradshaw released his sophomore album Take You Higher.

Along with his music career, Bradshaw has also began a career in television and film. In 2012, Bradshaw was announced as a judge on Urapopstar Idol 13 and also appeared in his first acting role in an episode of Horrors of America, where his acting abilities were praised. Bradshaw has since been cast in his first film titled Identity starring opposite L.E.X., Benjamin McAllister, and Ashley!, where he will play a mysterious former CIA agent. The film will be released in October 2013.

Early life
Jackson Bradshaw was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and was the middle child of his parents. Bradshaw has 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 discovered when he was fifteen and began modelling in 2001, when he was sixteen. During his modelling career, Bradshaw modeled men's clothes, beachwear, swimwear, and underwear on runways and in print ads for big name fashion brands.

In late 2008, Bradshaw became more interested in pursuing music and started focusing less on modelling. In early 2009, Bradshaw quit modelling to pursue music.

One of Bradshaw's last modelling jobs was when he posed with Syd Wolfe for a picture for the inlays of her 2009 debut album Big Bad Wolfe. After Bradshaw rose to prominence with his singing career, the picture resurfaced a year later and drew some attention.

Bradshaw would continue to do some modelling in 2011 while on hiatus of his music career, doing a few television commercials. He quit modelling for good soon after.

Beginning of music career: 2009-2010
In early 2009, after he quit modelling, Bradshaw began launching his music career. Bradshaw initially wanted to be a country artist and recorded a demo full of country songs. Without shopping his country demo around, Bradshaw decided that he was more interested in being a R&B artist, though he still showed an interest in country.

Bradshaw soon began performing his original material at clubs and bars in Vancouver. The lyrics of his original material originated from old poems he has written when he was younger and had written during his modelling days. Bradshaw's live performances were usually praised by patrons and critics.

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

"Daze of Summer", other non-album singles, and delayed first album: 2010-2011
In early 2010, Bradshaw moved to the UK in hopes that he would get more exposure with his music. Bradshaw felt that the UK was more accepting of urban music than Canadian and American audiences. Bradshaw was named by Billboard magazine as one of the "Aritists 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 and commercially successful, the single peaked at #6 on the UK Singles Chart, while it was also a top ten hit in his native Canada. Later that summer, Bradshaw participated in the Fusion:Live Tour. In November 2010, Bradshaw released his second single "I Bet That You Don't Love Me". Though inadequately promoted, the single still managed to reach #10 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Bradshaw's second top ten hit.

Bradshaw was supposed to release his debut album under the title Come Closer in December 2010. The album was delayed for a variety of reasons, with concerns mainly being focused on the album's title (and that it should be changed for reasons unknown) and material. The album was initially pushed back to January 2011 but then was temporarily shelved when Bradshaw decided to re-record more than half of the album. By mid-January, the album was shelved so that Bradshaw could "start over from scratch" and re-record the whole album. Bradshaw cancelled two singles that would have came from the album as a result. In May 2011, Bradshaw had completed a new version of his album and stated that it would be out that summer.

In June 2011, Bradshaw released his third overall single "Hard To Find". "Hard To Find" was marketed as the lead single from Bradshaw's revamped debut album, which was now to be released under the title Keep Me Talking. "Hard To Find" was also marketed as his "comeback" single, but due to poor promotion and Bradshaw's escalating conflicts with his manager (which eventually lead to a gunshot wound incident), the single stalled at #12 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Bradshaw's lowest peaking single to date and his only to miss the top ten. The single stayed on the charts for a mere three weeks.

During promotion for "Hard To Find", Bradshaw was shot in the leg by his manager, whom he did not press charges against but instead fired and severed professional ties with. Bradshaw then cancelled an upcoming single titled "I Wonder" and once again shelved his debut album. After he fully recovered from his shooting, Bradshaw entered in the studio to re-record his debut album all over once again, though he would eventually keep two songs from the Keep Me Talking session, one of them being "Cold".

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 in the UK. 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 900,000 copies in the UK and 783,000 in the 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 and later reverted back to a digital only release, slated for a June release date. The promotional single reached #10 on the UK Digital Chart.

Take You Higher: 2013 to present
In June 2013, Bradshaw announced that he would be releasing his sophomore album Win You Over. In July 2013, a couple of weeks before its release, the title was changed to Take You Higher for reasons unknown. The album was also supposed to be released on July 22nd, but was pushed back a week to July 29th. That same month, he began promotion for the album's lead single, "Don't Say Goodnight", which eventually was released to streaming services and radio in June before its single release in July. Ahead of its single release, and only with the aid of streaming and airplay, "Don't Say Goodnight" became a big hit in the United States and Canada, reaching #1 in both countries, his first in both.

On July 8, 2013, "Don't Say Goodnight" was finally released officially as a single. Critically and commercially successful, the single reached #5 in the UK and went on to become his biggest international hit, reaching #1 in various European countries.

On July 29, 2013, Bradshaw released his sophomore album, Take You Higher. To date, the album has received mostly positive reviews in the UK, Europe, and Canada, while receiving mixed to positive reviews in the United States.

Urapopstar Idol 13: 2012 to present
In July 2012, Bradshaw was announced as a judge for Urapopstar Idol 13.

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!. The trailer for the film was released in July 2013 and is slated for an October 2013 release.

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 in 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. Meanwhile, his falsetto, upper voice, and lower voice has been praised and described as being the equivalent to "honey and silk" and being "tender" and "smooth" by critics.

When discussing collaborating with Bradshaw, urban pop singer Honey complimented Bradshaw's vocals saying that "he definitely does not need any AutoTune".

Plenty of his material have received praise due Bradshaw's vocal performance by critics who have called it "smooth" and "swoon-worthy".

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.

Bradshaw has also been nominated for a MTV Video Music Award, Grammy Award, and BET Award.

Personal life
Bradshaw has been open with his struggles with alcoholism and sex and love addiction. Bradshaw began drinking when he was fifteen during his modeling days and became an alcoholic by the time he was nineteen. Bradshaw learned to hide his alcoholism from his family, friends, and others. His sex and love addiction developed when he was twenty, prompting him to be promiscuous and often having one night stands.

When Bradshaw was fifteen, he met a married older woman and began an affair with her when he was eighteen. The affair last five years when she left Bradshaw for husband and children for good, despite repeated promises that she would leave them for Bradshaw.

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 2012 single, "Missing You", is about the end of their relationship.

Bradshaw has since stated that he forgives both Stephingham and Coates.

Relationship with Sophie Anna Cardenti
Bradshaw met Sophie Anna Cardenti in the summer 2012, on the set of his music video for "You Complicate Me". Cardenti, a Canadian model, played Bradshaw's love interest in the video who spies on him through her window while he purposefully takes of his clothes, knowing she is watching.

Various people witnessed that off-set the two "couldn't get their hands off each other" and that their chemistry was "explosive" both on and off the set. After shooting of the video had wrapped, the two still kept in contact. In autumn 2012, Sophie Anna and Jackson began an affair.

Sophie Anna was married to popular Canadian television personality Silvio Cardenti, brother of prolific Australian-based journalist Evandro Cardenti. Sophie Anna has two children with Silvio. Just days before their wedding anniversary, in January 2013, Silvio found Sophie Anna and Jackson in bed together and found out about the affair. Silvio, on various occasions, attempted numerous reconciliations but Sophie Anna continued to see Jackson behind his back.

In February 2013, Sophie Anna revealed she was pregnant with Bradshaw's child. Silvio filed for divorce soon after. Meanwhile, Sophie Anna and Jackson decided to become a couple and began dating. In June 2013, the couple moved into together in a house in London, which, according to sources, is big enough to fit five people, allegedly for Bradshaw, Sophie Anna, their unborn baby, and Sophie Anna's two children with Silvio. Sophie Anna has since filed primary/joint custody while Silvio wants sole custody of their children.

After news broke of Bradshaw and Sophie Anna's affair, both of their reputations were tarnished in the eyes of the Canadian public, though most backlash was aimed at Bradshaw. Bradshaw was vilified by the Canadian press and his career started to suffer. Despite the fact that it seemed that Bradshaw had redeemed himself after performing on Parliament Hill for Canada Day in 2013, and after his single "Don't Say Goodnight" reached #1 in Canada in July 2013, Bradshaw was still considered to be one of the most hated people in the country because of the affair. Bradshaw and Sophie Anna have since exiled themselves from Canada.

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.