Life looked promising for a young Kevin Jon Slade.   Growing up in Perry Bar, Birmingham, he devoted most of his time to writing music.  The 80’s era afforded him the chance to watch and learn, with a view that, one day, it would be him up there performing his own tracks. As an 8yr old he contented himself with renditions of Billy Joel’s ‘We didn’t Start the Fire’ and as the years went on his compositions took shape around his influences.

But the journey to where he is now has not been easy.  Kevin Jon began to struggle with a panic disorder that made him irrationally afraid to even leave his room.  In a never-ending cycle of fear and despair, he could not see how, in his current state, it would ever be possible to perform his own tracks if he was unable to function outside his four walls.

Music became an outlet – a cathartic outpouring of his emotions  - and he began to write his most prolific lyrics.   Family and friends shared with him their support and encouraged him to upload his tracks to MySpace – and from here it was hard to stop the turnaround!

Kevin Jon’s music caught the ears of SavageTrax, a record label and management company.  The owner of SavageTrax knew exactly what Kevin had been through and threw him a lifeline in the shape of a four-album deal. The darker side of Kevin’s life began to recede as he worked toward perfecting the tracks that he had accumulated over the years.

Breaking through the fear barrier to follow his instinct inspired Kevin to write his first single “When Fear Gets in the Way” which released digitally Oct 07.  His style is emerging with all the influences from his past and his present – a meld of 80’s pop, hip hop and R & B.  The press begin to tout him as a British Justin Timberlake which delights him no end as Kevin Jon holds Timberlake and Timberland in high esteem.

2007 has seen KJ perform in front of 25,000 people at Cardiff Mardi Gras Festival – a testament indeed to how far he has travelled towards his goals.

With his debut single under his belt, he looks forward to the release of his first album and along the way, he’d like to make clear, that fear need not get in the way of dreams. 

He has one more thing on his list to deal with…..nail biting! 

Kevin Jon is a patron of NoPanic.org.uk
Support for sufferers of Panic Attacks, Phobias, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, General Anxiety Disorder and Tranquilliser Withdrawal