Bobby's bringing it

Bobby Valentino, one of R 'n' B music's hottest stars, will be performing live in Dubai at the opening of the garden at Chi @ The Lodge, tonight with support from two of Dubai's local DJ's, DJ Schooly and DJ Shero.

Made waves

Mississippi-born Valentino was discovered while singing on a bus. Raised in Atlanta, Valentino had a hard time convincing his parents that the music business was the place for him. In 1996, Valentino formed Mista with a group of friends, a Boyz II Men-styled singing group that made waves with their song Blackberry Molasses.

The group then split and Valentino decided to focus on college. After earning his degree in 2003, Valentino returned to demo work. One of his demos was discovered by Hip Hop guru, Ludacris, who made Valentino the first R'n'B singer in the rapper's Disturbing The Peace crew (DTP).

The massive hit Slow Down announced the singer as a DTP member in 2005 and soon became a BET and radio favourite. As the ballad was landing numerous votes, DefJam/DTP released Valentino's self-titled debut with hits such as Slow Down and Tell Me. The Special Occasion album followed in 2007, with the hit single Anonymous, which features artists such as Timbaland, Ludacris and Fabolous.