Two singers to light up the Boardwalk at the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta

If you have never heard of Tessanne or Tami Chin, you are in for a big treat when Heineken introduces these two lovely ladies to St. Maarten during the second night of the 4-day St. Maarten Heineken Regatta.

The sisters are certainly not new to the island, as their songs get tremendous airplay on all the popular radio stations, and they are both no strangers to TEMPO and MTV 106 & Park.

The younger of the two, Tessanne Chin is a singer-songwriter from Kingston, Jamaica. She is the fresh soulful voice of a new generation of Jamaican musical talent. With her hits “Hideaway”, “Broken Melody” and “Loving You” she has won the hearts of numerous music critics.

Her sultry fusion of rock, reggae and soul, mixed with the heartfelt and conscious lyrics she pens herself, create a musical style that is uniquely her own. Her exceptional vocal talent and her exotic looks - a mix of Chinese, Caucasian, Cherokee Indian, and African heritage - give her an unmistakable stage appeal.

Tessanne was introduced to music at a very early age by her parents. Her mother was the trumpeter/singer in a band called The Carnations and her father was the drummer. Tessanne started her stage career when she was six years old with Cathy Levy’s “Little People and Teen Players Club”, one of Jamaica’s top performing arts schools. Most of her vocal coaching came from her mother, and also from noted vocal coach, Lecie Wright.

Tessanne learned firsthand about cultural diversity when she moved to England at age 12. She devoted a lot of her time to songwriting to express her feelings about her new life, in what was to her, a completely different world. Upon her return to Jamaica, Tessanne joined the Jamaican Rock Band, Mile High and performed for crowds at numerous local venues, including Jazz Fest, Rock Fest, and RETV Unplugged.

Tessanne left Mile High to pursue a solo career. She recorded tracks with producers Rudy Valentino and Paul Kastick. Creatively, she draws on the strengths of a diverse group of musicians, including Celine Dion, Pat Benatar, Diana King, Papa Roach, Bob Marley and many more.

Nila Rambhadjan, Heineken Marketing Manager, is very pleased with this choice of musicians for The Boardwalk event. “I love the Heineken Regatta Friday night on the Boardwalk, I think having Tessanne and Tami perform on Friday will draw a huge crowd of music and fun lovers to the Boardwalk.”

Tessanne will be accompanied by her sister Tammar Anika Chin, popularly known as Tami Chynn.

Tami was 14 when the sisters moved to London, where she spent three years studying the performing arts and in 2001, at age 17, moved back to Jamaica where she worked on her music career and recorded her first single “Rock U” for which she made her first music video.

Along her career climb, she has appeared on recordings with International Reggae stars Sean Paul, Beenie Man, Alaine, Assassan and Lady Saw. In addition, she has collaborated with and appeared in music videos with reggae/dancehall artist Wayne Marshall, whom she married in September 2009. Prior to pursuing singing professionally, she toured with Shaggy as a backup dancer.

Although knee deep in the dancehall and reggae scene, there is something different and distinct about Tami’s style of music. Her style is simply “eclectic dancehall,” as she calls it, which combines Pop, Hip-Hop, Jazz, Dancehall and Reggae. Her diverse influences have always given her a more worldly sound. Looking to artists such as Madonna, Gwen Stefani and Kylie Minogue, Tami Chynn has always understood the importance of being an artist who’s able to reinvent herself in new genres.

Presently, Tami’s hits floating the airwaves are “Hyperventilating”, “Over and Over Again” and her Top 10 hit “Frozen” with R&B Superstar Akon.

"We are extremely happy and excited to be hosting Tessanne and Tami Chin for our upcoming regatta" adds John Leone Commercial Director for the sponsor ILTT-Heineken, "Two great talents on One Night! These sisters have been independently burning up the airwaves....and this is a rare chance to see them LIVE on one stage at the St Maarten Heineken Regatta!"

For full information on the 2012 St. Maarten Heineken Regatta, including entry information, the Notice of Race, photos, videos, party and band information, and much, much more, visit www.heinekenregatta.com.