Marvin Priest Biography

Marvin Elliott (born 27 October 1981), better known by his stage name Marvin Priest, is a British/Australian-based singer. Marvin's debut studio album, Beats & Blips, was released in November 2011 in Australia, spawning the top ten hit "Own This Club", as well as top one-hundred hits "Take Me Away" and "Feel the Love".

1981-2010: Early life and career beginnings

Marvin Elliott was born on 27 October 1981 in Lewisham, London, England and is the son of reggae singer Maxi Priest. Marvin has eight siblings. His brother, Ryan Elliott, was in the British boy band Ultimate Kaos who achieved success in the 1990s. As a child, Marvin always had an interest in music, growing up listening to R&B, hip-hop and reggae music and along with his siblings, travelled the world with his father.

In 2007, Marvin began to tour with UB40, regularly performing as a backing vocalist during the Raggamuffin Music Festival. He has since worked and performed with various artists. Marvin co-wrote "Full Hundred" on Maxi Priest's album 2 the Max and featured on "Childhood", a track from Maxi Priest's Refused album. Marvin also featured on UB40's album TwentyFourSeven, co-writing "Slow Down" and featuring in "Dance Until the Morning Light" and a remix of "I Shot the Sheriff". In 2010, he performed a duet with Ronan Keating for his album Duet, covering "Wild World".

2011-present: Breakthrough success and Beats & Blips

Priest's debut album, Beats & Blips, was released in Australia on 25 November 2011. In February 2011, Marvin Priest released his breakthrough debut single "Own This Club" on 25 February 2011 which peaked at number six in Australia and was certifed double platinum. His second single, "Take Me Away" featuring Wynter Gordon, was released on 22 July 2011 and peaked at thirty-two on the ARIA Singles Chart, also being certified gold. "Feel the Love" featuring Fatman Scoop, the third single from Beats & Blips, was released on 25 October 2011 and peaked at number sixty.