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B2K Readying Female Protege, Autograph Signing Shut Down Due To Overcrowding
03/20/2002 1:00 PM, Yahoo! Music
Mark Armstrong
(3/20/02, 1 p.m. ET) -- R&B boy band B2K is prepping for the release of its first protege act, a young female singer named Jhene. Jhene, who is the cousin of B2K member Lil' Fizz, appears in the group's debut video "Uh Huh."
Max Gousse, vice president of A&R for Epic Records, says the new teen sensation has a five-octave singing range. "She's also an excellent dancer," Gousse told LAUNCH about the artist, who is scheduled to release her debut album in November. "She writes some of her own material. She's definitely going to be a force. Brandy and Monica, basically they've bloomed into women at this point--I think Jhene will fill the void that's in the marketplace right now."
B2K, which also features members J-Boog, Raz-B, and Omarion, has definitely filled a void in the urban boy band world. The reaction to the group has been so strong that they attracted between 1,000 to 1,500 teenagers, parents, and children Monday (March 18) to an autograph signing at a Sam Goody record store in the Sunvalley Mall in Concord, California, according to Lt. Andrew Gartner of the Concord Police Department.
The authorities were called to the scene and cancelled the event when the crowd size exceeded expectations and people began shoving and throwing objects, Gartner said. This is the first time the mall has had to be shut down because of an overcrowded music artist autograph signing. "I'm not aware if anything like this has ever happened," Gartner said.
When LAUNCH spoke to Gousse last week, he discussed B2K's commitment to sign autographs for fans. "They love doing in-stores," Gousse told LAUNCH. "These guys will go to an in-store for a single signing, and they'll spend six hours at the store, signing every single autograph. A lot of artists just don't do that. A lot of artists don't want to put in that kind of work. These guys are really committed to their fanbase."
Spokespersons for Sam Goody's parent company Musicland, and the Sunvalley Mall did not return LAUNCH's calls by press time.
-- Billy Johnson Jr., Los Angeles
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