TODAY he is more popularly known as ‘Reflections’, a name he chose for himself since it so remarkably portrays his many struggles from abject poverty in his childhood to fame in his present day, now that he is being hailed as Guyana’s most talented original musician. No one ever imagined that Jermaine Mc Bean would have evolved into the magnificent vocalist, keyboard player, songwriter and entertainer he is today. Now having his own band dubbed, ‘Reflections’ he has blazed a trail throughout Guyana, and have left many of his ‘envious haters’ struggling to match his feat and many successful exploits.

Discovering the talent

He was born in Linden, and shocked his many neighbours and friends with his smooth melody and vocal ranges more suited to seasoned professionals, even when he was at the tender age of ten. As he grew up, many would look on amused as he raced up the hills and sandy dunes in Linden, singing his lungs out in cheery tones.

His singing talent was noted in the schools and churches in Linden, and quite soon he was a very sought after voice at almost every entertainment function.

Jermaine had no idea that he possessed excellent song writing skills, or the ability to play the keyboard, until he teamed up with a singer now turned journalist in the late 1990s, and the two began singing in the Teaspoon One Man Band in Belladrum, West Coast Berbice, and in other areas. It was during this period that he bumped into the promoter ‘George’, who owned the then ‘Cancer Nightclub’ in Mahaica, East Coast Demerara, and there he began hosting a few entertainment concerts.

George owned a massive ‘high tech keyboard’, and Jermaine began to play around with the instrument. What he discovered was very shocking, both to himself and his singer partner. With no prior training, his fingers seemed to ‘marry themselves to the keys’; and in a day’s time, he was belting out several soul ballads on the keyboard.

With his musical ‘fire’ now fully ignited, he just lived on that keyboard, not even stopping to eat at times. In two weeks’ time, he was able to put on his first live show at the Cancer Disco, and was well received by patrons who attended that event. His lone male lead singer was a little timid, so Jermaine fed him some red rum, and in no time he loosened up, belting out hot soca pieces that had even the grannies in Mahaica gyrating in wild abandon.

Hot hit

Jermaine soon became a hit figure in several parts of Guyana, and would normally rent keyboards to unleash what many dubbed as ‘raw, natural talent’.
At that time, Courts Guyana Inc. was giving away wild hire purchase deals, so naturally Jermaine cashed in, and of course got himself his own keyboard. Thereafter, it was no turning back for him, and soon he was penning original songs, and bringing them to life in the twinkling of an eye, now that he possessed his own keyboard.

Jermaine became a very sought after face in the city, and from time to time, he would perform with top rated bands in Guyana, like Heatwave, El Sadiek, Mingles and many others.

Disappearance/reappearance

Then, a few years ago, he suddenly disappeared from circulation, and word spread that the talented singer/songwriter had somehow relocated to China, where he rapidly made a name for himself and native country. After displaying his talent in many nightclubs, hotels and states in that land, Mc Bean returned to Guyana with a wealth of experience, which he hopes to share during his stay here.

He soon migrated with friends to the Ancient County of Berbice, and there he met Troy, the son of the popular Guyanese musician ‘Teaspoon’. The two formed a duo after he performed at an audition.

Soon Jermaine was filling the various nightclubs in Berbice with rich, vocal melodies. The word spread around, and he was soon the most sought after singer in the county, igniting murderous and venomous stares from top Berbician singers like ‘Rat Head’, ‘Young Teaspoon’ and several others, who were always green with envy whenever he performed.

He left Troy’s band because the bandleader never seemed able to deliver on his promises with regard to payment for his singers, and again moved to the city, where he joined several celebrated bands, thus eventually becoming rated amongst some of Guyana’s better singers.

In 2005, he made his first trip to Trinidad, where his talent soon had him performing alongside elite entertainers like Roy Cape on Trinidad’s Petra Chin Road Show, and a few others. He spent two years on that island bringing musical sizzle to many casinos, where he was greatly admired. He also sang alongside Trinidad’s Soca Monarch King, Shirwin Winchester.

After that, he flew to China and spent some eighteen months there, causing many to marvel at his musical talent. He performed ballads of Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, and Mary .J. Blige; and this, of course, brought him standing ovations at most of his performances.

In 2007, while in China, he entertained the beauties that contested the Miss Universe Pageant in that year, at a function that was attended by Bill Gates and other elite special invitees. That year, through his exploits, Guyanese singers Nichola and Nancy Osborne travelled to China and soon made their debut as ‘very entertaining singers’ in that state.

Now Jermaine has acquired his own band called ‘Reflections’, and to date has released three original albums, all a fusion of soul, reggae, dancehall and even soca renditions. He is more than ready to pass on his knowledge and musical skills, and can be contacted on phone number 670-7187.

Triumph over travails
His journey to stardom was amidst stormy struggles. Coming from a broken home where there was never the much needed love and guidance of a father, Jermaine began fending for himself at the early age of thirteen. He was forced to leave school early, due to grave financial constraints, and took refuge in homes that offered temporary solace and comfort.

All this time, he dreamed of utilizing his arresting vocal talents, and heard in his restless dreams the cheers of massive audiences under glitzy floodlights. He slept in fields, braved the rain, and went hungry for days as he attempted to find food by doing odd jobs here and there.

Still in his early teens, the talented singer was spotted by musicians, who would give him a song or two in their small bands, with him most times performing for free. It was the love of music that kept him holding on, performing for the joy of singing for little or sometimes no cash at all.

As his strength and determination grew, so too did the ‘musical abuse’ from promoters and band leaders, who used the condition of his abject poverty to their advantage, having him perform to large crowds for little or no money. That, however, did not stop his fans from clamouring for his vocal abilities, which most times left them enthralled.

Jermaine was slowly coming to grips with what was happening around him, and vowed in his mind to one day climb the ladder of fame he knew would eventually arrive with the degree of patience and tolerance he exercised.