Hip-hop icon Sean Kingston will take the stage for the University’s 2019 Chrysalis Ball on April 26. Since 1999, the Chrysalis Ball has been an annual formal event in which the campus and the community come together for a night of celebration. While last year’s Chrysalis Ball took place in the Gerhard Fieldhouse, this year’s event will be held in Sojka Pavilion. Festivities include the concert, dancing, and complimentary refreshments.

Sean Kingston, a Jamaican-American singer and rapper from Miami, is best known for his hit singles “Fire Burning” and “Beautiful Girls.” Both songs topped charts internationally in addition to peaking on the acclaimed Billboard Top 100.

Kingston was first discovered by the American record label, Beluga Heights, but he later worked with other record labels such as Epic Records and Koch Records. Some of his albums include “Sean Kingston,” “Tomorrow,” and “Back 2 Life.” He is also the 2007 winner of both the Teen Choice Award for “Beautiful Girls” and the Best Reggae Ever Acts Award.

Some of Kingston’s other most famous songs include “Take You There,” collaboration with Justin Bieber “Eenie Meenie,” and “Letting Go” featuring Nikki Minaj. Throughout his career, Kingston has also worked with other leading artists such as Jason Derulo, Kanye West, Soulja Boy, and many more.

More recently, Kingston collaborated with the Italian singer, Giusy Ferreri, and Italian record producers, Takagi & Ketra, to release “Amore e Capoeira” in summer 2018. The song became a hit single in Italy.

Students have been waiting for months to hear who would be performing at Chrysalis, following the success of Fall Fest with the Plain White T’s and the Fall Concert where Steve Aoki and AJR took the stage.

“We came up with a handful of artists in our price range and sent a survey to all students to vote on who they would like to see perform at Chrysalis. From that, we then took the top two and made another survey to make a final decision,” Simone McLaren ’19, the Marketing Director for the Chrysalis Ball, said.

The second survey was sent out last semester for students to vote for either Kingston or Akon. “The people of Bucknell spoke and we were fortunate to get the top choice Sean Kingston!” McLaren said.

Singer Shaggy performed at the Chrysalis Ball last year and past performers include the Sugarhill Gang and MC Hammer.

“I am really excited to bring Sean Kingston to Bucknell and I believe we will really enjoy what Chrysalis has to offer this year! It’s going to be a great time!” McLaren said.

Tickets for the event go on sale March 25 at the CAP Center, costing $20 for University students and $25 for community members. At the door, tickets will cost $25 for students and $35 for community members.