Marcus Paul James

Brooklyn native Marcus Paul James (MPJ) was born into a Baptist family with a Panamanian DJ father. He was raised in the church and singing in the choir loft as soon as he could stand. At home, MPJ was surrounded by the timeless voices of Luther Vandross, Stevie Wonder, Teddy P and other R&B greats. The influence of these artists etched love for R&B, soul, gospel and tender ballads into his soul. MPJ has been writing music and creating harmonies since he was a young boy and continued throughout his college years at Penn State University. During his collegiate years, MPJ wrote for and performed with a 6-man acapella group named PRESSURE. Which quickly became popular enough to move the whole group to the NY area to work. After growing as a singer/songwriter and with a love for new music and experiences in his blood, it was time for MPJ to leave the group. Using nothing but his soulful voice and eclectic flair he landed a role in the Tony Award winning phenomenon "RENT". His work was so