Colby O'Donis

as seen on myspace

mon 5/5/2008

Akon's "secret weapon," pop and R&B singer Colby O'Donis, isn't a secret anymore.

Two months ago, the 19-year-old Nuyorican from Jackson Heights scored a hit with What You Got, a synth-drenched party jam about a gold digging girl who "needs to stop." A guitarist and pianist, O'Donis (full name: Colby O'Donis Colón), met Akon just two years ago and recently signed a six-record deal with Akon's Konvict Music imprint.

But O'Donis isn't new to the game. At age nine, he was discovered by producers Full Force (Lisa Lisa) and released his first pop track, "Mouse in the House," for the Stuart Little soundtrack. By his teens, he was living in Florida and opening for acts like Brian McKnight, 98 Degrees and Backstreet Boys. Influenced by Michael Jackson, Usher and Justin Timberlake, the soft-spoken O'Donis hopes to release his debut album, Colby O, later this year.

And yes, ladies, he's available: "I’m very much single, it's hard to keep up right now with my schedule being so busy, my focus is in the music but I'm always looking for that special lady."

See: myspace.com/colbyo