Mishon Ratliff

Mishon (MY-shawn) is a young singer and fledgling songwriter who represents the next wave of pop R&B edged with hip-hop fire. The 16 year-old vocalist has already stirred up noise with "Just A Kiss," which shows off the Los Angeles native's soaring vocal dexterity and considerable teen charm. The track, co-produced by the Interns and Harvey Mason was the number one most added song at urban radio (6/2/09). That is just the tip of the iceberg, as Mishon is poised to capture even more fans with his exciting debut CD, due this Fall on producer/songwriter Vincent Herbert's new Streamline Records, a joint venture with Interscope Records. The multi-talented teen is already a TV star thanks to his role as spunky kid brother Tay on the ABC Family Channel drama "Lincoln Heights," which began shooting its fourth season this spring. Though Mishon has developed his own fan base thanks to his acting chops, he says that singing has always been his first love. Singing since he was a small child, his interest in music impressed his parents enough to enroll him in a local performing group of talented children that performed gigs throughout Southern California. But it wasn't until he handpicked the song "Lean On Me" to perform-unexpectedly-at the funeral of his great grandfather at age 9 that folks around him really took notice of the emotion he was able to wring from the song. "They asked if anybody had anything to say, and I stepped up to the microphone and started singing," Mishon explains. "And that's really what broke me out of my shell because I used to be a very shy child." One person who took notice was his cousin, Demetreus "Doe Mac" Henderson, who had started Dynasty Records and wanted to help his young relative polish his talent. Mishon began working on tracks with his cousin at age ten, even completing a couple of independent CD releases. In the meantime, Mishon got interested in acting. After rounds of auditions at age 12, the preteen took some time off but went back to it at age 14. One of his first auditions was for the "Lincoln Heights" pilot, which was later picked up. But music never stopped for Mishon, who continued to hone his performing craft and record more songs for his eventual solo album. When Dynasty got a distribution deal with Streamline Records, also the home to Lady Gaga, Mishon went to the label's Santa Monica offices to sing live for all the executives. Vincent Herbert, the mastermind who's created hits for the likes of Destiny's Child, Lady Gaga, Jo Jo, Toni Braxton, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder and many more, was so blown away by the young star that he introduced him to Jimmy Iovine, president and CEO of Interscope Geffen A&M Records; plans for his major label debut went underway immediately.