BOY WONDER

Andre Coles, the man that would become Boy Wonder, was born in Philadelphia in 1982. He began singing at the age of 3 in his churchs choir. He knew his ability for music was something innate, but the Police solidified his passion when he fell in love with rock music at the age of 6 after hearing Roxanne. As a child growing up in West Philly, Andre was exposed to a myriad of music genres Blues, Jazz, Motown, Philly International, and Gospel yet the Police remained his number one inspiration. He was quickly drawn to their songs, which consisted of short, straightforward lyrics juxtaposed with Andy Summers echo guitar, combined with Stewart Copelands relentless drumming, and Stings out-front bass and voice. The Police motivated him to make music. They were his impetus, but as he soon learned, not his sole muse. As Boy grew, his love for music continued to manifest. He attended the High School for Creative and Performing Arts, where he began to write lyrics as a way to express himself. At the age of 17, he formed his first band called the FBI, mirroring his Police obsession. The Punk/Pop group played locally until their breakup in 2000. However, he continued to pursue his passion and fell into and out of several different kinds of bands Jazz, Blues, Classic Rock, Alternative Rock, and R&B where he performed as a singer. Though each attempt to attain success as an original band in Philadelphia was met with demise, he remained undaunted. Around this time he also adopted his stage name, Boy Wonder, feeling that a new start and a new sound called for a fresh moniker. "My real name wasnt cutting it for me it sounded kind of dorky", he thought. So I changed it. Drawing from the wealth of comic books he read as a child, he came up with Boy Wonder, realizing from the start it was a tag with the potential to draw some heat. "Some people think its cocky, and their entitled to their opinion, its just a shame they dont get the joke." With his music penchants evolving from the hard rock of his youth to more soulful melodies, Boy, along with a friend, decided to record his songs in the summer of 2002. They entered the studio hoping to produce a piece that represented his rich musical background and diverse tastes. The album featured songs that jump from easy listening, to power pop, to punk/pop, and even a touch of jazz and blues combined with a storyteller lyrical style. He decided to call the Album "Simplex" after overhearing a conversation in an elevator. Boy hit the Philly scene for almost two years in support of Simplex and garnered a reputation in the Philly Singer/Songwriter scene for giving a high-energy performance either by himself or with his band, winning fans along the way. In 2006 Boy released his second independent album titled Electric Love delving more into his heavier Rock, Funk, and R&B influences. For this new sound Boy formed a new band called The Klique. My new band is definitely the best band Ive ever played with it takes a while to find the right chemistry but when you do its magic. In early 2007 less than a year after Electric Love's release He returned to the studio with the Klique to record his new album Contact pushing the sound he created with Electric Love even further. "The band and I had really gelled while were out playing in support of Electric Love and I wanted to get that sound and that chemistry down on some new music I honestly believe that this is my best stuff so far." In 2008 Boy Wonder will become the new host of Philly Rising one of Philadelphia's most popular open mics. Hes also signed with Management Company Valentino Entertainment since April 2006. Since then his music has been under consideration by major record labels including J Records and Shady Records. "Everything that has happened has happened for a reason, I'm very excited about the rest of my journey."