Marcus Canty

Marcus Canty grew up in Palmer Park, Maryland, where his early passions included acting, basketball, and singing, with the final pursuit ultimately prevailing. He appeared at Harlem's Apollo Theatre at ages 11 and 15; the second time, he finished second in the contest after performing Trey Songz' "Gotta Go." Soon after, Canty opened for acts such as Bow Wow and Hurricane Chris during their Washington, D.C.-area tour dates. While preparing an album for an independent label, he was diverted by a successful tryout for the American edition of The X Factor. Guided by L.A. Reid, he moved forward in the program's first season through interpretations of K-Ci & JoJo's "All My Life," Culture Club's "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me," Rose Royce's "I'm Going Down," Michael Jackson's "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)," and additional selections. By the close of 2012, Canty secured a contract with Epic, placed "Won't Make a Fool Out of You" on the Think Like a Man soundtrack—where it reached number 69 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop chart—and issued the EP This Is Marcus Canty, whose single "In & Out" peaked at number 56 on the same tally.