User:Marconibeam

Marconi Beam (born Darin Juan Graham on 7th March 1987) is a singer, songwriter based in London UK. His stage name was derived from an informal settlement area near his home in Cape Town where he lived for 10 years.

Biography
Beam has through his life, changed schools 8 times. His first school, Swartland Primary School in Malmesbury, Western Cape, South Africa, he then changed in Year 4 to Seamount Primary School (Cape Town) for one term and completed the year at Blouberg Ridge Primary School in Cape Town. For his final year of school in South Africa, Beam returned to Swartland Primary School.

Beam arrived with his mother and younger sister in the UK on the 23rd October 1999 at the age of 12. They settled in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. Beam attended Howard Middle School before going onto King Edward VIth Upper School. Due to bullying and his unhappiness in the school, Beam transferred to Sawston Village College in Cambridgeshire for his final year of GCSE's Yr 11.

Marconi left school with 9 GCSE's including an A in English. He then attened Long Road VI Form College in Cambridge and completed his A Levels in English, Politics, Film Studies and Media Studies.

Career In Substance Misuse
In 2007 Beam moved to London and started working for a temp agency which eventually lead to a placement at the UK's largest Substance Misuse Treatment organisation. He has since been working for the charity as a youth worker, working with under 18's facing substance misuse issues. Certain family members of Beam have suffered from substance misuse which has motivated him to support other people suffering from these issues.

Career In Music
In July 2009, Marconi succesfully auditioned for a place at Major Music Artist Development Academy where he has been recording his first album. It was around this time that Marconi wrote his single, Head Held High, which is based on the events of the break up of his first relationship.

Beam is openly gay and in a recent interview stated: "I hope that my story so far can inspire other young people from under privilaged backgrounds that there is hope out there to achieve your goals and dreams....you just have to work at really hard and never give up."

In an interview with the Bury Free Press (Local news in Bury St Edmunds) Beam stated

"I used to think that the opportunity to perform just somehow lands in your lap and your lucky if it happens. I was just waiting around for that...but then I realised that that's not how it works for most people and that you have to work really hard for what you want. Since I realised this I have already landed myself in one of the UK's largest music competitions."

In January 2010 Beam succesfully reached the London final of the UK's largest original music competition Live & Unsigned. Beam will be competiting for a place in the national final and a chance to perform at the o2 Arena in London and receive a recording contract.

Beam has gradually been building up interest in his music by performing at various open mic nights around London and support slots for bands such as Hot Chip.

Beam has recently been featured in various local newspapers and radio stations due to his success in the Live & Unsigned competition and is in 2010 hoping to land himself a record deal.