Phillip Lawrence was born in Evansville, Indiana. Phillip sang everywhere throughout his childhood. A family member once said, " This boy sang in the shower, sang getting dressed, and one time I caught him singing while he was washing dishes. Surrounded by a family of local music legends helped nourish his aspirations of having a career in the music industry, his father Philip Sr. plays bass, his mother Cheryl was a classical singer and choir director of the Sounds of Grace choir his older sister DeVonna and younger brother Shane sing s and gospel music together and his first cousins are the Browne Sisters.
In 1992 Lawrence graduated from Memorial High School and moved to Nashville to attend the University of Tennesee. It didn't take long for him to realize that college wasn't the right path for the young artist. With the support of his family, He left the university and joined a theater troupe in North Carolina. He performed there until he found a gig in Orlando, Flordia at Disney World. It was here that he had a chance meeting with Stephan Segal.
The well-known action actor decided to let Phillip move into a penthouse in Santa Monica, California while working on a project with him. The invitation turned out to only last six months, but that didn't send him packing back to the cornfields just yet. The singer did back up for Anthony Hamilton on tour and almost anything he could think of to keep on working on his dream.
Around 2005 Phillip received yet another miracle. call from a mutual contact asking for him come meet this young man with a lot of potential. At the time, he was working as a telemarketer and was between checks. He only had five dollars and no car and the meeting was all the way across town. Lawrence told the contact that he would try to get there as soon as he could, using his last five dollars he purchased an all day bus pass. It took over two hours but he finally made it and something just clicked between the two performers Bruno and Phillip.
Philip's love life also bloomed during this time. Urbana Chappa, stylist to the celebrities appeared into his life. She is now the proud mother of four wonderful children and on step-child. When she isn't spending time with her sweet children or loving husband, she is hard at work at her own clothing line Masion di mini.
The two struggled together writing songs and in 2009. By 2010, the hits just started pouring out like milk and honey. Producing several hits and now known as the Smeezingtons, they started to fund their own projects. Later that year Bruno Mars was featured in Nothin' on You, finally, all the hard work paid off. Phillip has said over and over again, "it was only by the grace of God and hard work that I am where I am today." Since then, they have had hit after hit.
(Philip's song for his wife, Urbana courtesy of youtube)
