Maxi Priest Maintains a High Note

NEW YORK--Maxi Priest recently was out shopping in London and decided to buy some clothes. He found a nice store, selected a pair of trousers and went into the dressing room.

When he came out, a line had formed for autographs.

“Obviously, the attention is there a lot more than it was before,” said Priest, whose sunny smile and sunny No. 1 single, “Close to You,” have made him a man worth waiting for.

“When I go to a club, I like to find my little corner and dance and see what’s going on, trying to enjoy myself the way I used to enjoy myself.”

He insists that success will not change him. And even if you’ve heard that a million times before, this time it might be true; Priest has always been the center of attention. Aunts and uncles fussed over him. Girls followed him in high school. Party guests gave him money.

“I was brought up in a family of nine kids, and I was the second-youngest,” said Priest, 27, who grew up in southeast London. “When you grow up in a big family, there’s so many personalities that you learn to deal with all different kinds of people. That also helped me develop my personality.”

He thinks he’s close to becoming a major star. “Just a Little Bit Longer” is the next single off “Bonafide,” and Priest predicts that if it becomes a hit, “All doors are open.”

“I know I’ve been gifted by God,” he said. “I think there’s a light shining on me.”