Maxi Priest is a British singer of reggae and R&B. Born in London to a Jamaican father and English mother, he grew up in the Hackney neighborhood. He began his musical career as a disc jockey before becoming a singer. In 1988, he released his first album, Maxi Priest, which reached number one on both the British and American charts. He achieved international success with his second album, Set the Night to Music (1991), which includes the single "Close to You". Some of his other albums include Man with the Fun (1993), In the Bleak Midwinter (1997), and Easy to Love (2000). In 2002, he collaborated with the reggae group UB40 on the album Cover Up, and in 2010, he released the album 2 the Max.

Maxi Priest - Close To You (Extended Version) Extract :