Everyone has a hero, and for Cape Girardeau, MO, that hero is Brese Squires. Security officer at North by day, and R&B singer by night, Squires works to pursue his long time dream: to share his music with the world.

“It’s a passion, to bring people together and have a good time,”Squires said.”For wherever you are in life, I have a song that relates to it.”

Squires “caught the bug” his senior year when he sang in the talent show for his high school, Cape Central. It was then that he realized he was born to sing. His talent didn’t come out of nowhere;he inherited the music gene from his father.

“My father was a songwriter, but my mom doesn’t have [musical talent],” Squires said.

It was obvious from the time Squires was a young child that he could carry a tune. In second grade, his music teacher told him that he could sure sing. Growing up, he sang in the church choir with his three sisters as well as the choir at school.

“He used to write his own music and lyrics, and sang all the time,” Valerie Squires, Brese’s mother said.

Originally from Cape, Squires often performs at Southeast Missouri State, his hometown university that he himself attended. He enjoys visiting and performing in his hometown, where they “treat him like a rockstar.” It is through SEMO that he met people who have been instrumental to his career. Video producer James LeBine is one of those instrumental people. LeBine produced Squire’s first music video for his original song, “I Wanna Know” that can be found on youtube.com. His mother and his grandmother can be seen in this video filmed in Cape.

“It is wonderful and exciting to see my son sing. It’s his dream and his passion,” Valerie Squires said.

Despite his best attempts to keep his talent hidden from students at North, it became common knowledge that Squires could belt it out when his music video became available on YouTube. His song, “I Wanna Know” was played during prom this past April. Suddenly the students don’t just see him as a security officer, they see him as musical artist.

“I was getting tired of being like Superman, changing in a telephone booth,” Squires said.

Squires has been promoting his music to radio stations and producers, trying to get it out into the world and into the right hands. Friend and fellow artist Zach Smithey, an art teacher at North, asked Squires to put together a portfolio and resume that he will forward to his friend that is a music producer.

“There are a few different types of people in this world, two [types] being producers and consumers. We are both producers and give the world something to look at and listen to,” Smithey said.

Considering his musical ability a “gift from God”, Squires will continue pursuing a career in music.

“It’s a dream – once it’s in you, it’s in you,” Squires said.