Conor Maynard
Conor Paul Maynard (born 21 November 1992) is an English singer. Born and raised in Brighton, he signed a recording contract with Warner Music Group in 2011. Maynard rose to fame in 2012 when he was nominated for, and subsequently won, MTV's Brand New for 2012 award.[1] His debut album, Contrast, was released in July 2012 which produced the successful single "Can't Say No". Maynard released his second and third albums, Covers and +11 Hours, in 2016 and 2023, respectively.[2][3]
Conor Maynard
- Singer
- actor
- YouTuber
2006–present
Early life[edit]
Conor Paul Maynard was born in Torquay, England to Gary and Helen Maynard, a builder and office worker, respectively. He has a younger brother, Jack who is a YouTuber. His younger sister Anna who is also a YouTuber has appeared in some of his covers on YouTube, including "Run" and "If I Were A Boy"[4] and she was the host of Got What It Takes?. He attended Cardinal Newman Catholic School in Hove. On 19 May 2006, he signed up to the online video-sharing website YouTube and in December 2008 uploaded his very first video of him singing "Breathe", by fellow British musician Lee Carr.[5] In 2006, Maynard starred as a young annoying Casper Rose in the Sky 1 television series Dream Team.[6]
Career[edit]
2010-2012: Debut[edit]
Maynard signed to Parlophone in late 2010.[7] He released the music video for his debut single "Can't Say No" on 1 March 2012,[8] which by September 2012 had already surpassed fourteen million views. The single was met with positive reviews, with Lewis Corner (of Digital Spy) describing it as "playful, fun and immediately leaves you wanting another go",[9] while others compared Maynard to singer Justin Bieber. Maynard largely disputed this comparison, stating "I'm not like Justin Bieber", but allowed that both gained popularity from being young and from being found through YouTube.[10]
Maynard's debut single, "Can't Say No", was released in the United Kingdom on 15 April 2012 – debuting at number two on the UK Singles Chart for the week ending 28 April with 74,792 copies sold.[11] The track also saw chart success in Ireland, where it peaked at number thirteen.[12] On 1 May, Maynard released the album track "Drowning" as a free download for any fans who pre-ordered the upcoming studio album Contrast.[13] On 5 May, he performed "Can't Say No" at the 7th annual edition of the TRL Awards in Italy.[14] On 9 June 2012, Maynard performed "Can't Say No" at the Capital Summertime Ball[15] in front of an 80,000 strong crowd.
Maynard released his second single, "Vegas Girl", on 21 July 2012 in the UK – it debuted and peaked at number 4 on the UK Singles Chart. On 30 July, he released Contrast, which debuted at number 1 on the UK Album Chart on 11 August 2012. The album sold only 17,000 copies in its debut week. He released the third single from the album "Turn Around", featuring Ne-Yo. It peaked at number 8 on the UK singles chart.[16] In November 2011, Maynard received a nomination for MTV's Brand New for 2012 award, competing alongside Delilah, Michael Kiwanuka, Lana Del Rey, and Lianne La Havas.[17] It was announced on 31 January 2012 that Maynard had been crowned winner of the award, having received approximately 48% of the public vote.[1]
