Taio Cruz
Jacob Taio Cruz (/ˈtaɪoʊ/; born Adetayo Ayowale Onile-Ere, 23 April 1980),[a][10][11][12] better known professionally as Taio Cruz (stylized TΛIO CRUZ), is a British singer-songwriter from London, currently based in Los Angeles.[13] In 2008, he released his debut album Departure, which he wrote, arranged and produced. The album achieved certified gold status in the United Kingdom and earned him a Music of Black Origin Awards (MOBO) nomination.
On 12 October 2009, Cruz released his follow-up album Rokstarr, which includes the number one singles "Break Your Heart" and "Dynamite". Cruz collaborated with Kesha on the single "Dirty Picture", and with Kylie Minogue and Travie McCoy on his single "Higher". Cruz wrote and recorded the song "Telling the World" as the lead single from the soundtrack to the 2011 animated film Rio. Cruz's third studio album, TY.O, was first released in Germany on 12 December 2011.
In 2012, Cruz co-wrote David Guetta and Usher's song "Without You" and the same year released the music video to There She Goes featuring Uzbek model Nadya Nepomnyashaya. In April 2015, Cruz released the first single, "Do What You Like" from his forthcoming Roses Collection. In late 2015, he added vocals to Tujamo's Melbourne track, "Booty Bounce" which was released by Spinnin' Records.
Biography[edit]
Early life and career[edit]
Cruz was born in London to a Nigerian Yoruba lawyer father[14] and a Brazilian mother who had a hairdressing business. He was raised in "a five-bedroom house in Kensal Rise".[15][16][17] He was educated at fee-paying independent schools, attending Bilton Grange preparatory school in Warwickshire and Battle Abbey School in East Sussex,[18][19][20] before relocating to London where he went to Stanmore College.[21]
Cruz's songwriting career began as part of Tricky Stewart's writing collective, RedZone Entertainment[22] and achieved notability in 2005 when he was awarded a Brit Award for co-writing Will Young's 2004 single, "Your Game".[23]
Cruz is the founder and chief executive of Rockstar Music London, which in 2006 released his debut single "I Just Wanna Know". The single charted at #29 in the UK singles charts. It won him some admirers including Island Records's Darcus Beese and Monte Lipman, who, according to manager Binns, "both believed 'I Just Wanna Know' fitted the format on both sides of the Atlantic".[24] In 2006, Cruz signed a split single deal with Universal Music Group companies, Republic Records and the UK branch of Island Records.
Writing and production[edit]
Cruz has written songs on albums by Cheryl, JLS, The Saturdays, The Wanted and David Guetta. Cruz wrote and featured on Tinchy Stryder's hit single "Take Me Back". Pop rock band McFly recorded "Shine a Light" which not only features, but was also penned and produced by Cruz for their fifth studio album.[51] Cruz also penned Jennifer Lopez's 2011 single "I'm Into You", featuring Lil Wayne. He also contributed significantly to David Guetta's fifth album Nothing but the Beat, penning two of his hit singles "Without You", featuring Usher and "Little Bad Girl", featuring Cruz and Ludacris. He also wrote "Mechanics of the Heart" for Cheryl's album A Million Lights.
Other ventures[edit]
RXTR/Rokstarr brand[edit]
On 1 September 2009, Cruz launched the short lived, unsuccessful and now dormant brand Rokstarr, a fashion and accessories brand which had a focus on sunglasses. Speaking in October to R&B writer Pete Lewis, Cruz promoted his brand: "There's a load of US celebrities that are all rocking the sunglasses already—Kid Cudi, Justin Timberlake, Kanye West.... Then in the UK we have The Saturdays, JLS, Daniel Merriweather—who've all been twittering and writing on their blogs how much they love them. So yeah, it's definitely my new album 'Rokstarr' and the fashion brand that are my two main focuses at the moment."[52]
Meanwhile, speaking again to Lewis in April 2010, Cruz gave his brand more free publicity: "We're currently looking to expand the brand and possibly go into things like watches. I've also got a new subsidiary of Rokstarr called 'Rok By Rokstarr'. And we've just started doing things like jeans and T-shirts, and stuff that more of the fans of Taio Cruz can buy. Because with Rokstarr in itself being so expensive, a lot of the kids out there who want to buy Rokstarr things can't. So we're bringing in stuff that's a little bit more High Street and more affordable."[53]
In 2012 the brand, in a vain attempt to revive its fortunes was renamed to RXTR, a backronym for Riots and Twelve Rebels. The new name came along with new products, watches, which were immediately stocked at Selfridges on Oxford Street in London.[54]
As of 2015, the RXTR website redirects to Cruz's personal website, and the brand's Facebook account has not been updated for over a year.
Philanthropy[edit]
Cruz filmed a public service announcement with Little Kids Rock, a national nonprofit that works to restore and revitalize music education in disadvantaged U.S. public schools.[55]