Taio Cruz
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Taio Cruz | |
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| Background information | |
| Born | 23 April 1985 [1] |
| Origin | London, England, United Kingdom |
| Genre(s) | R&B, Hip Hop, Pop |
| Occupation(s) | Producer, Singer-Songwriter, Performer |
| Years active | 2005 – present |
| Label(s) | Island Records, Rokstarr Music London |
| Website | www.taiocruzmusic.co.uk |
Taio Cruz (April 23, 1985) is an English singer-songwriter and music producer.
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[edit] Biography
Taio Cruz was born on 23 April 1985 to a Nigerian father and a Brazilian mother, and raised in London, England. His love for music was evident from his school days and particularly college days, where he began taking his productions and recordings more seriously.
Cruz is the founder and C.E.O. of Rokstarr Music London, which in 2006 released his debut single "I Just Wanna Know". Also in 2006, he signed a joint-venture partnership deal with UMusic Companies, Republic Records and Island Records.[2]
In the UK, Cruz has worked with Omar, Nitin Sawhney, Wookie and Will Young. The song "Your Game", co-written by Cruz with Will Young and Blair MacKichan, went multi-platinum and won Best British Single at the Brit Awards.
His album entitled Departure was released in the UK on 17 March 2008. He has so far released 5 singles from the album. Having written, arranged, performed and produced the album himself, he is currently working on new music for Sugababes, Letoya Luckett, Brandy, Justin Timberlake, The Pussycat Dolls and Britney Spears.
Simon Cowell has hired Cruz to write and produce tracks for Leona Lewis and Shayne Ward.[3]. Cruz is currently in Philadelphia working with US producer Jim Beanz, on new music for Britney, Brandy and Justin Timberlake. Cruz has also been asked to write for Anastacia’s anticipated next album and to contribute to the Sugababes’ next album.[4]
Cruz has also been nominated for a MOBO award and performed his single She's Like a Star alongside the Sugababes at the 2008 MOBO awards.
Cruz has also been featured on a song with Tinchy Stryder called "Take Me Back". There is also a remix of this song featuring Sway & Chipmunk.
Also, Cruz has recently written and produced a new R. Kelly song titled "She Knows It". He also features on the third verse of the song.
According to Cruz's official MySpace blog, as of the 1st Jan 2009 Rokstarr Music London officially changed its name to Rokstarr Entertainment Division abbreviated to R.E.D Inc.
‘Break My Heart’ is the hugely anticipated new single set for release Sept 14th. The track will proceed the release of Taio’s album later in the year and follows his breakthrough debut ‘Departure’’ which last year delivered 3 top 20 singles ‘She’s Like a Star’, ‘I Can Be’ and ‘Come on Girl’. The video for ‘Break My Heart’ shoots in Spain this week and follows the first of 3 shows for Taio at Eden’s Twice As Nice in Ibiza. Taio is currently working with remixers Paul Thomas and Todd Terry, in between penning his own album Taio has been working closely with a number of performers in the studio including JLS, Daniel Merriweather, Tinchy Stryder and Amelle and Sugababes.[5]
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
| Year | Album details | Chart peak positions | Certifications | Sales |
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| UK | ||||
| 2008 | Departure
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| 2009 | T.W.O (This Way Out)
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[edit] Singles
| Year | Title | Chart positions [6] | Album | |
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| UK | IRE | |||
| 2006 | "I Just Wanna Know" |
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| 2007 | "Moving On" |
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| 2008 | "Come On Girl" (featuring Luciana) |
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| "I Can Be" |
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| "She's Like a Star" |
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| "I Just Wanna Know (re-release)" |
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| 2009 | "Break Your Heart" |
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(*) "N/C" means that the single did not chart.
[edit] As featured artist
| Year | Title | Chart positions | Album | |
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| UK | IRE | |||
| 2009 | " Take Me Back" (Tinchy Stryder featuring Taio Cruz) |
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Catch 22 |
[edit] Production and writing credits
- Tinchy Stryder - "Take Me Back" (Featuring Taio Cruz)
- Nitin Sawhney - "Rainfall" (Featuring Taio Cruz)
- Vawn - "Let Me See Dat" (Featuring Taio Cruz) Produced by Taio "Rokstarr" Cruz
- Will Young - "Your Game"
- R. Kelly - "She Knows It"
- Shayne Ward - TBA
- Leona Lewis - TBA
- Rihanna - "Umbrella" [7]
[edit] References
- ^ : Taio Cruz :
- ^ : Taio Cruz :... Bio
- ^ Simon Cowell reckons Leona Lewis' producer Taio Cruz is the next Mark Ronson - mirror.co.uk
- ^ The X Factor - Taio Cruz: Talent Shows Make Record Labels Lazy
- ^ http://www.taiocruzmusic.co.uk/news/index.php?id=188
- ^ The Official UK Charts Company
- ^ I'll make Britney Spears a hit again, vows British producer Taio Cruz - The Sunday Mail
[edit] External links
- Official website
- Official website
- Taio Cruz at MySpace
- Taio Cruz 2008 interview on ilikemusic.com
- Taio Cruz 2008 video interview on MSN Music
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