Bryce Vine

Bryce Vine merges pop, rap, and alternative rock elements into tracks that pair incisive, humorous lyrics with memorable melodies. His delivery balances an easygoing flow with sharp timing, laced with understated humor and everyday reflections on romance, as in the 2018 breakthrough single “Drew Barrymore,” and on everyday surroundings, as in the 2014 online breakout “Sour Patch Kids,” while the productions fuse hip-hop frameworks with unexpected melodic turns and frequent guitar textures. Following substantial independent traction, he moved to a major-label roster for his first full-length project, Carnival, issued in 2019. Throughout 2022 he maintained a rapid output of singles that tested varied moods, among them the swaggering rap cut “Nobody,” the cocky post-breakup number “y can’t we b friends,” and the wry socio-political pop track “American Dream,” all appearing inside a six-month window.

Born Bryce Ross-Johnson in New York City on June 16, 1988, Vine grew up with actress mother Tracey Ross and restaurateur father Brad Johnson. At age ten he relocated to Los Angeles with his mother so she could advance her career while raising him. In 1999 she secured a principal role on the daytime serial Passions, remaining with the show through 2008. That stability enabled the family to establish roots in the Los Angeles suburb of Westlake Village; observing his mother’s professional environment sparked Vine’s early interest in the arts. His father introduced him to vintage R&B, and at thirteen Vine received a guitar from his parents, which he learned to play on his own. Alongside ’90s R&B he absorbed pop-punk and alternative rock, citing Green Day and Third Eye Blind as formative influences.

Over time Vine refined his skills as a singer and songwriter, making his first recorded appearance in 2010 as a featured artist on G-Eazy’s “Coming Home.” Encouraged by relatives and peers, he tried out for the 2011 reality series The Glee Project, which sought performers for the television program Glee. Although selected for season one, he was eliminated after the opening episode; he later expressed contentment with that result, remarking to an interviewer, “That was not the right place for me.” He instead concentrated on music studies at Berklee College of Music, where he met producer Nolan Lambroza, already known for work with Lil Wayne, Pitbull, and Justin Bieber. Lambroza signed Vine to his independent imprint, Kiva House Lambroza.

Vine’s debut EP, the six-track Lazy Fair (a pun on the French phrase “laissez-faire” and the name of his parents’ boat), arrived in 2014. Two tracks from the set, “Sour Patch Kids” and “Guilty Pleasure,” accumulated more than 11 million and five million streams, respectively. In 2015 he released “The Thug Song,” a satirical take on hardcore-rap tropes built on a Green Day sample that blocked commercial distribution. Night Circus, a second EP, followed in 2016. The single “Drew Barrymore,” first issued in 2017, achieved double-Platinum status after its 2018 re-release. Early 2019’s “La La Land,” featuring YG, entered the Billboard Hot 100 and earned Platinum certification, while the full-length Carnival appeared that July and reached the upper half of the Billboard 200. Also in 2019, Vine teamed with Loud Luxury on “I’m Not Alright,” which received Gold certification. “Baby Girl,” featuring Jeremih, surfaced in February 2020 and peaked at Number 29 on the pop chart. August 2020 brought the five-song EP Problems, containing “Life Goes On” and the Grady-assisted title track. “Stay,” a collaboration with Cheat Codes, was released as a single and included on the duo’s 2021 album Hellraisers, Pt. 1. In 2022 Vine appeared on “Water,” a Snakehips single that spawned simultaneous remixes by Ferreck Dawn, Quarterhead, and Torren Foot. That same year he issued three further singles—“American Dream,” “y can’t we b friends,” and “Nobody”—within the opening six months.