Bryson Tiller

Kentucky native Bryson Tiller emerged as a defining voice in 2010s contemporary R&B through the release of his single “Don’t” and the accompanying album T R A P S O U L (2015), a brooding yet confident collection of slow jams that coined the trap-soul sound and carried it into the mainstream via multi-platinum sales and Grammy nominations. True to Self (2017) and A N N I V E R S A R Y (2019) followed, entering the Billboard 200 at numbers one and five. As a featured artist and duet partner he appeared on standout tracks such as DJ Khaled’s “Wild Thoughts,” H.E.R.’s “Could've Been,” and Diddy’s “Gotta Move On.” Anchored by the hit single “Whatever She Wants,” his fourth, self-titled studio album arrived in April 2024.

Tiller began singing and rapping while still in high school in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, and issued the mixtape Killer Instinct, Vol. 1 before turning twenty. Early SoundCloud postings of “Don’t,” “Break Bread,” and “Let ’Em Know” drew wider attention; Timbaland contacted him directly, urging him to leave his day job so they could work together. Although Drake expressed interest in bringing Tiller to OVO Sound, the singer ultimately signed with RCA and made his major-label debut in May 2015 when “Don’t” received its commercial release. The minimalist ballad climbed to number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and later earned multi-platinum certification. T R A P S O U L followed several months later, reaching number eight on the Billboard 200 and achieving platinum status within half a year, propelled by additional multi-platinum singles “Exchange” and “Sorry Not Sorry,” the latter co-produced by Timbaland. “Exchange,” which peaked at number 26 on the pop chart, earned a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Song.

A series of featured appearances and independent singles paved the way for Tiller’s second album, True to Self, released in May 2017. Another project built around heavy, slow-tempo grooves, it debuted at number one. Around the same period he joined Rihanna on DJ Khaled’s “Wild Thoughts,” which reached number two. Further collaborations and standalone tracks preceded his third album, most prominently the duets “Insecure” with Jazmine Sullivan—recorded for the soundtrack of the series of the same name—and the Grammy-nominated “Could've Been” with H.E.R. A N N I V E R S A R Y, issued in October 2020, landed at number five and featured “Outta Time,” which included guest vocals from Drake and production by 40, Nineteen85, and Vinylz. Marking both Halloween and the tenth anniversary of his debut mixtape, Tiller released the follow-up tape Killer Instinct 2: The Nightmare Before in 2021; the holiday-themed EP A Different Christmas appeared the next month, showcasing contributions from Justin Bieber, Pentatonix, and Kiana Ledé along with mostly new material and a refreshed version of “Winter Wonderland.” In 2022 he appeared on Diddy’s “Gotta Move On” and dropped the solo single “Outside,” followed a year later by “Down Like That.” Originally circulated on SoundCloud, “Whatever She Wants” received an official release in early 2024, climbing into the top twenty on both the U.S. and U.K. charts before appearing on the self-titled fourth album issued that April.