Conor Maynard

Conor Maynard, the British performer skilled in singing, songwriting, and acting, converted his thriving YouTube activity of posting cover versions into widespread commercial achievement, initially securing guidance from Ne-Yo before attaining U.K. prominence through the successful track "Can't Say No" on his 2012 debut album Contrast, which reached the top of the charts. Throughout subsequent years, Maynard maintained sporadic chart entries, issued a 2016 collection of reinterpretations, and expanded into EDM partnerships, while shifting emphasis toward standalone releases such as 2019's "Hate How Much I Love You," 2020's "Nothing But You," and 2021's "Ain't Got No Friends."

Born in Brighton during 1992, Maynard engaged in vocal and performance pursuits from childhood. He joined the British television program Dream Team in 2006 and simultaneously initiated his YouTube presence. An early upload covering Lee Carr's "Breathe" drew initial notice, after which Maynard kept sharing reinterpretations of material by figures including Chris Brown, Taio Cruz, and Rihanna, steadily building a large subscriber base. His take on American R&B artist Ne-Yo's "Beautiful Monster" drew direct interest from the singer/songwriter, who reached out to the emerging talent.

MTV U.K. ran its Brand New for 2012 contest at the close of 2011, letting viewers select promising newcomers; alongside entrants such as Lana Del Rey, Delilah, and Lianne La Havas, Maynard claimed victory with 45 percent of the ballots. One month afterward he confirmed a contract with EMI's Parlophone imprint, then delivered his debut single "Can't Say No" in April 2012, which climbed to number two on the U.K. singles chart. Three months later his first album Contrast arrived, involving producers and featured vocalists such as Pharrell Williams, the Invisible Men, Ne-Yo, and Rita Ora; the chart-topping project yielded four Top Ten singles overall and preceded the Labrinth-produced "R U Crazy" in 2013. Further singles surfaced in 2015 and 2016, among them "Talking About" and the Kris Kross Amsterdam and Ty Dolla $ign collaboration "Are You Sure?," though none entered the Top 40.

Remaining active on YouTube, Maynard opted to assemble an entire album of reinterpretations. Covers appeared in August 2016 and contained his readings of works by artists including Drake, ZAYN, and Shawn Mendes, plus one original composition called "This Is My Version." In the years that followed he concentrated mainly on guest vocals, appearing on EDM releases by Cash Cash ("All My Love") and Hardwell ("How You Love Me"). He also contributed to the 2018 Kris Kross Amsterdam and the Boy Next Door single "Whenever," which succeeded throughout Europe, and performed in a Broadway staging of Kinky Boots that concluded in January 2019. Maynard resumed issuing material that year with the single "Hate How Much I Love You," followed by additional independent tracks such as 2020's "Nothing But You" and 2021's "Ain't Got No Friends." He further joined Kris Kross Amsterdam and Shaggy for the 2021 song "Early in the Morning."