Biography
SiR has built his reputation as a progressive R&B artist chiefly through introspective, atmospheric ballads and slow jams. Raised in a musically immersed household steeped in gospel traditions, the Inglewood, California native launched his professional path near the start of the 2010s by penning songs for Ginuwine, Jill Scott, and Tyrese, then forged connections with contemporaries including Chris Dave and Anderson .Paak. His debut album Seven Sundays appeared in 2014 and secured an enduring affiliation with Top Dawg Entertainment, marked by guest spots on recordings by Jay Rock and Isaiah Rashad, followed by a pair of promising EPs and the 2018 sophomore set November. The third full-length Chasing Summer arrived in 2019 and reached the Billboard 200, aided by a contribution from fellow TDE artist Kendrick Lamar. After collecting two Grammy nominations for the duet “Back to Love” with Alex Isley, featured on Robert Glasper’s Run the World soundtrack, SiR returned to the charts with the 2024 album Heavy.
Music permeates SiR’s lineage. He is the son of vocalist and longtime minister of music Jackie Gouché, brother to rapper and songwriter D Smoke as well as songwriter Davion Farris, nephew of bassist Andrew Gouché, and cousin of singer and songwriter Tiffany Gouché, each of whom has achieved notable success. Born and raised in Inglewood, he began singing in church settings. Though basketball took precedence during his teenage years and he initially resisted his parents’ encouragement to focus on music, he later attended the Los Angeles Film School and obtained a recording-arts degree. Having already honed skills in songwriting, arranging, engineering, and production, he committed fully to music in 2011, the same year he co-wrote Ginuwine’s “Frozen” alongside his brothers, Bryan-Michael Cox, and Kendrick Dean, and supplied material for Casey Veggies’ “Loved Then Alone.” In the ensuing years he wrote for Oceana, Jill Scott, and Tyrese, appeared on Anderson .Paak’s “Already,” and released the solo mixtapes Wooden Voodoo in 2012 and the J Dilla tribute Long Live Dilla in 2014. For the latter project he collaborated closely with Chris Dave and received further input and appearances from cousin Tiffany Gouché and Shafiq Husayn.
Those steps prepared the ground for his first album, Seven Sundays. Released independently online in 2014 and issued commercially through the Fresh Selects label in July 2015, the project featured multiple tracks produced by Knxwledge, J.LBS, and DK the Punisher, with additional contributions from Tiffany Gouché and Chris Dave. The album reached Dave Free at Top Dawg Entertainment, leading promptly to features on tracks by TDE roster mates Jay Rock and Isaiah Rashad. Once signed to TDE himself, SiR issued the EPs HER and HER Too from October 2016 through February 2017. The second EP included the breakthrough slow jam “Ooh Nah Nah,” recorded with assistance from Masego.
SiR continued supporting other acts such as LeToya Luckett before delivering his second proper album, November, in January 2018. Despite contributions from various producers, the record preserved a hazy, dreamlike atmosphere and found particular resonance through the ScHoolboy Q collaboration “Something Foreign” and the reflective “D’Evils.” Later that month Chris Dave released Chris Dave and the Drumhedz, on which SiR co-wrote and performed several songs; the Blue Note album earned a Grammy nomination for Best Urban Contemporary Album.
With heightened visibility, SiR achieved his first Billboard 200 entry with Chasing Summer, a collaborative effort that debuted at number 64 upon its August 2019 release. Darker in tone and marked by his characteristically contemplative approach, the album opened with a track featuring Top Dawg labelmate Kendrick Lamar and also included appearances by Lil Wayne, Jill Scott, Kadhja Bonet, and Zacari. By year’s end SiR appeared on multiple additional projects that received Grammy nominations or wins, among them Anderson .Paak’s Ventura, Robert Glasper’s Fuck Yo Feelings, and Kaytranada’s Bubba.
The 2020 and 2021 period proved comparatively subdued, though he joined D Smoke, Rapsody, and Tiana Major9 on tracks, contributed to the Judas and the Black Messiah soundtrack, and delivered a faithful rendition of the Isley Brothers’ “Footsteps in the Dark,” among other recordings. He followed in 2022 with “Satisfaction,” a yearning ballad echoing early-’70s Al Green. His 2023 output was highlighted by a feature alongside Alex Isley on Robert Glasper’s soundtrack for the series Run the World. Their romantic ballad “Back to Love” received Grammy nominations for Best R&B Song and Best R&B Performance at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards. The following year SiR issued the aptly titled Heavy, portions of which originated as poems composed during rehabilitation. The album entered the Billboard 200 at number 120 and peaked at number 49 on the R&B/hip-hop chart.
Music permeates SiR’s lineage. He is the son of vocalist and longtime minister of music Jackie Gouché, brother to rapper and songwriter D Smoke as well as songwriter Davion Farris, nephew of bassist Andrew Gouché, and cousin of singer and songwriter Tiffany Gouché, each of whom has achieved notable success. Born and raised in Inglewood, he began singing in church settings. Though basketball took precedence during his teenage years and he initially resisted his parents’ encouragement to focus on music, he later attended the Los Angeles Film School and obtained a recording-arts degree. Having already honed skills in songwriting, arranging, engineering, and production, he committed fully to music in 2011, the same year he co-wrote Ginuwine’s “Frozen” alongside his brothers, Bryan-Michael Cox, and Kendrick Dean, and supplied material for Casey Veggies’ “Loved Then Alone.” In the ensuing years he wrote for Oceana, Jill Scott, and Tyrese, appeared on Anderson .Paak’s “Already,” and released the solo mixtapes Wooden Voodoo in 2012 and the J Dilla tribute Long Live Dilla in 2014. For the latter project he collaborated closely with Chris Dave and received further input and appearances from cousin Tiffany Gouché and Shafiq Husayn.
Those steps prepared the ground for his first album, Seven Sundays. Released independently online in 2014 and issued commercially through the Fresh Selects label in July 2015, the project featured multiple tracks produced by Knxwledge, J.LBS, and DK the Punisher, with additional contributions from Tiffany Gouché and Chris Dave. The album reached Dave Free at Top Dawg Entertainment, leading promptly to features on tracks by TDE roster mates Jay Rock and Isaiah Rashad. Once signed to TDE himself, SiR issued the EPs HER and HER Too from October 2016 through February 2017. The second EP included the breakthrough slow jam “Ooh Nah Nah,” recorded with assistance from Masego.
SiR continued supporting other acts such as LeToya Luckett before delivering his second proper album, November, in January 2018. Despite contributions from various producers, the record preserved a hazy, dreamlike atmosphere and found particular resonance through the ScHoolboy Q collaboration “Something Foreign” and the reflective “D’Evils.” Later that month Chris Dave released Chris Dave and the Drumhedz, on which SiR co-wrote and performed several songs; the Blue Note album earned a Grammy nomination for Best Urban Contemporary Album.
With heightened visibility, SiR achieved his first Billboard 200 entry with Chasing Summer, a collaborative effort that debuted at number 64 upon its August 2019 release. Darker in tone and marked by his characteristically contemplative approach, the album opened with a track featuring Top Dawg labelmate Kendrick Lamar and also included appearances by Lil Wayne, Jill Scott, Kadhja Bonet, and Zacari. By year’s end SiR appeared on multiple additional projects that received Grammy nominations or wins, among them Anderson .Paak’s Ventura, Robert Glasper’s Fuck Yo Feelings, and Kaytranada’s Bubba.
The 2020 and 2021 period proved comparatively subdued, though he joined D Smoke, Rapsody, and Tiana Major9 on tracks, contributed to the Judas and the Black Messiah soundtrack, and delivered a faithful rendition of the Isley Brothers’ “Footsteps in the Dark,” among other recordings. He followed in 2022 with “Satisfaction,” a yearning ballad echoing early-’70s Al Green. His 2023 output was highlighted by a feature alongside Alex Isley on Robert Glasper’s soundtrack for the series Run the World. Their romantic ballad “Back to Love” received Grammy nominations for Best R&B Song and Best R&B Performance at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards. The following year SiR issued the aptly titled Heavy, portions of which originated as poems composed during rehabilitation. The album entered the Billboard 200 at number 120 and peaked at number 49 on the R&B/hip-hop chart.
Albums
Singles
