Taio Cruz

Taio Cruz, the British pop singer and songwriter born on April 23, 1980, in London, England, to a Nigerian father and Brazilian mother, attended school in Rugby, Warwickshire, in the West Midlands. His second album, Rokstarr, propelled him to global chart dominance in 2010 through the massive singles "Break Your Heart" and "Dynamite." At age 19 he secured a publishing contract, and he soon earned a co-writing credit on Pop Idol winner Will Young's 2004 Top Five single "Your Game," which received the 2005 Brit Award for Best British Single.

Building on that breakthrough, Cruz launched his solo career in 2006 with the Top 30 track "I Just Wanna Know," initially issued on his own Rokstarr Music London imprint, later rebranded as Rokstarr Entertainment Division, before landing a major deal with Island Records. Subsequent releases "Moving On" and the Top Five hit "Come on Girl" paved the way for his 2008 debut album Departure. Written and produced entirely by Cruz himself, the project yielded further singles "I Can Be" and "She's Like a Star" and drew positive critical notices.

Before unveiling his sophomore effort, Cruz strengthened his standing as a sought-after songwriter, contributing to tracks for British pop stars Cheryl Cole ("Stand Up") and JLS ("Keep You"). He also supplied material for grime rapper Tinchy Stryder's second album, 2009's Catch 22, notably the Top Five single "Take Me Back" and the chart-topping "Never Leave You."

The lead single from Rokstarr, "Break Your Heart," ascended to number one on the U.K. singles chart in September 2009, immediately after "Never Leave You" had departed that position, while third single "Dirty Picture" also reached the Top Ten. Created with fellow U.K. hitmaker Fraser T. Smith, Rokstarr received an international reissue in 2010 that incorporated "Dynamite," a Dr. Luke production which claimed the summit in six separate countries and brought Cruz three Billboard awards plus two ASCAP awards. The re-released "Break Your Heart" likewise topped charts across multiple territories, including the United States, where it set a Billboard record by leaping from number 53 to number one in a single week.

Cruz's third album, TY.O, arrived in 2011. Its party-anthem singles "Hangover" featuring Flo Rida, "Troublemaker," and "There She Goes" featuring Pitbull performed strongly throughout Europe, with the second of those entries reaching the Top 10 in four markets including the U.K. That same year Cruz co-wrote the major hit "Without You" for David Guetta and Usher. In April 2015 he issued the lead single for a planned fourth album, the relaxed "Do What You Like," which incorporated throwback elements recalling early- to mid-'80s R&B. The intended Roses Collection ultimately remained unreleased. Cruz instead surfaced in 2017 with the single "Row the Body" featuring French Montana.