Taio Cruz

Adetayo Ayowale Onile-Ere, known professionally as Jacob Taio Cruz, is a British singer, songwriter, rapper, and record producer. He gained international recognition for his pop and electronic dance music, achieving major chart success with single releases such as "Break Your Heart" and "Dynamite". Over his career, Cruz has released multiple studio albums and contributed extensively as a songwriter and producer for numerous other prominent musical acts.

Cruz was born on 23 April 1980 in London, England, to a Nigerian Yoruba father who worked as a lawyer and a Brazilian mother who ran a hairdressing business. He was raised in Kensal Rise and attended independent fee-paying schools, including Bilton Grange preparatory school in Warwickshire and Battle Abbey School in East Sussex. He later returned to London to study at Stanmore College.

His professional music career began after American record producer Tricky Stewart discovered him in the mid-2000s. Cruz joined Stewart's writing collective, RedZone Entertainment, as an in-house songwriter. In 2005, he received a Brit Award for co-writing Will Young's single "Your Game". Cruz founded Rockstar Music London and released his R&B-styled debut single "I Just Wanna Know" in 2006, which reached the UK singles chart top 30. This led to a record deal with Republic Records and Island Records' UK branch. He released his debut studio album, Departure, in 2008, which he solely wrote, arranged, and produced. The album reached number 17 in the UK, earned a gold certification from the British Phonographic Industry, and received a MOBO Award nomination.

Cruz transitioned to an EDM-pop sound for his second studio album, Rokstarr, released in 2009. The album achieved widespread international commercial success, entering 13 international charts and reaching the Billboard 200 top ten. Its lead single, "Break Your Heart", topped the UK singles chart and the US Billboard Hot 100, breaking the record for the largest leap by a debut single in the United States. Follow-up single "Dynamite" reached number one in the UK and number two in the US, winning three Billboard Music Awards. Other UK top-ten singles from the record included "Dirty Picture" featuring Kesha and "Higher".

In 2011, Cruz recorded "Telling the World" for the animated film Rio and released his third studio album, TY.O. The album included international hit singles such as "Hangover" and "There She Goes". That same year, he collaborated with David Guetta and Ludacris on the global chart-topping single "Little Bad Girl". In August 2012, Cruz performed "Dynamite" and "Written in the Stars" at the closing ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

In subsequent years, Cruz released several non-album singles, including "Do What You Like" in 2015, "Row the Body" in 2017, and "Time For You" in 2019. Beyond his solo recordings, he has co-written hit tracks for artists such as Tinchy Stryder, Cheryl, JLS, The Saturdays, The Wanted, McFly, Jennifer Lopez, David Guetta, Cody Simpson, Olly Murs, and Robyn. In addition to his music work, Cruz launched the fashion and accessories brand Rokstarr, later rebranded as RXTR, created the social media app Kewe, and participated in philanthropic work for the non-profit organization Little Kids Rock.