Biography

Born and bred in London, England, Jacob Taio Cruz (Pronounced as ‘Tie’ ‘O’) began his musical journey at a very early age. With a gifted singing voice and learning to play the piano by ear, he possessed a natural skill and affinity for creating music.

At school he began to expand his talents, writing songs & learning to use digital production software.

Sharing his songs with his close circle of friends, It wasn’t long before his music gained attention. He quickly landed a publishing deal at the age of 17 after a Def Jam A&R, who was dating one of Taio’s female friends, overheard one of Taio’s demos playing in the background whilst on a phone call to his girlfriend one fated evening.

Soon afterwards, Taio was called in for a meeting, signed, and was flown out to Atlanta to begin working on the biggest projects in the pop music scene.

With affiliations to Dallas Austin (Madonna) and Tricky Stewart (Rihanna, Beyonce) Taio presented his songs to the likes of Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake and Rihanna.

Fast forward a couple of years, and a 19 year old Taio is now a Brit Award winner for writing the Best British Single “Your Game” for Will Young. He then proceeded to step out from behind the curtain and self-write and produce his debut album, “Departure”.

The album “Departure”, achieved certified Gold status in the UK, was nominated for various awards, and was the winner of the ASCAP Vanguard award.

Taio’s International breakout success came with the release of his second album Rokstarr (purposely misspelled and named after his sunglasses brand of the same name).

The first single “Break Your Heart” became a worldwide smash hit, reaching number 1 on the charts in numerous countries including both the UK and USA.

In America, “Break Your Heart” achieved Billboard’s 2010 record breaking jump to number 1, by moving from number 53 to number 1 in one week.

Post “Break Your Heart”, along came a yet another global smash hit single, in the phenomenon that is “Dynamite”, a song co written with Max Martin, and produced by Dr Luke. Dynamite topped the charts in half a dozen different countries, won Taio three Billboard Awards, as well as numerous nominations from around the world.

With Incredible collaborations on successive singles such as “Higher” featuring Kylie Minogue, “Hangover” featuring Flo Rida, “Little Bad Girl” with David Guetta, and Dirty Picture featuring Kesha, Taio dominated the airwaves.

Writing Hit Singles for Jennifer Lopez (I’m Into You) and David Guetta feat Usher (Without You) Taio Cruz solidified himself as one of the most sought after, triple-threat, artist writer and producers today.

Awards

Brit Awards 2004 - Best British Song Winner
American Music Awards 2010 - Breakthrough Artist Nominated
Brit Awards 2010 - Best British Song Nominated
iTunes Best Album & Song 2010 - Best Song Nominated
ASCAP Vanguard Award 2010 - For the Album “Departure” Winner
Brit Awards 2011 - Best British Song Nominated
Billboard Awards 2011 - Top Hot 100 Song Winner
Billboard Awards 2011 - Top Digital Song Winner
Billboard Awards 2011 - Top Pop Song Winner
Much Music Awards 2011 - Most Watched Video Winner

Stats

Birthdate: 23rd April, 1985
Birthplace: London, England
Nationality: British
Occupations: Singer, Songwriter, Music Producer, Graphic Designer, Fashion Designer, Entrepreneur
Signature Style: All Black Clothes, Black Leather Biker Jacket, Oversized Black Sunglasses
Instruments Played: Lead & Backing Vocals, Piano, Guitar, Bass, Trombone, Drums
Production Software: Logic Pro, Ableton Live, Pro Tools

Company Portfolio

Philanthropy

Big Brothers Big Sisters
Help a London Child
Race to Erase MS
Musicians on Call
Little Kids Rock

Partnerships

vevo
Guiness
Audi
Nivea
Mini
Harmon Kardon
BMW
Coca Cola
Vevo
Formula 1
Johnnie Walker
Samsung

Associated Acts

Ke$ha
Ke$ha
Kylie Minogue
Kylie Minogue
Ludacris
Ludacris
Usher
Usher
Will Young
Will Young
David Guetta
David Guetta
Cheryl Cole
Cheryl Cole
McFly
McFly
Travie McCoy
Travie McCoy
Flo Rida
Flo Rida
PitBull
PitBull
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lopez
Jessie J
Jessie J
Lil Wayne
Lil Wayne
JLS
JLS
Tinie Tempah
Tinie Tempah