robin thicke
| Robin Thicke |
| Background information |
| Birth name |
Robin Charles Thicke |
| Born |
March 10, 1977 (age 29) |
| Origin |
Los Angeles, California,
United States |
| Genre(s) |
R&B, neo soul, pop |
| Occupation(s) |
Singer-songwriter, actor |
| Years active |
2002–present (musician) |
| Label(s) |
Nu America/Interscope
(2002-2005)
Star Trak/Interscope
(2005-present) |
Robin Charles Thicke, born on March 10, 1977 in Los Angeles, California) is an American R&B and soul singer, songwriter, musician, composer, and occasional actor.
|
Contents
- 1 Biography
- 1.1 Early years
- 1.2 2002–2004: Early commercial success
- 1.3 2005–present: The Evolution of Robin Thicke
- 2 Discography
- 3 References
- 4 External links
|
Biography
Early years
Thicke has two famous parents; his mother is actress and vocalist Gloria Loring, while his father, Canadian entertainer Alan Thicke, is best known for his stint on the sitcom Growing Pains. At a young age, Thicke showed an interest in music, and has often been stated as saying such classic soul singers like Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder as his influences.
At the ages of 12 and 13, Thicke was a guest actor on several episodes of The Wonder Years and an episode of Growing Pains. He decided to pursue a music career; at the age of sixteen, Thicke became friends with the president of Uptown Records, Andre Harrell, and struck a deal with the fledgling Nu America Records, a subsidiary of Interscope Records. He also penned a wide range of hits for pop artists such as Usher, Christina Aguilera, Mya, Brandy and Marc Anthony. He is married to actress Paula Patton who is pictured on the cover of his A Beautiful World album.
As an artist, he recorded and performed solely under his surname, Thicke. He would continue to do so until 2005.
2002–2004: Early commercial success
In 2000, Thicke went to work on material for his debut album, initially entitled Cherry Blue Skies. The album focused more on blue-eyed soul, than his pop-offerings for other artists.
In 2002, Thicke released his debut single "When I Get You Alone". The track sampled Walter Murphy's "A Fifth of Beethoven", which itself sampled Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. The music video for the song featured an unshaven Thicke, with long, grungy hair, as a courier racing through the streets of Manhattan on a bicycle. It received some rotation on MTV2 and BET's Rated Next and was spun moderately on urban radio. Globally, however, "When I Get You Alone" became a chart success when it peaked within the top 20 in Australia, Belgium, and Italy, and reached the top ten of the singles charts in New Zealand and the Netherlands.
The moderate success was enough to signal the release of the album, with its name changed to A Beautiful World. Despite the release of a second single, "Brand New Jones", the album received very little promotion, and debuted at a low number 152 on the Billboard 200, eventually selling 59,000 copies domestically.[1] However, the album generally attracted a positive recpetion from music critics, with some comparing it to Jamiroquai, and Lenny Kravitz.
2005–present: The Evolution of Robin Thicke
In 2005, Thicke guested on the remix of Will Smith's international hit, "Switch". After being signed to The Neptunes label, Star Trak, he began working on his sophomore album entitled The Evolution of Robin Thicke. The first single, "Wanna Love U Girl", featured producer Pharrell and experienced chart success on urban radio in the United Kingdom. For the video, Thicke changed his appearance, cutting off his trademark long hair. In 2006, a remix version of the song was filmed with rapper Busta Rhymes.
Nearly a year after the single was released, the album was released on October 3, 2006. The Evolution of Robin Thicke includes songs with Lil Wayne and Faith Evans (on "Got 2 Be Down"), as well as Pharrell.
His second single, the ballad "Lost Without U" has recently began getting a lot of radio airplay in Urban stations. The song has reached as high as #67 on the Billboard Hot 100. He appears in the music video of this single with his wife, actress Paula Patton.
He will continue to promote the album while touring with India.Arie, and then opening for John Legend.
Discography
Albums
- Cherry Blue Skies (2002)
- A Beautiful World (2003) [re-release with extra songs] #152 US - 59,000 sold
- The Evolution of Robin Thicke (2006) #16 US - 297,265 sold so far
Singles
- 2003: "When I Get You Alone" #29 UK, #5 NL, #17 Australia
- 2003: "Brand New Jones"
- 2005: "Switch (Remix)" #7 US, #4 UK, #1 Australia
- 2006: "Wanna Love U Girl" (featuring Pharrell Williams)
- 2006: "Shooter" (Lil' Wayne Featuring Robin Thicke) (Remix of Thicke's original song, featured on Wayne's Tha Carter II, Like Father, Like Son & The Evolution of Robin Thicke)
- 2006: "Lost Without U" #67 US* #9 US R&B
*indicates still moving up chart.
|
