Bryson Tiller | |
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.jpg) Tiller in 2018 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Pen Griffey[1] |
| Born | Bryson Djuan Tiller (1993-01-02)January 2, 1993 (age 32) Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Works | Bryson Tiller discography |
| Years active | 2011–present |
| Labels | RCA |
| Children | 2 |
| Website | trapsoul |
| Signature | |
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Bryson Djuan Tiller (born January 2, 1993) is an American singer and rapper. He began his career in 2011 with his debutmixtape,Killer Instinct Vol. 1. He gained mainstream recognition following the release of his 2015 single "Don't", which peaked at number 13 on theBillboard Hot 100 and receivedseptuple platinum certification by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Its success led to a recording contract withRCA Records, who issued "Don't" as the lead single for his debut studio albumTrapsoul (2015), which entered the top ten of theBillboard 200.
Trapsoul received triple platinum certification by the RIAA and spawned two additional singles: theGrammy Award-nominated "Exchange" and "Sorry Not Sorry". He guest appeared alongsideRihanna onDJ Khaled's 2017 single "Wild Thoughts", which peaked at number two on theBillboard Hot 100. His second studio album,True to Self (2017), debuted atop theBillboard 200, while his third album,Anniversary (2020) peaked at number five. Hisself-titled fourth album (2024) peaked at number 12 and spawned theBillboard Hot 100-top 20 single, "Whatever She Wants".
Tiller has receivedmultiple accolades, including twoBET Awards forBest New Artist andBest Male R&B/Pop Artist; and in March 2016, he received the key to the city from Louisville MayorGreg Fischer. He received a total of three Grammy Award nominations, two of which for his work with singerH.E.R. on her 2018 single "Could've Been" and albumBack of My Mind (2021).
Bryson Djuan Tiller was born on January 2, 1993, inLouisville, Kentucky.[3] His mother died when he was four years old, and he was subsequently raised by his grandmother. Tiller lived with his cousins, Ryan and Kevon Smekrud, until he was 17 years old.[4] He has three brothers. He attendedIroquois High School and started singing and rapping at the age of 15.[5]
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In 2011, he recorded a mixtape titledKiller Instinct Vol.1, which included 21 songs.[6] In 2013, Tiller had a child and took a break from music while working atPapa John's andUPS to provide for his daughter, Harley.[7][8]
In October 2014, Tiller uploaded his debut single "Don't" to hisSoundCloud account, which started receiving some internet attention from music industry insiders.[9] It was officially released oniTunes fordigital download in May 2015, becoming the lead single of his debut studio album.[10] "Don't" peaked at number 13 on theBillboard Hot 100 chart.[11] It has been remixed by artists likeK Camp,Mila J,Sevyn Streeter,DRAM andWSTRN.[12][13] Early co-signs from record producerTimbaland and rapperDrake led to major-label attention for Tiller, with him eventually choosing to sign a record deal withRCA Records, which was announced on August 25, 2015.[14] Tiller was offered a chance to sign with Drake'sOVO Sound record label, but declined the offer.[15] In September 2015,Rolling Stone included Tiller in their list of "10 New Artists You Need to Know".[16]
On October 2, 2015, Tiller released his debut studio album,Trapsoul, which debuted at number 11 on the USBillboard 200 and later reached number eight.[17][18][19] The album's second single, "Exchange", peaked at number 26 on theBillboard Hot 100 and earned him aGrammy nomination forBest R&B Song.[11][20] "Sorry Not Sorry", which was released as the third single fromTrapsoul, peaked at number 67 on theBillboard Hot 100.[11] The album was included on a number of 2015 year-end lists, such asComplex's The Best Albums of 2015,The Root's 10 Favorite Albums of 2015, andPopSugar's The 24 Best Albums of 2015.[21][22][23] In 2015, he also co-wrote the track "Proof" for singerChris Brown's seventh studio albumRoyalty.[24]
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In January 2016, Tiller started the Trapsoul Tour for the promotion of the album, with opening actTHEY.[24] On March 12, 2016, Louisville MayorGreg Fischer gave Tiller the key to the city and named March 12 as "Bryson Tiller Day".[25] In May 2016, Tiller made his US television debut, performing "Exchange" on theLate Night with Seth Meyers show.[26] On June 26, 2016, he performed at theBET Awards, where he also received the awards forBest New Artist andBest Male R&B/Pop Artist.[27] In July 2016,DJ Khaled released his ninth studio album,Major Key, which includes the song "Ima Be Alright" featuring Tiller and rapperFuture.[28] In September 2016, Tiller also appeared on the track "First Take" by rapperTravis Scott, from Scott's second studio album,Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight.[29]
In January 2017, he was included inForbes magazine's "30 Under 30", a list showcasing entrepreneurs, entertainers, and celebrities who have made a name for themselves before reaching the age of 30.[30] In the same month Tiller announced that his second album will be titledTrue to Self.[31] On April 12, 2017, Tiller tweeted that work on his second album,True to Self, had been wrapped up.[32] On May 11, 2017, Tiller revealed the album artwork and thatTrue to Self would be released on June 23, 2017. He also released three new songs, titled "Honey", "Somethin Tells Me" and "Get Mine", with the latter featuring rapperYoung Thug.[33] On May 26, he releasedTrue to Self, a month earlier than the intended release.[34] The album debuted at number one on theBillboard 200, earning 107,000album-equivalent units, of which 47,000 were pure album sales.[35] It became Tiller's first number one album in the country.[35]
In June 2017, Tiller partnered withNike, Inc. to provide a new Wyandotte Park for children and teens.[36] In the same month, DJ Khaled released "Wild Thoughts" featuring Tiller and singerRihanna, which is the fourth single from his tenth studio album,Grateful.[37] The single has peaked at number two on theBillboard Hot 100,[38] as well as reaching number one on theUK Singles Chart. In August 2017, Tiller released a collaborative single with singerJazmine Sullivan titled "Insecure", which is the title track for theHBO seriesInsecure.[39] In January 2018, he performed "Wild Thoughts" with Rihanna and DJ Khaled at the60th Annual Grammy Awards.[40]
Throughout 2019 and 2020, Tiller was featured on several songs by other artists. In 2019, Tiller said he was waiting for sample clearances to release his album, titledSerenity.[1][41] In April 2020, he released the song "Slept on You" viaSoundCloud.[1] On September 3, 2020, Tiller released "Inhale" and stated on his social media pages that he would release a new album in fall 2020. The second single "Always Forever", was released on September 23, with a deluxe edition ofTrapsoul released on September 25,[42] in celebration of his third album,Anniversary,[43] which was released on October 2, 2020. It marked the fifth anniversary of his debut album and includes a guest feature fromDrake.[44] The deluxeAnniversary was released on February 26, 2021, featuring an additional five new tracks and a feature fromBig Sean.[45]
On October 8, 2020,Travis Scott premiered an unreleased song with Tiller titled "Blunt Talk" on an episode of Scott and his DJ Chase B's .Wav radio on Apple Music.[46] On October 21, 2021Jack Harlow released "Luv is Dro" as a single and music video, which featured Tiller andStatic Major.[47]
On October 31, 2021, Tiller released a mixtape,Killer Instinct 2: The Nightmare Before, on a private link that he texted to his fans using the community number he had made earlier in 2020. The mixtape featured a variety of freestyles over current beats at the time, includingNormani's "Wild Side",Brent Faiyaz's "Gravity" andBusta Rhymes' "New York Shit".[citation needed]
On November 10, 2021, Tiller announced his first Christmas album,A Different Christmas released on November 19. Tiller said the project was inspired byAriana Grande andJustin Bieber, the latter of whom features in a song titled "Lonely Christmas". Tiller's daughter Halo also appears on the closing track.[48]
On September 8, 2022, Tiller released a new single titled "Outside", which samplesthe Ying Yang Twins' 2005 hit single "Wait (The Whisper Song)". On October 18, 2022, Tiller released a music video for the single which featured an appearance fromThe Ying Yang Twins.[49]
Leading up to the release of his fourth studio album, Tiller released a mixtape titledSlum Tiller exclusively throughSoundCloud on August 18, 2023.[50] He followed up with two sequels in late 2023 and early 2024, respectively.[51] On April 5, 2024, Tiller released fourth studio album,Bryson Tiller.[52][53] Despite positive reviews from critics,[54] it performed moderately in comparison to its predecessors, debuting at number twelve on the Billboard 200, with first-week album-equivalent units of 39,000.[55] That summer, Tiller and Chris Brown appeared onJeremih's single, "Wait on It".[56]
In 2025, Tiller appeared as a featured artist on "305" with Jordan Adetunji. The track was released on January 24, 2025, as part of Adetunji's second mixtape. Two weeks later on February 12, 2025, Tiller teased the mixtapeSolace on his personal Instagram account. On May 27, 2025, Tiller took to Instagram to announce a first-ever double album project, with one project being the aforementionedSolace and the other titledThe Vices. Tiller stated that both albums are finished and are awaiting sample clearances before release.[57]
He releasedThe Vices on August 8, 2025.[58]
Tiller has cited singerOmarion as his mega influence, "[My uncle] put me on Omarion'sfirst album, and that was the first album that made me want to start singing. I started listening to him daily and singing what I heard."[59] SingerThe-Dream has inspired him to become a lyricist, "I started listening to The-Dream a lot. That's when I really got into writing songs. I like the way he put lyrics and makes his songs. So I was like, all right, and I just started writing. That's when I started wanting to be a songwriter. I never really wanted to be an artist. I just really wanted to write songs. But of course I can't get placement unless I demo the songs."[60]
His other influences includeR. Kelly,Lil Wayne,Chris Brown, andDrake.[61][62] In addition, Tiller listedJazmine Sullivan,Usher,Rihanna,Beyoncé,Jay-Z,The Notorious B.I.G., andMary J. Blige as impactful to his musical socialization.[63]
Tiller has described his music as "trap andhip hop-influencedR&B, the perfect marriage between hip hop and R&B."[61] Tiller also raps saying "There are some things I can say rapping that I can't say singing".[64] Critics have compared Tiller's musical style to Drake,Jeremih,PartyNextDoor andTory Lanez.[65][60] During the recording ofTrue to Self, Tiller struggled with depression, which according to him can be heard in the music and was the reason of the album's disappointing commercial performance.[66] On his blend of R&B and rap, Tiller explained: "R&B is my first love and it always will be. I fell in love with hip-hop and rap music through Lil Wayne. Don't get me wrong, I love Wayne, but you know, I heard only the radio singles [..] So I said, 'Damn. Let me mix it up a little bit'".[67]
Tiller has stated he will "probably never" do video interviews because he wants to be a "shadowy figure".[68] According to Justin Charity ofThe Ringer, "Tiller's lack of a full-time public persona is one of the young R&B singer's most endearing qualities".[69]
Tiller has two daughters. As of 2018, he is in a relationship with Kendra Bailey, the mother of his second child.[70] Tiller graduated high school in June 2020, throughIroquois High School in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky.[41]
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