Denzel Spencer (born April 18, 1996),[1] better known by his stage nameRoy Woods (also stylized asRoy Wood$), is a Canadian singer, rapper, and songwriter.[2][3] He signed withDrake's record labelOVO Sound, an imprint ofWarner Records in 2014. His first two albums,Waking at Dawn (2016) andSay Less (2017), both moderately entered theCanadian Albums Chart and USBillboard 200. Woods has also founded his own collective, Unlock the Underground.
Denzel Spencer was born April 18, 1996, inBrampton, Ontario, Canada.[1] For over three years, Woods attendedTurner Fenton High School and moved to St. Augustine Secondary School during his final year.[4]
On July 11, 2015,Drake premiered "Drama", the first song from Woods'EP,Exis. The song was also premiered onApple's Beats 1 radio during the firstOVO Sound radio show.[5] The track also features with the guest appearances from Woods' label boss, Drake. On July 25, 2015, a second song titled "Get You Good" premiered on the second episode of the OVO Sound radio show. On July 31, 2015, Roy released his debut EPExis digitally through OVO Sound, of which was the record label co-founded by Canadian rapper and singer Drake.[6] On October 9, 2015, Woods released his first music video for his song, "Jealousy".[7] It has since garnered over 9,000,000 views on YouTube.
On December 23, 2016, Woods released his second EP, titledNocturnal.[9]
On July 20, 2017, Woods released the track, "What Are You On?", as the lead single from his debut studio album,Say Less.[10] On November 17, 2017, Woods released the title track, "Say Less". On December 1, 2017, Woods released his debut studio album,Say Less.[11]
On June 8, 2018, Woods released two new singles, titled "Russian Cream" and "Snow White", with no prior announcement.[12][13]
On February 8, 2019, Roy Woods released a single titled "Worth It".[14]
On September 18, 2019, Roy Woods released a single titled "Bubbly".[15]
On May 8, 2020, Roy Woods released the single titled "I Feel It"
On May 15, 2020, Roy Woods released his third EP, titledDem Times.[16]
In 2023, he participated in an all-star recording ofSerena Ryder's single "What I Wouldn't Do", which was released as a charity single to benefitKids Help Phone's Feel Out Loud campaign for youth mental health.[17]
On July 28, 2023, Roy Woods released his second studio album, titledMixed Emotions. The album features guest appearances fromCoi Leray,Jada Kingdom, andVory, and was preceded by the singles "Touch You", "Insecure", "Bad Bad", "Don't Love Me", "Young Boy Problems", "Don't Mind Me", and "Test What I Know".
Woods has said some of his biggest influences areMichael Jackson,Drake,Nelly,The Weeknd andPartyNextDoor.[18] Woods has also started an artist collective, titled Unlock The Underground, which is a branch of theOVO Sound. The artists on this collective include In-house Producer/Engineer BATMANONTHEBEATZ, RAYNY, and DOLOINDACUT as Wood's DJ.[19]
