Gallant | |
|---|---|
 Gallant with plaid suit | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Christopher Joseph Gallant III |
| Born | (1991-11-14)November 14, 1991 (age 33) Columbia, Maryland, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
|
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 2013–present |
| Labels | |
| Website | gallant |
Christopher Joseph Gallant III (born November 14, 1991), known professionally asGallant, is an American singer and songwriter fromColumbia, Maryland, signed to Mind of a Genius Records andWarner Bros. Records.[1] He first began to gain recognition after self-releasing his debut EP,Zebra in 2014. His debut studio album,Ology, was released worldwide in April 2016 to critical acclaim, earning him aGrammy Award nomination forBest Urban Contemporary Album.[2]
Gallant was born inWashington, D.C. When he was in elementary school, he and his family moved toColumbia, Maryland, where he attendedAtholton High School. He started recording songs during middle school. He was influenced byR&B artists and then lateralternative rock while growing up.[3]
In 2013, he graduated fromNew York UniversityGallatin School of Individualized Study[4] where he studied music.[5][6]
In the fall of 2013, Gallant moved toLos Angeles,California, to work on a career in music.[6]
In 2014, he self-released his debut EP,Zebra, which he describes as "a sonic diary about dealing with the aftermath of New York".[5]
In 2015, his single, "Weight in Gold", was played byZane Lowe onBeats1's first air date in June 2015.[7] The same year Gallant toured withSufjan Stevens on his North American tour, where he performed 18 shows throughout the country.[8]Following the debut of "Weight in Gold" and a North American tour with Sufjan Stevens, Gallant was named one of 15 artists thatSpotify believed were destined to "breakout" in 2016.[9]He is also featured inZhu's (another Mind of a Genius Records artist) "Testarossa Music" from theGenesis Series EP.[10] Gallant was also announced as the opener for Zhu's "Neon City" tour, spanning April and May in venues throughout America, beginning withCoachella.[11]On February 5, 2016, Gallant andJhené Aiko released their first collaborative song, "Skipping Stones." The track was produced by Adrian Younge and co-produced byStint (a frequent producer for Gallant), and features Gallant's signature falsetto style with specks of bold vocals and Jhené's signature soothing, a cappella-esque vocals. The song is licensed under Red Bull Media House and featured in its Red Bull Sound Select collection along with the B-side "Borderline".[12]Gallant performed both weekends ofCoachella in 2016, whichBillboard named the number one moment of the entire festival.[13] Weekend one included a surprise appearance from Seal, where the pair performed Seal's song "Crazy" and Gallant's song "Weight in Gold". The following weekend, included a surprise appearance from Jhené Aiko where the pair performed their collaboration "Skipping Stones".[14]
On January 6, 2016, Gallant debuted the first episode of his new seriesIn the Room withSufjan Stevens. The pair performed Stevens' song "Blue Bucket of Gold".[15] Gallant partnered withSpotify for the second episode, which featuredSeal and premiered on March 9, 2016. Gallant and Seal performed Gallant's hit song "Weight in Gold". At the end of the episode, Seal claimed that he was Gallant's biggest fan.[16] For the third episode, Gallant covered Janet Jackson's "I Get Lonely" with Jack Garratt.[17] Gallant's next collaboration was withJohn Legend, on Legend's song "Overload"[18] Gallant's next collaborations were withAndra Day andDua Lipa for the fifth and sixth episodes respectively.
Gallant described theIn the Room series as "an ongoing collaborative project – a chance to both pay tribute to and create something special with the artists that have inspired me the most".[19]
Gallant's debut studio album,Ology, was released on April 6, 2016 by Mind of a Genius Records.[20][21] The album received critical acclaim, including a rating of 7.5/10 fromPitchfork,[22] a rating 4/5 fromThe Guardian, which states, “If this is what R&B’s future looks like it’s brighter than ever”.[23] Also,Entertainment Weekly namedOlogy one of the 25 best albums of 2016 (so far).[24] The album was given praise given for his distinct and diverse sound, voice, and lyricism.[25]
On May 12, 2016, Gallant made his national television debut onThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Gallant performed "Weight in Gold", which ended with a standing ovation from the audience.Fallon ended the show praising Gallant's performance with the quote, “Oh my goodness! I told you… Watch out for this guy [GALLANT]!”.[26]
In September 2016, Gallant performed "Bourbon" and "Weight in Gold" for theBBC onLater... with Jools Holland.[27] On December 2, 2016, Gallant was a Special Artist at the2016 Mnet Asian Music Awards, singing "Weight in Gold".
In January 2017, he was chosen asElvis Duran'sArtist of the Month and on January 11, appeared on and performed "Weight in Gold" live onNBC'sToday show withKathie Lee andHoda Kotb.[28] On January 26, he released "Cave Me In" in collaboration withEpik High'sTablo andEric Nam.[29] In the spring of 2017, he performed as the opening act on John Legend's Darkness and Light tour.
On January 25, 2019, Gallant released his sophomore albumSweet Insomnia. The album featuresSabrina Claudio on "Compromise" and6lack on "Sweet Insomnia", the album's title track.[30]
On March 26, 2021, Gallant released his second EPNeptune with features fromBrandy, Arin Ray, and R&B duoVanJess.
On November 17, 2023, Gallant andTerrace Martin formed togethersneek, for a mix of soul and jazz features.[31]
Releasing first his singlesColdstar. on June 13, andFly on the Wall. on July 17 on 2024, and after announcing its album, he introduces a more alternative/indie side; although describing as an "Ology remark".
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US R&B/ HH [32] | US R&B [33] | US Heat. [34] | US Ind. [35] | UK R&B [36] | ||
| Ology |
| 39 | 18 | 17 | 50 | 34 |
| Sweet Insomnia[37] |
| — | — | — | — | — |
| Zinc.[38] |
| — | — | — | — | — |
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Zebra[39] |
|
| Neptune[40] |
|
| sneek(withTerrace Martin)[41] |
|
|}
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Adult R&B [42] | US R&B/HH Airplay [43] | |||||||||||
| "Please? (Vignette)"[44] | 2013 | — | — | Non-album single | ||||||||
| "If It Hurts"[45] | — | — | Zebra EP | |||||||||
| "Blue Bucket of Gold"[46] (featuring Sufjan Stevens) | 2016 | — | — | Ology | ||||||||
| "Skipping Stones"[47] (featuringJhené Aiko) | — | — | ||||||||||
| "Boderline"[47] | — | — | ||||||||||
| "Talking in Your Sleep"[48] | — | — | ||||||||||
| "Weight in Gold"[49] (solo or featuringSeal) | 21 | — | ||||||||||
| "Talking to Myself"[51] | — | — | ||||||||||
| "Cave Me In"[52] (withTablo andEric Nam) | 2017 | — | — | Non-album single | ||||||||
| "Bourbon"[53] (featuringSaba and Lophiile) | — | — | ||||||||||
| "In the Room: Cruisin'"[54] (withAndra Day) | — | — | ||||||||||
| "Gentleman"[55] | 2018 | — | — | |||||||||
| "Doesn't Matter"[56] | 6 | 29 | ||||||||||
| "Haha No One Can Hear You!"[57] | — | — | ||||||||||
| "Mad at You"[58] (withNoah Cyrus) | — | — | Good Cry EP | |||||||||
| "Toogoodtobetrue"[59] (featuringSufjan Stevens andRebecca Sugar) | — | — | Non-album single | |||||||||
| "Sharpest Edges"[60] | 2019 | — | — | Sweet Insomnia | ||||||||
| "Sleep On It"[61] | 16 | — | ||||||||||
| "Compromise"[62] (featuringSabrina Claudio) | — | — | ||||||||||
| "311!"[63] (featuringTerrace Martin,Robert Glasper &Keyon Harrold) | 2023 | — | — | sneek EP | ||||||||
| "Coldstar."[64] | 2024 | — | — | Zinc. | ||||||||
| "Fly On the Wall. (Osaka Version)"[65] | — | — | ||||||||||
| "Crimes Of Compassion."[66] | — | — | ||||||||||
| "—" denotes items which were not released in that country or failed to chart. | ||||||||||||
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "Holding Back"[67] (SG Lewis featuring Gallant) | 2016 | Yours EP |
| "Constantly Dissatisfied"[68] (Niia featuring Gallant) | 2018 | I |
| "Run for Me"[69] (SebastiAn featuring Gallant) | 2019 | Thirst |
| "Runaway Train"[70] (Jamie N Commons withSkylar Grey featuring Gallant) | non-album single | |
| "Exit Sign"[71] (The Knocks featuring Gallant) | ||
| "Pulling Away"[72] (Sinead Harnett featuring Gallant) | Lessons in Love | |
| "Lose My Love"[73] (Sad Money featuring Gallant andFelix Cartal) | 2020 | Non-album single |
| "Know Me"[74] (BRONSON featuring Gallant) | BRONSON |
| Title | Year | Other artist(s) | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Testarossa Music"[75] | 2015 | ZHU | Genesis Series EP |
| "Hotline Bling (Encore)" | 2017 | Sufjan Stevens | Carrie & Lowell Live |
| "Tears Dry on Their Own"[76] | Dua Lipa | Live Acoustic EP | |
| "Rockville Station"[77] | 2018 | THEY. | Fireside EP |
| Title | Year | Artist(s) | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Finale" | 2019 | Zach Callison,Deedee Magno Hall,Estelle,Michaela Dietz,Grace Rolek,Uzo Aduba,Jennifer Paz,Shelby Rabara,Kate Micucci,Matthew Moy,Tom Scharpling,Toks Olagundoye | Steven Universe the Movie (Original Soundtrack) |
| "Mind Games (feat. Jackson Wang)" | 2022 | 88rising, MILLI,Jackson Wang | non-album single |
Note: Gallant previously had a concept for Finale, but got scrapped. It was retrieved and released with the deluxe album on December 6, 2019
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Ology | Grammy Award for Best Urban Contemporary Album[78] | Nominated |
| 2019 | Runaway Train (Jamie N Commons withSkylar Grey featuring Gallant | MTV Video Music Award for Best Video with a Social Message[79] | Nominated |
