Jason Derülo (born Jason Joel Desrouleaux; September 21, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, actor and dancer. After producing records for several artists and writing songs for Cash Money Records, co-founder of the label Birdman, Young Money Entertainment owner Lil Wayne and rapper Diddy, Derülo signed to minor recording label Beluga Heights. After Beluga Heights became part of the Warner Music Group, Derülo released his debut single, "Whatcha Say" in May 2009. The song became a huge digital hit, selling over five million digital downloads, gaining an RIAA certification of double platinum, and reaching #1 in the US and New Zealand. Derülo released his second single, "In My Head", in December 2009. His debut album, Jason Derülo, was released in 2010.Contents [hide] 1 Early life 2 Music career 2.1 2007–2009: songwriting and musical beginnings 2.2 2009–present: Jason Derülo 3 Discography 3.1 Studio albums 3.2 Singles 4 Songwriter credits 5 References 6 External links
Early life
Derülo was born in Miami, Florida,[1] to Haitian parents. His birth name is Desrouleaux, but he changed the spelling for his stage name to make it easier to pronounce.[2]
Derülo has been performing since the age of five. He wrote his first song, "Crush on You", at age eight and was heard singing part of the song on a Galaxy FM interview. Derülo spent his youth studying opera, theater, and ballet. He attended Dillard Center for the Arts in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and graduated from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York.
At age 12, Derülo met his future manager, Frank Harris, a law school student who was helping him improve his basketball skills.[3] Music career 2007–2009: songwriting and musical beginnings
Derülo has been writing songs for artists including Diddy, Danity Kane, Donnie Klang, Sean Kingston, Cassie, and Lil Mama since he was 16, intent on becoming a solo performer.[4] After attending performing arts schools and honing his talents as a singer and dancer (plus acting in theatre productions like Ragtime and Smokey Joe's Cafe)[5], Derülo won the grand prize on the 2006 season finale of the TV show Showtime at the Apollo. Derülo was discovered by music producer J. R. Rotem, who signed him to his record label Beluga Heights Records and Warner Bros. Records.
In a HitQuarters interview, Rotem highlighted Derülo's dedication to his art by saying, "Jason Derülo has one of the most impressive work ethics I've ever come across – he just keeps knocking out songs in the studio. That's an amazing quality."[6]
Derülo's music career began in 2007, when he was featured on Birdman's song "Bossy", which was featured on his album, 5 * Stunna. 2009–present: Jason Derülo
On August 4, 2009, Jason released his debut single, "Whatcha Say". It was produced by J. R. Rotem with additional production by Fuego. The track samples the Imogen Heap song "Hide and Seek". In late August 2009, the song debuted at #54 on the Billboard Hot 100[7] and hit #1 in November of 2009.[8] The single's music video was released in September 2009; after the single became successful, Derülo began work on his debut album. He released the second single from his album, "In My Head", on December 8, 2009. It debuted at #63 on the Billboard Hot 100, and has since reached #5.[9]
Derülo's debut album, Jason Derülo, was released on March 2, 2010. He spent six weeks promoting the album in his appearances as one of the opening acts for Lady Gaga's 2009–2010 The Monster Ball Tour. In February 2010, he premiered his third single, "The Sky's the Limit," on MySpace Music. He has also recently been featured in a song by new artist Will Roush called "Turn it Up," which also features Stat Quo and Young Buck.
Jason Derülo first charted within the top ten of the UK and Irish Albums Charts in early March 2010. Discography Studio albumsYear Album details Peak chart positions Certifications US [10] AUS [11] CAN [12] IRL [13] NL [14] NZ [13] SWE [15] SWI [16] UK [13] 2010 Jason Derülo Released: March 2, 2010 Label: Beluga Heights/Warner Bros. Formats: CD, digital download 11 4 9 10 30 5 59 13 8 AUS: Gold[17] UK: Silver[18]
SinglesYear Single Peak chart positions Certifications Album US [9] AUS [19] CAN [20] DEN [21] IRL [22] NZ [23] NOR [24] SWE [25] SWI [26] UK [27] 2009 "Whatcha Say"[28] 1 5 3 7 5 1 7 4 5 3 US: 3× Platinum[29] AUS: 2× Platinum[30] NZ: Platinum[31] Jason Derülo 2010 "In My Head"[32] 5 1 2 20 3 2 6 13 20 1 US: Platinum[29] AUS: Platinum[30] "Ridin' Solo"[33] 33 6 35 — 5 23 — — — 2 "—" denotes a release that did not chart
Songwriter credits Birdman – "Bossy" – from 5 * Stunna Cassie – "My House" and "She Can't Love You" from Electro Love Donnie Klang – "Dr. Love", "Rain", and "Spank Me" from Just a Rolling Stone Pitbull – "My Life" from The Boatlift Pleasure P – "First Come" and "First Serve" from The Introduction of Marcus Cooper Stat Quo – "Danger" from Statlanta
