布伦特·法亚兹

Christopher Brent Wood (born September 19, 1995), known professionally as Brent Faiyaz, is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, and record producer. Faiyaz rose to prominence with his guest performance alongside Shy Glizzy on GoldLink's 2016 single "Crew". The song peaked at number 45 on the Billboard Hot 100, received octuple platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and was nominated for Best Rap/Sung Performance at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards. The following year, Faiyaz released his debut studio album, Sonder Son (2017). He is noted for his "sly vocals" and "atmospheric slow jam productions," along with occasional rapping.

He first embarked on his musical career in 2013 with the release of his debut extended play (EP), Black Child followed by his second, A.M. Paradox (2016). In 2016, Faiyaz formed the R&B trio Sonder, for which he serves as lead vocalist. In February 2020, Faiyaz released his fourth EP, Fuck the World, which marked his first entry on the Billboard 200, peaking at number 20. His second studio album, Wasteland (2022) peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 and spawned the Billboard Hot 100-charting singles, "Gravity" (with DJ Dahi featuring Tyler, the Creator), "Wasting Time" (featuring Drake and the Neptunes), and "Price of Fame", as well as the TikTok viral single "Dead Man Walking". His debut mixtape, Larger than Life (2023), debuted at number 11 on the Billboard 200 and was met with continued critical praise.In 2024, Faiyaz released his first live album, The Live Experience, which featured performances from his Wasteland and Larger than Life eras.

Along with a Grammy Award nomination, his other nominations include Favorite Male R&B Artist at the American Music Awards in 2022 and Best Male R&B/Pop Artist at the BET Awards in 2023 and 2024. Faiyaz founded the independent creative agency and record label ISO Supremacy in 2023, which has signed fellow DMV native, Tommy Richman.

Early life

Christopher Brent Wood was born on September 19, 1995, in Columbia, Maryland. His father is of Dominican descent, while his mother is a Black-American. Faiyaz stated in an interview with Billboard, that at the age of six, he was gifted his first play keyboard, leading to him "falling in love" with music. He started producing music at the age of twelve and sold beats to older kids to make money. He often listened to hip-hop after his brother recommended he listen to Ginuwine and Timbaland; he started listening to R&B when he reached high school. Faiyaz attended Long Reach High School, where he graduated at 17. His parents were not always understanding of his dreams as a musician; which Faiyaz said was warranted because his love for music "always distracted" him from school, resulting in his grades being consistently low. In an interview with Vogue, he said: "I was messing up on every other level in my life growing up—whether it was in school or in my jobs". Shortly after graduating, Faiyaz and his family moved to Charlotte, North Carolina. Faiyaz was skeptical about the move initially but soon realized it would only be beneficial and increase his work ethic. Faiyaz revealed to GQ that at the age of eighteen, he moved out of his parents' house because they didn't support his music dreams: "I moved out at 18 because my people got tired of me making so much noise with my recording. My father didn’t like that shit so I had to go. I had to thug it". In 2014, Faiyaz moved to Los Angeles, California, to pursue his music career.

Career

2013–2016: Career beginnings and A.M. Paradox

Before the beginning of Faiyaz's official career, around the age of twelve, he would record music in his home, as he had little money. Faiyaz would primarily record hip-hop music as he was more interested in becoming a rapper. Faiyaz released his first EP Sunset Ave. in March 2013. His second EP, Black Child, was released in December of the same year.

Faiyaz began uploading his experimental music onto SoundCloud in 2014. During that time he moved from his hometown Columbia, Maryland, to Charlotte, North Carolina, before settling in Los Angeles, California, to further his music career. While in L.A., Faiyaz met his manager Ty Baisden who supported his dream of succeeding in the music industry independently. On January 19, 2015, he released his debut single "Allure". On June 1, 2016, Faiyaz released "Invite Me", the lead single from his debut commercial EP. On September 19, 2016, his 21st birthday, the EP entitled A.M. Paradox was released and received positive reviews from music critics. The EP was released under Faiyaz's own independent record label, Lost Kids, LLC, which was founded under Baisden's guidance that same year. Faiyaz also signed a publishing deal with Pulse Music Group. In October 2016, Brent Faiyaz formed a group named Sonder with record producers Dpat and Atu. The group released their debut single, "Too Fast," on October 25. On December 16, 2016, Faiyaz was featured alongside rapper Shy Glizzy on the single "Crew" by rapper GoldLink.