Tremaine Aldon Neverson

Trey Songz is a Grammy Award-nominated singer-songwriter known for hits like "Can't Help but Wait.".

Synopsis

Singer-songwriter Trey Songz was born in Virginia on November 28, 1984. In 2003, Songz signed a record deal and received a $100,000 advance. Two years later, he released his first album, I Gotta Make It. The album was a moderate success, selling 395,000 copies and peaking at No. 20 on the Billboard charts. Since then, he has released Trey Day and Ready, which have both garnered wide acclaim. In addition to making music, Songz founded the Songz for Peace Foundation to help curb youth violence.

Early Life

Singer-songwriter Trey Songz was born Tremaine Aldon Neverson on November 28, 1984, in Petersburg, Virginia, a small town just south of Richmond. When Songz was 7 years old, his mother, April Tucker, married a member of the U.S. Army. The young Songz spent the next seven years traveling around the country, as his stepfather was stationed to different military bases. The family returned to Petersburg when Songz was 14 years old, and he began his freshman year at Petersburg High School soon after. "When I came back, that's when I really found out who I was," the singer once recalled. "Those were the years I basically found Trey Songz. I didn't really get into singing until I came back."

Although Songz's family did not have extra money to spend on music lessons, the radio was constantly playing at home and in the car. His mother once recalled, "He's familiar with the Temptations, Donny Hathaway, Otis Redding, Prince, Michael Jackson, because that's what we were listening to growing up." In his youth, Songz loved singing his favorite songs in the shower, but never imagined he could turn singing into a career.

At his friends' insistence, Songz signed up to sing at the Appomattox Regional Governor's School Talent Show in Petersburg in 1998. His mother showed her support by attending the event, bringing along a 20-person cheering section. She didn't have to worry, though; Songz's performance—his first before a large audience—was a success, a precursor to his future success in the music business.

A year later, at the age of 15, Songz met New Jersey-based music producer Troy Taylor. The pair agreed that Songz should finish high school, so the singer spent his summers in New Jersey working on music with Taylor. To maintain his musical interests during the school year, Songz and some of his friends formed a vocal group called All Night Productions that performed at local parties and events. When Songz graduated from high school, he moved in full-time with Taylor in New Jersey, hoping to make a career in music.

Music Career

In 2003, Songz signed a record deal with Atlantic Records, receiving a $100,000 advance. Two years later, he released his first album, I Gotta Make It. The album was a moderate success, selling 395,000 copies and peaking at No. 20 on the Billboard album charts. Always devoted to his family, Songz used his newfound wealth to fulfill a childhood promise to buy his mother a new home. "When he finally saw it, he ran up and down the stairs like a little kid, because we had never had a house," his mother once recalled. "It's funny, but the only man in my life who has actually done what he said he was gonna do is the one I raised."

In 2007, Songz released his second album, Trey Day, which peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard charts. The album featured Songz's first hit single, "Can't Help But Wait," which reached No. 11 on Billboard's Hot 100 singles and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best R&B Male Vocal Performance. Then in 2009, hoping to achieve more crossover appeal and national recognition with his third album, Ready, Songz completely reinvented his image and sound. He worked out intensively (developing the chiseled abs and muscular frame he flaunts, shirtless, on the album cover), chopped off his braids, and traded his baggy jeans and sneakers for tailored pants and button-down shirts. Songz also retooled his musical style, ditching the soulful love ballads that marked his early albums in favor of hyper-sexualized, club-ready hip-hop tracks. The makeover proved an enormous success. Ready reached No. 3 on the Billboard album charts and flooded radio airwaves with a whopping six hit singles: "I Need a Girl," "Successful," "LOL Smiley Face," "I Invented Sex," "Say Aah" and "Neighbors Know My Name."

Songz willingly admits that on Ready, he sacrificed originality for commercial success. "The public likes generic more than they like to admit," he says, "so that's what I gave them—I gave them sexual singles and they ate it up." Nevertheless, the album has racked up awards as well as record sales, garnering a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary R&B Album and winning the 2010 BET Award for Best Male R&B Artist.

Songz's fourth studio album, Passion, Pain & Pleasure, was released on September 14, 2010. Trey began work on the album in early 2010 with Sean Garrett, Troy Taylor and Stargate and has stated that the album will be his most personal to date. The album was completed in July 2010. The album's lead single, "Bottoms Up", featuring female rapper Nicki Minaj, was released on July 27, 2010 and has reached number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming his biggest hit to date. The single has since been certified 3x Platinum. Its video was filmed on July 31, 2010 and is pending release. Trey also filmed the video for the album's second single, "Can't Be Friends", on August 1, 2010. "Can't Be Friends" was released as the album's second single in August 2010. Songz embarked on the Passion, Pain & Pleasure Tour on August 6, 2010 with singer Monica. The tour is his first headlining tour to date and consists of shows in venues that seat 3,000 to 5,000 people. Songz also contributed the song "Already Taken" to the Step Up 3D soundtrack, which was released on July 27, 2010. He filmed a video for the song, which was released in July 2010. The leading lady in the video is former girlfriend and professional dancer Helen Gedlu. Songz appeared at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards on September 12, 2010. Songz performed at BET Awards 2011 which broadcast on June 26, 2011.

On August 18, 2011, it was announced Songz will be working on his fifth studio album titled Chapter V. In an interview Trey said the album, which will act as the follow-up to Passion, Pain & Pleasure, is said to be nearing completion. He also carried on to say "It’s my sixth year in the game so I’ve been here for a while now. You can expect the best me you’ve ever heard. I don’t have any release dates in mind right now but I’m just making music and enjoying myself in the studio and having fun. When I get to a place where I feel comfortable saying a date or all of that, people will definitely know. I have a few dream collaborations on that album that I want, but they say if you blow out your candle and make a wish you can’t tell people what you ask for or it won’t come true". Chapter 5 became Songz's first US number-one album. On November 28, 2011, on his birthday, Songz released his Inevitable EP to prepare for the release of his album. In February 2012, Songz will embark on his Anticipation 2our to promote his mixtapeAnticipation 2 and to raise awareness of his new album. In July 2011, he was cast in Texas Chainsaw 3D as Ryan, the male lead role. The film was released on January 4, 2013.

On June 20, 2013, in a radio interview with KS 107.5, Songz confirmed that he had already recorded about eight songs for his sixth studio album. Songz also hinted at a collaboration with Ne-Yo. On Christmas Day, Songz released the song titled "Na Na" on The Angel Network. In February 2014, Songz released another track featuring Young Jeezy called "Ordinary" and he was also featured on the remix to Mariah Carey's single, "You're Mine (Eternal)." On February 15, 2014, announced the tentative release for the album, Trigga to be June 30. In March 2014, Songz released the music video for "Na Na" and released the second single of his album called "SmartPhones". On April 1, 2014, 50 Cent released a single featuring Songz, titled "Smoke", from his fifth studio album Animal Ambition.

Songz acknowledges the pitfalls of fame. "Success can be a dangerous drug," he says. "It definitely changes people, and it can take you to another world, if you allow it to." To combat fame's potential ill effects, Songz gives back to his community and his family. He founded the Songz For Peace Foundation to help curb youth violence by spreading a positive message to young people. He also hopes to have children of his own and to be for them the positive male role model that he never had growing up. "I never really had male influences in my life," he says. "Steady, male influences. And that's what I wanna be for my family. As a musician, I definitely will attain everything that I set out to. I work very hard. But more important to me is that my family is taken care of. I can't wait [to have my own family]. But I got a lot of stuff to do before that.

Quote

“Success can be a dangerous drug. It definitely changes people, and it can take you to another world, if you allow it to.” —Trey Songz