Trey Songz

Trey Songz

Songz performing at Supafest 2012 in Sydney, Australia.
Born Tremaine Aldon Neverson
November 28, 1984
Petersburg, Virginia, U.S.

Musical career

Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • record producer
  • actor
  • rapper
Instruments Vocals
Years active 2004–present
Labels
Associated acts
Website
www.treysongz.com

Tremaine Aldon Neverson (born November 28, 1984), better known as Trey Songz, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. Starting in 2005, his music career has so far been punctuated by six albums: I Gotta Make It, Trey Day, Ready, Passion, Pain & Pleasure, Chapter V, and Trigga.

Early life

Songz was born Tremaine Aldon Neverson on November 28, 1984 in Petersburg, Virginia.[1] He is the son of April (Gholson) Tucker, who was seventeen when he was born, and Claude Neverson, Jr.[2] Raised as a military brat by his mother and stepfather,[3] Songz did not have aspirations for a musical career as a child due to his shyness, saying "Singing wasn't a reality for me, until other people started noticing I sounded good."[4] He recognized his vocal abilities at the age of 14.[4] Reluctant to sing, he began performing with encouragement by friends and family in high school. Record producer Troy Taylor discovered Songz during a talent show, which led him to signing a recording contract with Atlantic Records in November 2003.[4] After graduating from Petersburg High School in 2002, Songz moved to New Jersey to begin recording his debut album, though recording did not actually begin until 2004.[1]

Career

2004–08: I Gotta Make It and Trey Day

While recording his debut album in 2004, Songz released multiple mixtapes under the alias Prince of Virginia.[1] One of the mixtapes featured an "answer track" to R. Kelly's "Trapped in the Closet", entitled "Open the Closet". The song gave Songz some notoriety.[5] His debut album, I Gotta Make It was released on July 26, 2005.[6] It debuted at #20 on the Billboard 200, selling 40,000 copies in its first week of sales.[7] It has sold 300,000 records in the US. Songz's debut single, Gotta Make It, featuring Twista, was released in March 2005 and reached #87 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #21 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. It garnered success in the R&B/urban community but failed to make a mark in mainstream music. The album's second and final single, Gotta Go, was released in July 2005 and reached #67 on the Hot 100 and #11 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, becoming even more successful than his debut single in the R&B/urban community and in the mainstream community. After promotion for his debut concluded, he was featured on the lead single from Twista's fifth album, The Day After. The single, "Girl Tonite", reached #14 on the Hot 100 and #3 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, becoming a huge hit.

Trey Songz performing in 2007.

In mid-2006, Songz began work on a follow-up album to his debut with longtime collaborator Troy Taylor and also employed hitmakers Bryan-Michael Cox, Danja, Stargate and R. Kelly to help create the album. Trey aimed for the album to be more mainstream-oriented than his debut album. His second studio album, Trey Day, was released on October 2, 2007. The album reached #11 on the Billboard 200,[8] selling 73,000 copies in its first week. It has since sold 400,000 records in the US, becoming his second album not to be certified by the RIAA. The album was going to be released on May 8, 2007, but was continually delayed in order for a successful single to precede the album, as the lead single failed to impact charts.

His second album was preceded by the lead single, "Wonder Woman", which was released in February 2007. It reached #54 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, but failed to impact the Hot 100. Because of the single's failure, his second album was delayed from May 2007 to October 2007. The album's second single, "Can't Help but Wait", was released in August 2007 and was released to promote his second album and the film Step Up 2 the Streets soundtrack as a single for it. The single reached #14 on the Hot 100, and #2 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. It became Songz's first Top 20 hit on the Hot 100, and helped to boost his second album's sales. The single was also nominated for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance at the 2008 50th Grammy Awards. The third single from the album, "Last Time", was released in January 2008 and reached #69 on the Hot 100, and #9 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The fourth and final single from the album, "Missin' You", was released in May 2008, but failed to chart completely. In mid-2008, Songz was nominated for a BET Award for Best Male R&B Artist but did not win the award.[9]

2009–11: Ready and Passion, Pain & Pleasure

In late 2008, Trey began work on his third studio album with Bryan-Michael Cox, Sean Garrett, Stargate and Troy Taylor and aimed for the record to be more mature than his first two. Before releasing his third album, Songz released a mixtape titled Anticipation in June 2009 through his blog, which featured songs from his third album.[10] Another mixtape from Trey was released in the summer of 2009, called Genesis. Genesis was a collection of Trey Songz's first recordings when he was fifteen years old and was released to show his fans the dedication that he had to making a record when he was young.[11] Trey released his third studio album, Ready, on August 31, 2009. The album reached #3 on the Billboard 200, selling 131,000 copies in its first week.[12] These are his best first week sales to date and the album was his first to reach the Top 10 on the Billboard 200. The album has since sold over 1,000,000 records in the US, earning a Platinum certification from the RIAA in June 2014, becoming his first Platinum album.

Trey Songz performing at Summer Jam on June 5, 2010.

The lead single from the album, "I Need a Girl", was released in April 2009 and reached #5 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop songs chart and #59 on the Hot 100, becoming an R&B/urban hit but not a mainstream hit. A promotional single, "Successful", featuring rapper Drake, was released in June 2009 and reached #17 on the Hot 100, becoming Songz's third Top 20 hit. The single also served as the second and final single from Drake's EP, So Far Gone. The second official single from his third album, "LOL Smiley Face", featuring Soulja Boy Tell 'Em and Gucci Mane, was released in August 2009 and reached #51 on the Hot 100 and #12 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The third single from the album, "I Invented Sex", featuring Drake, was released in October 2009 and reached #42 on the Hot 100 but #1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, becoming his first single to top that chart. Like the first two singles from the album, it achieved success in the R&B/urban community but only some mainstream success. charted within the Billboard Hot 100, and topped the R&B chart. The fourth single from the album, "Say Aah", featuring rapper Fabolous, was released in January 2010 and reached #9 on the Hot 100 and #3 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The single has become Trey's highest charting single on the Hot 100 and one of his most successful singles on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

The fifth and final single from the album, "Neighbors Know My Name", was released in February 2010 and reached #43 on the Hot 100 and #4 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. A sixth single, "Yo Side of the Bed", was going to be released in June 2010, but its release was canceled due to unknown reasons. A music video, featuring singer Keri Hilson, was filmed and released, however. Songz was also the opening act for Jay-Z on his Jay-Z Fall Tour in late 2009. The album was nominated for Best Contemporary R&B Album at the 52nd Grammy Awards in 2010, but lost to Beyoncé's I Am... Sasha Fierce. On April 1, 2010, he recorded an episode of MTV Unplugged, which aired on April 26, 2010.[13] A documentary-series about Trey, Trey Songz: My Moment, began in June 2010 to positive reviews and high ratings. The 10-part series will end in August 2010 and follows Trey during his time as opening act on Jay-Z's Jay-Z Fall Tour in late 2009.

Songz's fourth studio album, Passion, Pain & Pleasure, was released on September 14, 2010.[14] 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.[15] "Can't Be Friends" was released as the album's second single in August 2010.[15] 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.[16] Songz performed at BET Awards 2011 which broadcast on June 26, 2011.[17]

2011–12: Inevitable and Chapter V

Trey Songz in August 2012.

On August 18, 2011, it was announced Songz will be working on his fifth studio album titled Chapter V.[18] 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".[19]

On November 28, 2011, on his birthday, Songz released his Inevitable EP to prepare for the release of his album. The EP opened with first week sales of 27,000 landing it at No. 23 on the Billboard 200 and No. 4 on Billboard's Top Hip-Hop R&B Albums chart.[20] As of October 18, 2012 the EP has sold 91,000 copies in the United States. In February 2012, Songz will embark on his Anticipation 2our to promote his mixtape Anticipation 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.[21] The film was released on January 4, 2013.

Chapter V was released on August 21, 2012, by Atlantic Records, and on August 17 as a digital download.[22] Trey Songz toured in promotion of the album on his Anticipation 2our, a tour spanning from February 9 to March 11, 2012, in North America.[23] Rapper Big Sean was the tour's supporting act.[23] The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart, with first week sales of 135,000 copies. It was Songz' first album to top the chart.Chapter V was also Songz' first album to chart in the United Kingdom, where it peaked at number 10 on the UK Albums Chart.[24] As of October 3, 2012, the album has sold 238,400 copies in the US, according to Nielsen SoundScan.[25] The album's lead single, "Heart Attack", was released as a digital download on March 26, 2012.[26] It charted at number 35 on the Billboard Hot 100,[27] and number 28 on the UK Singles Chart.[24] Its music video was released on May 4 and featured Kelly Rowland playing Songz' love interest.[28] The second single "2 Reasons" was released on June 12.[29] Its video was premiered on June 12 by BET's 106 & Park.[30] "Simply Amazing" was released in the United Kingdom on August 12.[31] It charted at number eight in the UK.[24] Its music video, directed by Justin Francis, was released on July 23.[32] "Never Again" was released as a single in the UK in November.[33] Its music video was released on November 21.[34]

2013–present: Trigga and Tremaine

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 Annette Elakatt. On Christmas Day, Songz released the song titled "Na Na" on The Angel Network.[35] In February 2014, Songz released another track featuring Young Jeezy called "Ordinary"[36] and he was also featured on the remix to Mariah Carey's single, "You're Mine (Eternal)". On February 15, 2014, he announced the tentative release date for the album, Trigga to be June 30.[37] In March 2014, Songz released the music video for "Na Na"[38] and released the second single of his album called "SmartPhones".[39] On April 1, 2014, 50 Cent released a single featuring Songz, titled "Smoke", from his fifth studio album Animal Ambition.[40] On July 1, 2014, Trey Songz released his sixth album Trigga and it debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 105,000 copies.[41] In February 2015, Songz announced that he will release his seventh studio album Tremaine at the end of 2015.[42]

Discography

Tours

Headlining

Opening act

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2008 Queen of Media DJ I.V.
2010 Preacher's Kid Monty
2010 When I Was 17 Himself Documentary
2010 Trey Songz: My Moment Himself Documentary
2013 Texas Chainsaw 3D Ryan
2013 Baggage Claim Damon Diesel

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2009 Lincoln Heights Himself Episode: "Relative Unknown"
2014 Total Divas Himself Episode: "The House Sitters"

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Recipient Result
2005 Dirty Award Best R&B Male Trey Songz Nominated
2008 Grammy Award Best Male R&B Vocal Performance "Can't Help but Wait" Nominated
BET Award Best Male R&B Artist[9] Trey Songz Nominated
Ozone Award Best R&B Artist[44] Trey Songz Nominated
2009 Soul Train Music Award Best Collaboration "Successful" Nominated
2010 Grammy Award Best Contemporary R&B Album Ready Nominated
BET Award Best Male R&B Artist Trey Songz Won
Best Collaboration "Say Ahh" w/ Fabolous Nominated
Best Collaboration "Successful" w/ Drake Nominated
Viewer's Choice "Say Ahh" w/ Fabolous Nominated
MuchMusic Video Award MuchVibe Hip-Hop Video of the Year "Successful" Won
MOBO Award Best International Act Trey Songz Nominated
Teen Choice Award Choice Music: R&B Artist Trey Songz Nominated
American Music Award Favorite Soul/R&B Male artist Trey Songz Nominated
Soul Train Music Award Best R&B/Soul Artist Male Trey Songz Won
2011 BET Award Best Male R&B Artist[45] Trey Songz Nominated
Coca-Cola's Viewer's Choice [46] "Bottom's Up" Nominated
Billboard Music Award Top R&B Artist Trey Songz Nominated
Top R&B Song "Bottoms Up" Nominated
Top R&B Album Passion, Pain & Pleasure Nominated
American Music Award Favorite Soul/R&B Male artist Trey Songz Nominated
Soul Train Music Award Album of the Year Passion Pain & Pleasure Nominated
Song of the Year "Heart Attack" Nominated
2012 BET Award Best Male R&B Artist[9] Trey Songz Nominated
American Music Award Favorite Soul/R&B Male artist Trey Songz Nominated
Soul Train Music Award Best R&B/Soul Male Artist Trey Songz Nominated
Song of the Year "Heart Attack" Nominated
2013 Grammy Award Best R&B Song "Heart Attack" Nominated
Billboard Music Award Top R&B Song "Heart Attack" Nominated
Teen Choice Award Choice Music R&B Artist Trey Songz Nominated
NAACP Image Award Outstanding Male Artist Trey Songz Nominated
2014 World Music Award World's Best Song "2 Reasons" Nominated
World's Best Video "2 Reasons" Nominated
World's Best Male Artist Trey Songz Nominated
World's Best Live Act Trey Songz Nominated
World's Best Entertainer Trey Songz Nominated
World's Best Album Chapter V Nominated
World's Best Song "You're Mine (Eternal) Remix" w/ Mariah Carey Nominated
MOBO Awards Best International Act Trey Songz Nominated
Soul Train Music Award Best R&B/Soul Artist Male Trey Songz Won

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Jeffries, David. "Trey Songz – Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved August 24, 2009.
  2. ↑ "April Tucker’s Bio". Webcache.googleusercontent.com. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
  3. ↑ "A Minute With: Singer Trey Songz on new movie "Texas Chainsaw 3D"". Reuters. January 2, 2013.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Dawson, Imani A. (May 24, 2005). "Next – Trey Songz – Making History". Vibe. Retrieved April 7, 2009.
  5. ↑ Dombal, Ryan (June 6, 2005). "Trey Cheeky". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 24, 2009.
  6. ↑ Trey Songz Music News & Info | Billboard.com
  7. ↑ "Artist Chart History – Trey Songz – Albums". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media. Retrieved April 7, 2009.
  8. ↑ "Trey Songz". Billboard. Retrieved July 2, 2014.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 "2008 BET Awards winners and nominees". Los Angeles Times. June 24, 2008. Retrieved November 14, 2008.
  10. ↑ "New R&B Music: Trey Songz – Anticipation Mixtape". July 2, 2009. Retrieved July 2, 2009.
  11. ↑ "Trey Songz – Genesis Mixtape". June 18, 2009. Retrieved July 2, 2009.
  12. ↑ Caulfield, Keith; Herrera, Monica. "Whitney Houston Debuts At No. 1 On Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved September 9, 2009.
  13. ↑ "An Inside Look At Trey Songz' New 'MTV Unplugged' Performance". April 2, 2010. Retrieved April 5, 2010.
  14. ↑ "News". Trey Songz Official Website. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "Trey Songz (@TreySongz) op Twitter". TwitNicki Minajter.com. Retrieved September 8, 2012.
  16. ↑ "Trey Songz". TV Guide. September 9, 2010.
  17. ↑ "Trey Songz to Perform at BET Awards 2011".
  18. ↑ "Trey Songz Announces New Album Title". Rap-Up. Retrieved August 18, 2011.
  19. ↑ "Trey Songz On 'Chapter 5': 'You can expect the best me you’ve ever heard' | ..::That Grape Juice // ThatGrapeJuice.net::.. || Thirsty?". Thatgrapejuice.net. August 23, 2011. Retrieved September 8, 2012.
  20. ↑ Cyrus Langhorne (December 7, 2011). "Drake Takes the Pack, Rihanna Talks & Walks Outside the Top 5, Trey Songz Invades the Chart". Sohh.
  21. ↑ "Here's Your Leatherface for Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D". ShockTilYouDrop (CraveOnline). July 19, 2011. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  22. ↑ "Chapter V – Trey Songz : Release Information, Reviews and Credits". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved September 2, 2012.
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 "Trey Songz Announces 'Anticipation 2our' with Big Sean". TrueExclusives.com. January 7, 2012. Retrieved January 8, 2012.
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 "Trey Songz". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 26, 2012.
  25. ↑ http://www.sohh.com/2012/10/pnk_scribbles_out_the_competition_lupe_f.html
  26. ↑ "Amazon.com: Heart Attack [Clean]: Trey Songz: MP3 Downloads". Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  27. ↑ "Trey Songz Album & Song Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved September 26, 2012.
  28. ↑ "Video: Trey Songz – ‘Heart Attack’". Rap-Up. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  29. ↑ "2 Reasons (feat. T.I.) [Explicit]: Trey Songz: MP3 Downloads". Amazon.com. Retrieved July 17, 2012.
  30. ↑ "Trey Songz Sets ‘Chapter V’ Release Date". Rap-Up. June 8, 2012. Retrieved September 2, 2012.
  31. ↑ "New Songs, Latest Music, Future Releases – Capital FM". Capital. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  32. ↑ "Video: Trey Songz – ‘Simply Amazing’". Rap-Up. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  33. ↑ "UK Forthcoming Singles". Radio1 Rodos Greece. Archived from the original on September 29, 2012. Retrieved September 29, 2012.
  34. ↑ "Video: Trey Songz – ‘Never Again’". Rap-Up. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  35. ↑ "The Angel Network". Angelnetwork.treysongz.com. Retrieved July 2, 2014.
  36. ↑ Sanfiorenzo, Dimas (February 7, 2014). "Trey Songz & Jeezy "Ordinary" (NEW MUSIC)". Global Grind. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
  37. ↑ "Trey Songz Reveals Title & Release Date For New Album". Hotnewhiphop.com. February 15, 2014. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
  38. ↑ "New Video: Trey Songz – 'Na Na' | ..::That Grape Juice // ThatGrapeJuice.net::.. || Thirsty?". Thatgrapejuice.net. March 13, 2014. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
  39. ↑ "New Music: Trey Songz – Smart Phones | ThisisRnB.com – Hot New R&B Music, Videos, News". ThisisRnB.com. March 31, 2014. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
  40. ↑ "Smoke (feat. Trey Songz) – Single". iTunes Store. Retrieved May 3, 2014.
  41. ↑ "Trey Songz Scores Second No. 1 Album With 'Trigga'". Billboard. 2013-12-28. Retrieved 2014-07-09.
  42. ↑ http://ratedrnb.com/2015/02/trey-songz-two-albums-way-trigga-reloaded-tremaine/
  43. ↑ http://www.thisisrnb.com/2015/02/trey-songz-reveals-details-on-trigga-reloaded-next-album-tremaine/
  44. ↑ "Lil Wayne Leads The Pack With 8 Ozone Awards Nominations". XXL. Harris Publications. July 14, 2008. Retrieved June 10, 2009.
  45. ↑ "Best Male R&B Artist | BET Awards". BET. Retrieved November 21, 2011.
  46. ↑ "Coca-Cola’s Viewer’s Choice |". BET. Retrieved November 21, 2011.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Trey Songz.