Faisal A.J. Saudin (born May 14, 1992), known professionally as A.J. Saudin or Saudin, is a Canadian actor, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known for his role as Connor DeLaurier in the long-running teen drama television series '' Degrassi: The Next Generation''.

Acting career

Before finding success on ''Degrassi'', Saudin worked as a child in print work and commercials before landing his first film role as a seven-year-old, working alongside

Natalie Cole Natalie Maria Cole (February 6, 1950 – December 31, 2015) was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She was the daughter of singer and jazz pianist Nat King Cole. She rose to prominence in the mid-1970s, with the release of her debut ...

in '' Livin' for Love: The Natalie Cole Story'' (2000). He also starred in supporting roles on various TV series, including ''

Da Kink in my Hair ''Da Kink in My Hair'' is a play by Trey Anthony, which debuted at the Toronto Fringe Festival in 2001. The play's central character is Novelette, the Caribbean Canadian owner of Letty's, a Toronto hair salon. Novelette is forced to confront her ...

'' (2007–2009). He also hosted several episodes of ''Open Your Ears'', a music-centered show that aired on Canada's

YTV YTV or ytv may refer to: * YTV (Canadian TV channel), a Canadian youth television station owned by Corus Entertainment * YTV (Burmese TV network), a Burmese television channel owned by MY Multimedia Co., Ltd * YTV (Botswanan TV channel), a Botswana ...

channel. Saudin landed his first lead role in the film ''

Aruba Aruba, officially the Country of Aruba, is a constituent island country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, in the southern Caribbean Sea north of the Venezuelan peninsula of Paraguaná Peninsula, Paraguaná and northwest of Curaçao. In 19 ...

'' (2006), directed by

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People and fictional and mythical characters * Oscar (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters named Oscar, Óscar or Oskar * Oscar (footballer, born 1954), Brazilian footballer ...

-nominated director

Hubert Davis Hubert Ira Davis Jr. (born May 17, 1970) is an American college basketball coach and former professional player who is the head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball, North Carolina Tar Heels men's team. Before his coaching care ...

. The film premiered at the

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023. The festival has acted ...

in January 2006, and then screened at several festivals, including the 2006

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the most prestigious and largest publicly attended film festivals in the world. Founded in 1976, the festival takes place every year in early September. The organi ...

, the 2006 Palm Springs International ShortFest, the 2007

Seattle International Film Festival The Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) is a film festival held annually in Seattle, Washington, United States, since 1976. It usually takes place in late May and/or early June. It is one of the largest festivals in the world, and feature ...

, and the 2008 Kansas City Jubilee Film Festival. Saudin starred on the hit Canadian TV series ''Degrassi: The Next Generation'' for 7 years (2008–2015), playing Connor DeLaurier, a teenager with

Asperger syndrome Asperger syndrome (AS), also known as Asperger's syndrome or Asperger's, is a diagnostic label that has historically been used to describe a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction and no ...

. Saudin exited in the show in 2015 to begin focusing on his music career. He made an appearance in

Drake Drake may refer to: Animals and creatures * A male duck * Drake (mythology), a term related to and often synonymous with dragon People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family ...

's 2018 music video for the single ''

I'm Upset "I'm Upset" is a song by Canadian rapper Drake from his fifth studio album ''Scorpion'' (2018). It was released by Young Money Entertainment and Cash Money Records as the third single from the album on May 26, 2018. The song was written by Drake al ...

.'' The music video featured a variety of past ''Degrassi'' cast members.

Music career

Saudin left ''Degrassi: The Next Generation'' in 2015 to begin focusing on his music career, releasing his first single "Sunset" in October 2016. On the social media platform, Twitter, Saudin confirmed he had quit acting permanently to begin working on music. Saudin released his debut EP, "''Before I Met You"'' on April 21, 2017. The EP featured artists YeAli and Night Lovell. On August 25, 2017, Saudin released his second EP titled ''"A Midsummer's Daydream"'' on all music streaming platforms. The project contains four tracks, and was executive produced by himself, Emjay and dF. On September 1, 2017, he made his live performance debut at the iconic

Mod Club Theatre The Mod Club Theatre is an entertainment venue situated at 722 College Street, in Toronto's Little Italy neighbourhood. The Mod Club operated from 2002 until the COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020. In late 2021, the venue reopened as The Axis Club, b ...

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

to a sold out crowd.

Discography

EPs

* ''Before I Met You'' (2017) * ''A Midsummer's Daydream'' (2017)

Filmography

Film

Television

Music videos

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Saudin, A.J. 1992 births Living people Black Canadian male actors Canadian male child actors Canadian male film actors Canadian male television actors Canadian male singer-songwriters 21st-century Canadian singer-songwriters Canadian people of Nigerian descent Male actors from Mississauga Musicians from Mississauga