Bryn Christopher (born 8 November 1985) is a British singer and songwriter. Born in
Great Barr,
Birmingham, England, he attended the
Italia Conti Stage School and was a contestant on ''
Popstars: The Rivals''.
His debut single, "The Quest", was featured in the TV series ''
Grey's Anatomy''.
Musical career
Early years
Christopher was the support slot on the
Amy Winehouse tour at the end of 2007, while he was still relatively unknown (he also supported U.S. soul artist
Rahsaan Patterson at London's Jazz Café). He has been picked up by the U.S. agency
William Morris Agency. He also co-wrote the Leon Jackson hit song "
Don't Call This Love" with British producer/writer
Chris Braide. Christopher was also the opening act for
Mary J. Blige on her European tour 'Growing Pains' in 2008.
"The Quest"
Christopher's first single release, "The Quest", was released on 8 June 2008 through
Polydor Records. The single draws on his brother's personal experience as a soldier stationed in
Basra. His brother two years later would be injured in
Afghanistan losing both of his legs. "The Quest" was featured in the closing scene of ''
Grey's Anatomy'' season 4 conclusion, which caused the song to become more known in the US. The song was made into a music video for the show to promote its fifth season, with scenes of Christopher singing in London as well as scenes from the show. The song was also featured in an episode of the BBC school-based drama ''
Waterloo Road''.
It was also covered by
Grigory Leps in Russian which became a popular version.
Christopher teamed up with co-writer/producer
Jarrad Rogers and production team
Midi Mafia to produce his debut album ''My World'', which was released September 2008. Midi Mafia secured the exclusive rights to use samples from the
Stax Records Catalogue, and has used some of these for the first time ever on Christopher's album.
His second single, "Smilin" was released on 2 September 2008. It peaked at No. 31. His third single "Fearless" was released on 18 January 2009 and failed to chart. His final single was "Taken Me Over", released on 4 August 2009 as a digital-only single. It also failed to chart.
Christopher then left
Polydor, and signed with
Geffen Records UK.
Festival appearances
Christopher hosted a residency at North London's live spot The Boogaloo throughout April 2007, and followed this with dates at London's Soho Revue Bar. He has also played at 2008's
Wireless Festival in Hyde Park on the same day as
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one of ...
, as well as
Glastonbury,
T in the Park,
Oxegen and
V Festival. Christopher has also appeared at the Capital Summertime and Jingle Bell Ball's as the vocalist of
Sigala's "
Sweet Lovin'
"Sweet Lovin'" is the second single from British musician Sigala. It features vocals from Bryn Christopher. It was released on 4 December 2015 as a digital download in the United Kingdom through Ministry of Sound. It is the follow-up to his UK num ...
"; he also has appeared at V Festival and appeared in many other places during 2015–2017.
2010–present
Christopher co-wrote the
Sub Focus
Nicolaas Douwma (born 13 April 1982), better known by his stage name Sub Focus, is an English DJ, record producer, songwriter, musician and sound engineer from Guildford, Surrey. He has been releasing records since 2003. On 12 October 2009, ...
song "
Out the Blue", which was released 27 April 2012. He co-wrote and provided uncredited vocals for "Superstar" by
Knife Party, from their debut album ''
Abandon Ship
Abandon, abandoned, or abandonment may refer to:
Common uses
* Abandonment (emotional), a subjective emotional state in which people feel undesired, left behind, insecure, or discarded
* Abandonment (legal), a legal term regarding property
** Ch ...
'' (2014). In 2015, he was a featured artist and co-wrote the song "City Lights" by Culture Shock. He also worked with
Sigala on the track "
Sweet Lovin'
"Sweet Lovin'" is the second single from British musician Sigala. It features vocals from Bryn Christopher. It was released on 4 December 2015 as a digital download in the United Kingdom through Ministry of Sound. It is the follow-up to his UK num ...
", a tropical house track that has over 245 million hits on YouTube (as of October 2021) and reached number three on the
UK Singles Chart. He also wrote "
Came Here for Love" by Sigala and
Ella Eyre with White N3rd and
Klingande, which reached number 6 on the UK Singles Chart and was the official London gay pride theme.
I See Monstas
In 2012, Christopher, under the pseudonym Skaar, joined producers Rocky and Rufio to form an electronic music group called
MONSTA (subsequently renamed I See Monstas in 2013). The group charted at No. 48 in the UK with their first single "Holdin' On".
Personal life
Christopher is
gay.
In an interview with ''
Gay Times'' in October 2018, he revealed he had not
come out
Coming out of the closet, often shortened to coming out, is a metaphor used to describe LGBT people's self-disclosure of their sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity.
Framed and debated as a privacy issue, coming out of ...
to his family and dismissed the idea of doing so until he was in a relationship.
Discography
Studio albums
Singles
As lead artist
As featured artist
Promotional singles
Notes
*A
^ "Taken Me Over" was released as a digital download single.
Other appearances
Songwriting credits
References
External links
*
Geffen Records websiteBryn Christopher interview by Pete Lewis, 'Blues & Soul' September 2008Bryn Christopher French Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Christopher, Bryn
1985 births
21st-century Black British male singers
Alumni of the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts
British contemporary R&B singers
English people of Barbadian descent
English soul singers
English tenors
English gay musicians
Geffen Records artists
Gay singers
Gay songwriters
Living people
LGBT Black British people
English LGBT singers
English LGBT songwriters
Musicians from Birmingham, West Midlands
People from Great Barr
Polydor Records artists
Popstars contestants
20th-century LGBT people
21st-century LGBT people