He is literally the man of the moment and he is currently on our shores for the two-day music festival Blended, which kick starts tomorrow at Dubai Media City Amphitheatre. So excited are we of soul singer Aloe Blacc’s arrival that we have a free single to give away to all. You are so very welcome…
If his name doesn’t sound familiar his smooth tones, reminiscent of a young Marvin Gaye, certainly will. He sang the lead vocals in Avicii’s Wake Me Up, his debut single I Need A Dollar was the title song for HBO’s How To Make It In America and his current single The Man went straight to number one in the UK charts. After his performance tomorrow at Blended festival, Aloe Blacc is a name that you will never forget.
Here’s 10 thing you need to know about the singer.
- He was born in South Carolina’s Orange Country to Panamanian parents on January 7, 1979. The 35-year-old shares his birthday (January 7) with Christian Louboutin, Jeremy Renner and Nicolas Cage.
- His birth name is actually Egbert Nathaniel Dawkins III. He told Hype magazine about the name: “It’s very colonial and was chosen by my Jamaican great-grandfather. There was a Dawkins slave plantation in Kingston and my family, along with others adopted the plantation name. Egbert means ‘splendor of the sword’s tip’ and Nathaniel means ‘gift from god’.
- He chose the name Aloe Blacc for its smoothness. According to OC Weekly: “The first name references the plant associated with lotion and he exchanged the K in ‘Black’ for another C because he considers K a harsher consonant.”
- He is married to Australian rapper Maya Jupiter with whom he has a seven-month-old daughter called Mandela.
- He launched his solo career in 2003. Label head Chris Mank immediately signed up after hearing his work. He offered Blacc a contract for his first full-length album Shine Through in 2006.
- He has collaborated with master producer Pharrell Williams, singing in Pharrell’s song Love Is The Answer.
- He has played the trumpet since third grade.
- LL Cool J was a significant musical influence. He said: “It wasn’t too far off from the trumpet moment.. I had a Hip Hop moment and musician moment.”
- He is actively involved in the charity campaign Malaria No More.
- He stars in the James Brown biopic Get On Up! produced by Mick Jagger. He plays a guitar player in The Famous Flames, James Brown’s first band.
Aloe Blacc’s current album Lift Your Sprit is available on . To avail your free download of the title track to his new album visit itunes.com/Blended
Blended runs on May 1 from 6pm and May 2 from 4pm. May 1 features Xavier Rudd, Aloe Blacc and Joss Stone. May 2 features Maverick Sabre, Elvis Costello and Diana Krall. Tickets start from Dhs350. For more information, visit blended.ae.
