Jason Derulo
Derulo in 2010
Background information
Birth name	Jason Joel Desrouleaux
Born	(1989-09-21) September 21, 1989 (age 23)
Origin	Miami, Florida, U.S.
Genres	R&B, pop, dance
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, dancer, choreographer, actor
Years active	2006–present
Labels	Warner Bros. Records, Beluga Heights, TM3 Records, Music Online Entertainmentz
Associated acts	Birdman, Demi Lovato, Jordin Sparks, Mann, Molly Sandén, Pitbull, Jin Akanishi, Arlene Zelina
Website	jasonderulo.com

Jason Joel Desrouleaux^[1] (born September 21, 1989), better known by his stage name Jason Derulo, is an American singer-songwriter, actor and dancer. After producing records for several artists and writing songs for Cash Money Records, co-founder of the label Birdman, Young Money Entertainment owner Lil Wayne and rapper Diddy, Derulo signed to minor recording label Beluga Heights. After Beluga Heights became part of the Warner Music Group, Derulo released his debut single, "Whatcha Say" in May 2009, which sold over five million digital downloads, gaining an RIAA certification of double platinum, and reaching number 1 in the U.S. and New Zealand. Derulo released his second single, "In My Head", in December 2009. His debut album, Jason Derülo, was released on March 2, 2010. He released his second studio album, Future History on September 16, 2011.

Early life [edit]

Derulo was born in Miami, Florida,^[2] to Haitian parents. His birth surname is Desrouleaux, but he changed the spelling for his stage name to make it easier to pronounce.^[3]

Derulo has been performing since the age of five. He wrote his first song, "Crush on You", at age eight, and was heard singing part of the song on a Galaxy FM interview. Derulo spent his youth studying opera, theater, and ballet. He attended Dillard Center for the Arts in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and graduated from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York at the age of 17.

At age 12, Derulo met his future manager, Frank Harris, a law school student who was helping him improve his basketball skills which was also a pathway he wanted to follow.^[4]

Music career [edit]

2006–2009: Songwriting and musical beginnings [edit]

Derulo has been writing songs for artists including Diddy, Danity Kane, Donnie Klang, Sean Kingston, Cassie, Lil Wayne since he was 16, intent on becoming a solo performer.^[5] After attending performing arts schools and honing his talents as a singer and dancer (plus acting in theatre productions like Ragtime and Smokey Joe's Cafe),^[6] Derulo won the grand prize on the 2006 season finale of the TV show Showtime at the Apollo. Derulo was discovered by music producer J. R. Rotem, who signed him to his record label Beluga Heights Records and Warner Bros. Records.

In a HitQuarters interview, Rotem highlighted Derulo's dedication to his art by saying, "Jason Derulo has one of the most impressive work ethics I've ever come across – he just keeps knocking out songs in the studio. That's an amazing quality."^[7]

Derulo's music career began in 2006, when he was featured on Birdman's song "Bossy", which was featured on his album, 5 * Stunna.

2009–2010: Jason Derülo [edit]

On August 4, 2009, Jason released his debut single, "Whatcha Say". It was produced by J. R. Rotem with additional production by Fuego. The track samples the Imogen Heap song "Hide and Seek".^[8] In late August 2009, the song debuted at number 54 on the Billboard Hot 100^[9] and hit number 1 in November 2009.^[10] The single's music video was released in September 2009; after the single became successful, Derulo began work on his debut album. He released the second single from his album, "In My Head", on December 8, 2009. It debuted at number 63 on the Billboard Hot 100, and reached number five.^[11]

Derulo's debut album, Jason Derülo, was released on March 2, 2010. Jason Derülo first charted within the top ten of the UK and Irish Albums Charts in early March 2010. He spent six weeks promoting the album in his appearances as one of the opening acts for Lady Gaga's 2009–2010 The Monster Ball Tour. The third single of the album is "Ridin' Solo," which was released worldwide on April 26, 2010. By July, the single had reached number nine in the Billboard Hot 100.^[11] Derulo has also been featured in a song by new artist Will Roush called "Turn it Up," which also features Stat Quo and Young Buck. He also collaborated with UK singer Pixie Lott on a song titled "Coming Home" from the re-released edition of her album Turn It Up.

2011–2012: Future History, Everybody Dance Now & Arlene Zelina [edit]

In 2011, Derulo recorded a track with Demi Lovato titled "Together" for her album Unbroken. Derulo's second studio album, Future History, was released on September 27, 2011.^[12] Derulo is currently detailing his journey recording the album via a series of webisodes that are posted on his official website every Friday.^[12] Its lead single, "Don't Wanna Go Home", was released on May 20, 2011. It landed the number-one spot in the UK and in the top five in Australia.^[13] Derulo planned to embark on an eight-date UK tour in support of the album in February 2012, including a show at Wembley Arena on March 1.^[14] However, on January 3, 2012, while Derulo was rehearsing for his Future History Tour, he broke one of his vertebrae. As a result, he canceled all of his tour dates.^[15]

On March 28, 2012, Derulo appeared on American Idol to announce he would allow fans to help him finish the lyrics for a new song entitled "Undefeated", as part of a partnership with American Idol and Coca Cola.^[16] Fans were given the opportunity to submit their own lyrics to complete the song, and fans were then given the chance to vote on which lyrics they liked the most. On May 5, 2012, Derulo announced that his first post-neck injury television performance would be on the eleventh season finale of American Idol, on May 22, 2012.^[17] In August 2012, Derulo became a dance master alongside Kelly Rowland, for the first season of the Australian dance talent show Everybody Dance Now. The show was cancelled shortly after its fourth episode aired due to poor ratings.^[18]

Arlene Zelina and Jason Derulo At Marquee Sydney

On July 9, 2012, Derulo announced that he had signed Australian singer-songwriter "Arlene Zelina" to his record label Future History (owned with his manager Frank Harris) ^[19] after he attended one of her performances at Whisky A Go Go in 2011 before she returned to Melbourne, Australia. On July 10, 2012 Derulo confirmed this on his Twitter.^[20]

2013-present: Third Studio Album [edit]

On April 16, 2013, Derulo released his single, 'The Other Side'. The song is scheduled to impact radios on April 23, 2013. He also announced that he would release his third album in September 2013.

Tours [edit]

• 2009–2010 The Monster Ball Tour (opening act)
• 2010 The E.N.D. World Tour (opening act for Canada dates)
• 2010–2011 Jason Derülo World Tour (headlining)

Discography [edit]

• Jason Derülo (2010)
• Future History (2011)
• TBA (2013)

Filmography [edit]

Awards and nominations [edit]

References [edit]

External links [edit]

• Official website

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