With a knack for scoring dramatic commercial ballads and straightforward dance-pop numbers alike, Jason Derulo shot to stardom while still in his teens. He built his reputation as a prolific R&B and rap songwriter, composing tracks for artists ranging from
Lil Wayne and
Pitbull to
Pleasure P. Signed to a
Warner Bros. subsidiary, he scored a surprise late-summer jam in 2009 when the
Imogen Heap-sampling, Auto-Tune-reimagining "Whatcha Say" off 2010's Jason Derulo soared to the top of the Billboard Hot 100. With albums like 2011's Future History and 2013's Tattoos, he was soon a mainstay on the chart's Top Ten, scoring with "In My Head," "Ridin' Solo," "Talk Dirty" (featuring
2 Chainz), and "Wiggle" (featuring
Snoop Dogg). In 2015, he reached number four on the Billboard 200 with Everything Is 4, featuring the Top Five Hot 100 hit "Want to Want Me." More standalone tracks followed, including the 2018 FIFA World Cup anthem "Colors" (with
Maluma), 2018's "Goodbye" (with
David Guetta), 2020's "Savage Love" (with
Jawsh 685), and 2021's "Lifestyle" (with
Adam Levine).
Born to Haitian parents in Miramar, Florida, Derulo started singing at an early age. He attended performing arts schools in Florida and took some early stabs at music composition, writing his first song at the age of eight. His writing skills began attracting attention, and by his teens, Derulo had begun composing tracks for artists like
Lil Wayne,
Pitbull, and
Pleasure P. He also co-wrote "Bossy" for New Orleans-based rapper
Birdman, and made a guest appearance on the song, highlighting his ability as a vocalist.
After signing to
Warner Bros. subsidiary
Beluga Heights, Derulo began making the transition from behind-the-scenes songwriter to mainstream performer. His first hit arrived during the summer of 2009, when he wrapped a sample of
Imogen Heap's "Hide and Seek" (a song made popular by its appearance in the second season finale of The O.C., as well as the Saturday Night Live sketch "Dear Sister") around a sleek modern soul beat. Titled "Whatcha Say," the song topped the Billboard Hot 100 and cracked the Top Ten in other territories, including Canada, Australia, Sweden, Switzerland, and the U.K. A second single, "In My Head," peaked at number five in the U.S., and Derulo's full-length debut album arrived in early 2010. Future History followed in 2011, along with its hit single "Don't Wanna Go Home."
At the start of 2012, he embarked on the Future History Tour, but broke one of his vertebrae during rehearsals. As a result of his neck injury, he canceled the entire tour. Recuperating and reflecting upon his injury, he announced details of his new album and released the single "The Other Side" in April 2013. Its follow-up, "Talk Dirty" featuring
2 Chainz, shot to number three on the pop chart during the summer of 2013, and the album Tattoos was released in September in most territories. The U.S. received a retooled version of the album in 2014 titled Talk Dirty. It featured several new tracks, including "Wiggle" with
Snoop Dogg, which reached the Top Ten in the summer of 2014.
With guest spots from
Stevie Wonder,
Jennifer Lopez,
Keith Urban, and others, Everything Is 4 followed in 2015. The album featured "Want to Want Me" -- Derulo's sixth Top Ten pop hit -- and coincided with his new job as judge on the 12th season of So You Think You Can Dance. The following year, his biggest singles were compiled for Platinum Hits. Derulo returned in February 2017 with the song "Swalla," which featured guest appearances from
Nicki Minaj and
Ty Dolla $ign. Reaching the Top 30 of the U.S. Billboard 200, the single was followed by "Tip Toe" with
French Montana, "Goodbye" with
David Guetta,
Nicki Minaj, and
Willy William, and "Colors," which was chosen as the FIFA 2018 World Cup Anthem. Additional international collaborations followed with a multitude of cross-genre acts like pop singer
Ava Max ("Make Up"), country duo
Florida Georgia Line ("Women"), K-pop acts LAY and
NCT 127 ("Let's Shut Up & Dance"), reggaeton artist
Farruko ("Mamacita"), and Chinese singer
Tia Ray (on the official 2019 FIBA Basketball theme "Champion"). Derulo closed 2019 with the first installment of his proposed 2Sides project, Side 1, which featured appearances by
Stefflon Don and
Ty Dolla $ign. He also starred as Rum Tum Tugger in the film adaptation of Cats.
In 2020, Derulo parted ways with
Warner Bros., which effectively canceled the 2Sides project. He carried on with the release of the U.K. chart-topping "Savage Love (Laxed - Siren Beat)" with New Zealand producer
Jawsh 685. He also helped revive
Puri and
Jhorrmountain's club track "Coño" and teamed with
Alok and
Martin Jensen for "Don't Cry for Me." He paired with Nuka for "Love Not War (The Tampa Beat)," and again cracked the U.K. Top Ten with the song "Take You Dancing." In January 2021, Derulo released the song "Lifestyle" featuring
Adam Levine. ~ Jason Thurston, Rovi