Brent Faiyaz facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Brent Faiyaz
Faiyaz in 2016
Background information
Birth name	Christopher Brent Wood
Born	(1995-09-19) September 19, 1995 (age 29) Columbia, Maryland, U.S.
Genres	R&B alternative R&B DMV hip-hop
Occupation(s)	Singer songwriter rapper record producer
Years active	2013–present
Labels	ISO Supremacy (current) Venice Lost Kids (former)
Signature

Christopher Brent Wood (born September 19, 1995), known as Brent Faiyaz, is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, and music producer. Faiyaz became well-known after he sang on GoldLink's 2016 song "Crew" with Shy Glizzy. This song reached number 45 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It also earned a special award for selling many copies. The song was even nominated for a Grammy Award. The next year, Faiyaz released his first album, Sonder Son (2017). People know him for his smooth singing and calm, atmospheric music. He also raps sometimes.

He started his music journey in 2013 with his first extended play (EP) called Black Child. His second EP, A.M. Paradox, came out in 2016. In 2016, Faiyaz also started an R&B group called Sonder, where he is the main singer. His second album, Wasteland (2022), reached number two on the Billboard 200 chart. This album included popular songs like "Gravity" (with DJ Dahi and Tyler, the Creator) and "Wasting Time" (featuring Drake and the Neptunes). It also had the popular song "Dead Man Walking". His first mixtape, Larger than Life (2023), reached number 11 on the Billboard 200. Critics praised this mixtape.

Besides his Grammy nomination, he has also been nominated for other awards. These include Favorite Male R&B Artist at the American Music Awards in 2022. He was also nominated for Best Male R&B/Pop Artist at the BET Awards in 2023 and 2024. In 2023, Faiyaz started his own music company and record label called ISO Supremacy. This label has signed other artists, like Tommy Richman.

Early Life and Music Beginnings

Faiyaz attended Long Reach High School.

Christopher Brent Wood was born on September 19, 1995, in Columbia, Maryland. His father is from the Dominican Republic, and his mother is African-American. Faiyaz told Billboard that when he was six, he received his first toy keyboard. This made him "fall in love" with music. He started making music beats when he was twelve. He would sell these beats to older kids to earn money.

He often listened to hip-hop music because his brother suggested artists like Ginuwine and Timbaland. He started listening to R&B music when he was in high school. Faiyaz went to Long Reach High School and finished school at 17. His parents did not always understand his dream of being a musician. Faiyaz said this was fair because his love for music "always distracted" him from school. This caused his grades to be low. He shared with Vogue that he was "messing up" in other parts of his life, like school or jobs.

Soon after graduating, Faiyaz and his family moved to Charlotte, North Carolina. Faiyaz was not sure about the move at first. But he soon realized it would help him work harder. Faiyaz told GQ that he moved out of his parents' house at 18. This was because they did not support his music dreams. He said, "My father didn’t like that so I had to go." In 2014, Faiyaz moved to Los Angeles, California, to follow his music career.

Music Career Journey

2013–2016: Starting Out and A.M. Paradox

Before his official music career, around age twelve, Faiyaz recorded music at home. He did not have much money then. Faiyaz mostly recorded hip-hop music because he wanted to be a rapper. He released his first EP, Sunset Ave., in March 2013. His second EP, Black Child, came out in December of the same year.

Faiyaz began sharing his experimental music on SoundCloud in 2014. During this time, he moved from his hometown of Columbia, Maryland, to Charlotte, North Carolina. He then settled in Los Angeles, California, to grow his music career. In L.A., Faiyaz met his manager, Ty Baisden. Ty supported his goal of succeeding in the music industry on his own. On January 19, 2015, Faiyaz released his first single, "Allure".

On June 1, 2016, Faiyaz released "Invite Me". This was the first song from his first commercial EP. On September 19, 2016, his 21st birthday, the EP called A.M. Paradox was released. Music critics gave it good reviews. This EP was released under Faiyaz's own independent record label, Lost Kids, LLC. He started this label with Ty Baisden's help that same year. Faiyaz also signed a deal with Pulse Music Group. In October 2016, Brent Faiyaz formed a group called Sonder with producers Dpat and Atu. The group released their first song, "Too Fast," on October 25. On December 16, 2016, Faiyaz was featured on the song "Crew" by rapper GoldLink, along with Shy Glizzy.

2017–2022: Sonder Son and Wasteland

Faiyaz and Zahara Davis at the 2019 iHeartRadio Music Awards Show in Los Angeles, California

On January 26, 2017, Sonder released their first EP, Into. Duplion magazine named them "Artist of the Month" for January 2017. Complex also ranked the EP 31st on its list of "The Best Albums of 2017". On June 21, 2017, Faiyaz was part of the remix for GoldLink's "Crew." This remix also featured Shy Glizzy and rapper Gucci Mane. On March 8, 2019, Faiyaz was featured on the song "Demonz (Interlude)" from Juice Wrld's album Death Race for Love.

On September 18, 2020, Faiyaz released the song "Dead Man Walking". This song later appeared on his album. On November 13, Faiyaz appeared with Kanye West on "Feel a Way," a song from 2 Chainz's album, So Help Me God!.

On January 14, 2021, Faiyaz was in an advertisement for Calvin Klein. On January 29, Faiyaz released the song "Gravity" with DJ Dahi and Tyler, the Creator. In this song, Faiyaz sings about uncertain love and praises loyalty. On February 8, Faiyaz released the song "Circles". On June 25, Faiyaz appeared with Fana Hues on "Sweet / I Thought You Wanted to Dance" from Tyler, The Creator's album, Call Me If You Get Lost. On July 1, Faiyaz released "Wasting Time" featuring Drake and The Neptunes.

On September 10, Faiyaz appeared on "Lost Souls" from Baby Keem's album, The Melodic Blue. The next week, on September 15, Faiyaz was featured on Tems' "Found" from her EP, If Orange Was a Place. On December 3, Faiyaz released the song "Mercedes". He had hinted about a project called Wasteland on Instagram.

On June 17, 2022, Faiyaz announced that Wasteland would be released on July 8. The next week, on June 24, Faiyaz released the album's last song, "Price of Fame". Wasteland was released on July 8, 2022, as planned. It included four earlier songs: "Dead Man Walking", "Gravity", "Wasting Time", and "Price of Fame". Wasteland reached number 2 on the US Billboard 200 chart in its first week. It sold 88,000 album-equivalent units.

2023–Present: Larger than Life and Icon

Faiyaz performing live in Tokyo, Japan, 2024

In May 2023, Faiyaz started his own label and creative company, ISO Supremacy. This was a partnership with United Masters. The company also made a deal with PULSE Records. Faiyaz spoke to Billboard about his new record deal. He said his partnership with PULSE Music Group has been very important. He explained that ISO Supremacy is a platform to help artists like Tommy Richman grow.

After his new record deal, Faiyaz released "Moment of Your Life" with Coco Jones on August 23. He then released "WY@" on September 19. On October 26, Faiyaz released a trailer for his mixtape Larger than Life. The mixtape was released the next day through ISO Supremacy. It reached number eleven on the Billboard 200 chart. On December 8, 2023, Brent released the music video for "Upset," featuring Tommy Richman and FELIX. On December 15, 2023, Brent released a remix of the album. On January 16, 2024, Brent released the music video for "Pistachios". On February 14, Brent released the music video for "WY@", starring actress Lupita Nyong'o. This video was released on Valentine's Day because of the song's lyrics about relationships.

On January 12, 2024, Faiyaz appeared on "Should've Wore a Bonnet," a song from 21 Savage's album, American Dream. On February 24, both artists performed the song on NBC's Saturday Night Live. On June 6, Faiyaz was featured in the June 8, 2024, issue of Billboard magazine. On June 11, Faiyaz was asked to present at Billboard's 2024 Indie Power Players event.

On July 3, 2025, Faiyaz announced his third album, Icon. It is set to be released on September 19, 2025. The announcement came with two new songs, "Tony Soprano" and "Peter Pan," released on July 4.

Music Style and Inspirations

Who Influences Brent Faiyaz?

Faiyaz has credited Lauryn Hill (left) and Tupac Shakur (right) as being his biggest musical influences.

Faiyaz has said that Lauryn Hill is his biggest influence. He told Fact that Lauryn Hill inspired him to start singing early on. In an interview with Wonderland, Faiyaz shared that his first memory of music was seeing The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill CD. He said that album mixed R&B and Hip-Hop perfectly. This inspired him to do the same. He also mentioned Aaliyah, Currensy, Curtis Mayfield, Gil Scott-Heron, Jeff Buckley, Radiohead, and Tupac Shakur as inspirations.

What is Brent Faiyaz's Music Like?

Faiyaz's music often talks about relationships and personal feelings. He said on The Angie Martinez Show that he is "inspired by real life." In an interview with Complex, Faiyaz said he listens to many different types of music. However, he considers himself an R&B artist because he sings with a soulful voice. He also mentioned that he is versatile and could even make a reggae album someday.

His earlier songs from his Black Child EP were mostly Rap music. He focused on a style called trap soul. But as he grew as an artist, he moved more into his R&B side. He still included elements of hip-hop in his music. Faiyaz said that music is like therapy for him. This is why his music feels so deep and personal. He writes a lot, including poetry, daily notes, and music. Sometimes, he can go into the studio and create without writing anything down.

In an interview with Rolling Stone, Faiyaz said he feels comfortable recording music anywhere. He often gets "stuck on records for a long period of time." This means he takes a while to release his music. He described his recording process as "very long and drawn-out." Faiyaz believes his writing is the most important part of making music. He feels that lyrics make a song more than just music; they become like literature. When asked to describe himself as an artist, Faiyaz said he just creates what he feels is good. He focuses on the story he wants to tell.

Music Albums

• Sonder Son (2017)
• Wasteland (2022)
• Icon (2025)

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Brent Faiyaz para niños