Bryndon Cook facts for kids

Bryndon Cook is an American musician, producer, and singer-songwriter. He is also known by his solo project name, Starchild & the New Romantic. Bryndon is famous for playing guitar and directing music for singer Solange Knowles. He has also worked a lot with musician Dev Hynes.

Growing Up

Bryndon Cook grew up in Maryland. His family also lived in Mississippi for a time. When he was about 9 to 14 years old, his family moved to Atlanta, Georgia.

During these years, Bryndon taught himself to play the guitar. He learned by listening to music and watching VH1 Classic. He especially loved the music of Prince. In high school, he was interested in journalism and worked on the student newspaper. He finished high school back in the Washington D.C. area.

After high school, he went to the State University of New York at Purchase. He graduated in 2015 with a degree in Theater. He also had an internship, which is like a short-term job to learn more, with the music website Pitchfork.

Music Journey

Working with Other Artists

In 2012, while still in college, Bryndon connected with his friend Dev Hynes, also known as "Blood Orange." Bryndon ended up rapping on Dev Hynes's song "Neptune." Later, he sang on several songs for Dev Hynes's 2016 album Freetown Sound. In 2017, Bryndon and Dev Hynes formed a duo called VeilHymn and released a song called "Hymn."

In 2013, Bryndon met Patrick Wimberly from the band Chairlift. Patrick told him about a chance to join Solange Knowles's band as a guitarist for her upcoming tour. Bryndon joined her band and has been a regular touring member ever since. He also supported other artists on tour, like Kindness and Chairlift.

Bryndon worked on Solange's 2016 album A Seat at the Table. He helped produce and played bass guitar on the song "Don't Touch My Hair." This song became very popular, reaching number 91 on the Billboard Hot 100 music chart. In 2017, Bryndon became the leader and music director for Solange's band. This means he helps organize and guide the musicians. He also worked with Kindness on a song called "Raise Up" in 2019, playing brass and piano.

In 2021, Bryndon was the music director and guitarist for cellist Kelsey Lu. They worked together on a special music project called This Is a Test in New York City.

His Own Music

While touring with other artists, Bryndon also wrote his own songs. He performs these songs under the name Starchild & the New Romantic. He got the idea for this name from music groups like P-Funk and Prince. He said his name combines ideas from "afrofuturism" (a style that mixes African culture with technology and science fiction) and "new romanticism" (a music and fashion style from the 1980s).

On March 18, 2016, he released his first EP, which is like a mini-album, called Crucial. It had eight songs and was released by the Ghostly label. Bryndon produced and recorded the EP himself. He said the songs were like diary entries from when he was a teenager.

On February 23, 2018, he released his first full studio album, Language. Bryndon wrote many of the songs for this album while he was traveling with different bands.

He released his second EP, VHS 1138, on his own label on November 3, 2019.

His second album, Forever, came out on June 19, 2020.

Other Appearances

Bryndon Cook has also worked with fashion brands. He has walked in shows or worked for brands like Telfar, Dolce & Gabbana, and ASOS.

In 2019, Bryndon acted and provided music for the third season of the TV show The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. He also had a role in an episode of Godfather of Harlem. In 2021, he was part of the "TTB Band" in the movie Tick, Tick... Boom!, which was directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda and released on Netflix.

Music Releases

EPs

• Crucial (Ghostly, 2016)
• VHS 1138 (New Romantic World, 2019)

Studio albums

• Language (Ghostly, 2018)
• Forever (New Romantic World, 2020)