Robin Thicke facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids Robin Thicke
Thicke in 2024
Born	Robin Alan Thicke (1977-03-10) March 10, 1977 (age 48) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation	Singer songwriter record producer actor
Years active	1994–present
Works	Discography production
Spouse(s)	Paula Patton (m. 2005; div. 2015)
Partner(s)	April Love Geary (2014–present; engaged)
Children	4
Parent(s)	Alan Thicke Gloria Loring
Relatives	Todd Thicke (uncle)
Awards	Full list
Musical career
Genres	R&B pop
Labels	NuAmerica EMPIRE Star Trak Geffen Interscope

Robin Alan Thicke (born March 10, 1977) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is famous for his 2013 song "Blurred Lines" (with T.I. and Pharrell Williams). This song became a huge hit, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It also sold so many copies that it earned a "diamond" award from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). "Blurred Lines" is one of the best-selling songs ever.

Robin Thicke is the son of actress Gloria Loring and actor Alan Thicke. Before he became a famous singer, he was discovered by R&B singer Brian McKnight. Robin produced and wrote songs for Brian and other R&B artists like Brandy Norwood. He signed his first record deal with Interscope Records when he was only 16 years old.

His first album, A Beautiful World (2001), did not sell very well. Later, he signed with Pharrell Williams' record label, Star Trak Entertainment, in 2005. He then released his second album, The Evolution of Robin Thicke (2006). This album was much more successful, reaching number five on the Billboard 200 chart. It included his big hit song, "Lost Without U".

His third album, Something Else (2007), reached number three on the Billboard 200. His fourth album, ... Therapy: The Session (2008), and fifth album, Love After War (2011), also did well. His sixth album, Blurred Lines (2013), went straight to number one on the Billboard 200.

Today, Robin Thicke is a judge on the TV show The Masked Singer.

About Robin Thicke's Life

Growing Up and Family (1977–1998)

Robin Thicke was born in Los Angeles, California, on March 10, 1977. His mother is American actress and singer Gloria Loring. She was on the TV show Days of Our Lives. His father was Canadian actor Alan Thicke (1947–2016), who was famous for the TV show Growing Pains. Robin's parents separated when he was 7 years old.

He has an older brother, Brennan, who was a voice actor. Robin also had small acting roles on TV shows like The Wonder Years and Growing Pains.

Robin's parents supported his love for music. His father even helped him write his first songs. When Robin was a teenager, his father wanted him to finish school before focusing on music. A jazz singer named Al Jarreau helped pay for Robin's first music recording. This recording got the attention of R&B singer Brian McKnight. Brian was so impressed that he invited Robin to work with him.

Robin signed a deal with Brian McKnight's company. He co-wrote a song called "Anyway" for Brian's album I Remember You. Because of his work with Brian, Robin met Jimmy Iovine and got his first record deal with Interscope Records at age 16. Later, Robin was part of a hip hop duo with actor Brian Austin Green.

When he was 17, Robin moved out on his own. He earned money by being a record producer and songwriter. His parents became more confident in his music career as he gained more experience.

Before he became a singer himself, Robin Thicke was known for writing and producing songs for other artists. He co-wrote "Love Is on My Side" for Brandy's first album. He also wrote for 3T and worked with Jordan Knight on his 1999 album, which included the hit song "Give It to You". Jordan Knight even helped Robin by buying him studio equipment.

Robin also co-wrote "When You Put Your Hands on Me" for Christina Aguilera's first album. He wrote and produced three songs for Mýa's album Fear of Flying. In 1999, he co-wrote "Fall Again" with Walter Afanasieff. This song was meant for Michael Jackson's 2001 album Invincible. Michael Jackson's demo of the song was later released in 2004. For a while, Robin performed only under his last name, Thicke.

First Album and Early Success (1999–2003)

When Robin Thicke was 22, he decided to focus on making his own debut album. He planned to use his own money to create the music. He wanted to offer it to record labels as a finished project. Robin started working with producer Andre Harrell. With Andre's help, he signed with Interscope Records again in 2001.

In 2002, Robin released his first song, "When I Get You Alone". This song used a sample from "A Fifth of Beethoven" by Walter Murphy, which is a disco version of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. The music video for the song was played on MTV2 and BET. It also did well on radio stations. Around the world, "When I Get You Alone" became a hit. It reached the Top 20 in Australia, Belgium, and Italy, and the Top 10 in New Zealand.

Because of this success, his album was released in 2003. Its name was changed to A Beautiful World. However, the album did not get much promotion and did not sell as well as the record label hoped. Even though the album didn't sell a lot, it made other famous artists want to work with Robin. Artists like Mary J. Blige, Usher, and Lil' Wayne reached out to him.

In 2007, singer Blake Lewis performed "When I Get You Alone" on American Idol. The song was also performed on the TV show Glee in 2011.

Breakthrough with The Evolution of Robin Thicke (2004–2007)

After A Beautiful World, Robin wanted to make his second album. But there were disagreements with his record label because his first album didn't sell well. Robin said, "The label pretty much lost faith in my ability to sell."

Pharrell Williams was interested in Robin's talent. In 2005, Robin signed with Pharrell's record label, Star Trak. He continued working on his second album, The Evolution of Robin Thicke. The first song from the album, "Wanna Love U Girl", featured Pharrell and was popular in the United Kingdom. In 2006, a remix video was made with rapper Busta Rhymes.

The album was released on October 3, 2006. To promote it, Robin toured with India.Arie and opened for John Legend. The music video for his second song, "Lost Without U", came out in late 2006. This song became Robin's first big hit. It reached number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed at number one on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart for 11 weeks. This made him the first white male artist to top that chart since George Michael in 1988.

In early 2007, Robin Thicke topped four Billboard charts at the same time. This was a big achievement. On March 23, 2007, The Evolution of Robin Thicke was given a Platinum award by the RIAA. This means it sold over 1.5 million copies in the United States. The album was a huge success.

Robin performed "Lost Without U" on The Oprah Winfrey Show in April 2007. He came back to the show a month later to perform more songs. Later in 2007, Robin opened for Beyoncé's tour, The Beyoncé Experience, in North America. He also performed at the 2007 BET Awards and the 2007 MOBO Awards.

New Music and TV Shows (2011–2012)

In 2011, Robin Thicke toured with Jennifer Hudson. On December 6, 2011, he released his fifth album, Love After War. The album debuted at number twenty-two on the Billboard 200. Robin said that his family was a big inspiration for this album.

The album had three main songs. The first was the title track, "Love After War". It reached number fourteen on the "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs" chart. The music video for this song showed Robin making up with his wife after a disagreement.

The second song was "Pretty Lil' Heart", featuring Lil Wayne. The third song was "All Tied Up". Robin also released a cover of the Whitney Houston song "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)".

Robin performed "Love After War" at the 2011 Soul Train Music Awards. He also sang "Reasons" as a tribute to Earth, Wind & Fire.

In 2012, Robin appeared on season 2 of NBC's The Voice. He was a guest adviser for Adam Levine's team. He also made his first movie appearance in Abby in the Summer, which was later released as Making the Rules in 2014.

Robin was a judge on the ABC TV show Duets in 2012. Other judges included John Legend and Kelly Clarkson. The judges also mentored singers from across the country.

Blurred Lines and Real Husbands of Hollywood (2013–2014)

On March 26, 2013, Robin Thicke released "Blurred Lines" as the main song for his sixth album, also called Blurred Lines. The music video, directed by Diane Martel, featured models like Emily Ratajkowski. It quickly gained over a million views online.

In early 2013, Robin Thicke also appeared on the BET show Real Husbands of Hollywood. He played a funny version of himself alongside Kevin Hart and other actors. Robin couldn't join the show for its second season because he wanted to focus on his music career.

The song "Blurred Lines" and its music videos received some criticism. Some people felt the lyrics were not respectful towards women. Robin later said that his comments about the video were a "bad joke" and that he was imitating a character. The unrated music video was briefly removed from YouTube before being put back online.

On August 25, 2013, Robin performed "Blurred Lines" with Miley Cyrus at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards. He also performed "Give It 2 U" with 2 Chainz and Kendrick Lamar. This performance caused a lot of discussion online and became the most tweeted about event in history at that time.

In December 2013, Robin Thicke was nominated for three Grammy Awards for Blurred Lines and the song "Blurred Lines". In January 2014, he performed with the band Chicago at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards.

Paula Album and TV Appearances (2014–2018)

In February 2014, Robin worked with DJ Cassidy and Jessie J on the song "Calling All Hearts".

In June 2014, Robin announced his next album would be called Paula. He dedicated it to his wife, Paula Patton, from whom he was separated. The first song from the album, "Get Her Back", was released on May 19, 2014. Robin performed this song at the 2014 Billboard Music Awards. He also won four awards for "Blurred Lines" at this event.

Later in June 2014, Robin did a Q&A session on Twitter. Many people used the hashtag #AskThicke to share negative comments about his lyrics and personal life. Robin responded that he could handle the criticism.

The album Paula was released on July 1, 2014. It reached number 9 on the Billboard 200. In 2015, Robin said he regretted releasing the album commercially and wished he had given it away for free.

After Paula, Robin took some time away from public appearances to focus on his personal life and new music. He returned to perform at the BET Awards 2015. He sang "Ooo Baby Baby" as a tribute to Smokey Robinson.

On June 30, 2015, Robin released a new song called "Morning Sun". He explained that the new album was about "fresh starts, new beginnings." He also mentioned working with Pharrell and Timbaland again. Another new song, "Back Together", featuring Nicki Minaj, was released in August 2015. Robin rejoined the cast of Real Husbands of Hollywood in 2016 for its fifth season.

The Masked Singer and On Earth, and in Heaven (2019–Present)

In January 2019, Robin Thicke became a panelist on the TV show The Masked Singer.

After almost eight years, Robin Thicke and producer Pharrell Williams worked together again on the song "Take Me Higher". This song was released on January 21, 2021. It was part of Robin's eighth album, On Earth, and in Heaven, which came out on February 12, 2021. This was his first album since Paula in 2014. Robin said the album was inspired by "the people who aren't here and the people who are here that made me who I am."

In August 2021, Robin's song "Look Easy" reached number one on Billboard's Adult R&B Airplay chart. This was his sixth song to achieve this.

Robin Thicke's Music Style

Musical Influences

Robin Thicke taught himself to play the piano. As a child, he learned songs from gospel artists like Commissioned. Robin has been influenced by many artists, including James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Sting, Prince, Alanis Morissette, The Beatles, John Lennon, Bob Marley, and Michael Jackson.

Robin says he is a soulful singer. However, he doesn't like his music to be called "blue-eyed soul" because he feels it puts him into too small a category.

Songwriting and Producing Work

Robin Thicke started his career by writing and producing songs for popular artists. He co-wrote songs on Christina Aguilera's first album, which sold 17 million copies worldwide. He also contributed to albums by Brandy, Brian Mcknight, Brownstone, Jordan Knight, Chante Moore, P!nk, Mýa, and Will Young.

Robin's song "When I Get You Alone" was performed by Guy Sebastian, the winner of the first Australian Idol 2003. This performance was very popular. In 2004, Robin co-wrote and produced "Out With My Baby" with Guy Sebastian. This song became a number one hit in Australia. He also worked with Raven-Symoné on her album This Is My Time.

Robin co-wrote "Can U Handle It?" for Usher's 2004 album, Confessions. This album sold 20 million copies worldwide and won a Grammy Award. Robin also co-wrote and produced "Tie My Hands" for Lil Wayne's album Tha Carter III, which won a Grammy for Best Rap Album. He wrote and produced "Giving Myself" for Jennifer Hudson's first album, which won a Grammy for Best R&B Album.

In total, albums that Robin Thicke has worked on (as a writer, producer, or musician) have sold over 60 million copies worldwide.

Robin often works with his long-time production partner Pro Jay (James Gass). They have worked together on all of Robin's albums and many songs for other artists. He also often works with guitarist Bobby Keyes and keyboardist Larry Cox.

Working with Other Artists

In 2005, Robin Thicke was a guest on the remix of Will Smith's song "Switch".

In 2007, he appeared on 50 Cent's album Curtis on a song called "Follow My Lead". The next year, he worked with Ashanti on her album The Declaration.

Robin also appeared on R. Kelly's album Untitled on the song "Pregnant". In 2008, he played piano on the hit song "Love in This Club" by Usher, which reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100.

In 2010, Robin was featured on Q Soul Bossa Nostra, an album that paid tribute to famous producer Quincy Jones. In 2014, he joined Jessie J on the song "Calling All Hearts".

Robin was also featured on Flo Rida's song "I Don't Like It, I Love It" in 2015. This song was successful in many countries.

Robin Thicke's Personal Life

Robin Thicke first met actress Paula Patton in 1991 when he was 14 and she was 16. They met at a hip-hop club in Los Angeles. They got married in 2005, and their son was born in April 2010. Robin and Paula separated in February 2014 after being together for 21 years and married for almost nine years. Their divorce was finalized in March 2015. They reached an agreement about their son in August 2017.

In 2014, Robin met April Love Geary. They started appearing in public together in 2015. Their first daughter was born in February 2018. In August 2018, April announced they were expecting their second daughter, who was born in February 2019. They got engaged on Christmas Eve 2018. In December 2020, they welcomed their first son together.

Robin Thicke is good friends with singer Usher. Robin sang for Usher and his fiancée when Usher proposed.

In November 2018, April Love Geary shared that she and Robin lost their home in Malibu, California due to the Woolsey wildfire. Robin later described how everything was gone, saying, "It's just rubble. There's nothing left."

Robin Thicke's Albums

Studio albums

A Beautiful World (2002)
The Evolution of Robin Thicke (2006)
Something Else (2008)
... Therapy: The Session (2009)
Love After War (2011)
Blurred Lines (2013)
Paula (2014)
On Earth, and in Heaven (2021)

Robin Thicke's Concert Tours

Headlining Tours

Blurred Lines Tour (2014)

Co-headlining Tours

Jennifer Hudson & Robin Thicke in Concert (with Jennifer Hudson) (2009)

Promotional Tours

Love & War Tour (2011)

Opening Act for Other Artists

2006 Tour (for India Arie) (2006)
Once Again Tour (for John Legend) (2006)
The Beyoncé Experience (for Beyoncé) (2007)
Love Soul Tour (for Mary J. Blige) (2008)
This Is It (for Michael Jackson) (2009–2010) (cancelled)
Freedom Tour (for Alicia Keys) (2010)
Overexposed Tour (for Maroon 5) (2014)

Images for kids

Thicke in 2012
Thicke performing in December 2013
Thicke performing in 2014
Thicke performing at the Indonesian Choice Awards in 2017