Skylar Grey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Skylar Grey
Grey performing in 2016
Background information
Birth name	Holly Brook Hafermann
Also known as	Holly Brook
Born	(1986-02-23) February 23, 1986 (age 39) Mazomanie, Wisconsin, U.S.
Genres	Pop hip hop
Occupation(s)	Singer songwriter record producer
Instruments	Vocals piano guitar
Years active	2004–present
Labels	Kidinakorner Interscope Machine Shop Warner Bros.

Holly Brook Hafermann (born February 23, 1986), known as Skylar Grey, is an American singer, songwriter, and music producer. She started her music journey in 2004. At first, she used the name Holly Brook. She signed a deal with Universal Music Publishing Group and Machine Shop Recordings. This label was started by the band Linkin Park. Her first album, Like Blood Like Honey (2006), was released under this name.

In 2010, Skylar Grey helped write the famous song "Love the Way You Lie" for Eminem. She worked with producer Alex da Kid. He then signed her to his own record label, Kidinakorner, which is part of Interscope Records. Her second album, Don't Look Down (2013), became a top ten hit on the Billboard 200 chart. Her third album, Natural Causes (2016), was praised by critics.

Skylar Grey is also known for singing on many popular songs. These include "Where'd You Go" by Fort Minor, "Coming Home" by Diddy, and "I Need a Doctor" by Dr. Dre. She has also written songs for many other famous artists. These include Alicia Keys, Christina Aguilera, and Céline Dion. Her self-titled fourth album, Skylar Grey (2022), was released on her own.

Life and Music Journey

Growing Up and Early Music (1994–2004)

When Skylar Grey was a child, she performed with her mother, Candace Kreitlow. They were a folk music duo called Generations. They released three albums together.

First Album and Collaborations (2005–2010)

Skylar Grey helped write songs for actress Brie Larson's album in 2005. She also sang on two songs for Fort Minor. This was a project by Mike Shinoda from Linkin Park. One of these songs, "Where'd You Go", became very popular. It reached the top four on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. It also sold over a million copies.

After working with producer Jonathan Ingoldsby, Skylar Grey released her first album, Like Blood Like Honey, in June 2006. It did well on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart. During this time, she opened for other artists on their concert tours. She also worked with artists like Styles of Beyond and Apathy. In 2009, she sang backing vocals for Eurovision singer Yohanna. She also released a short album called O’Dark:Thirty in 2010.

Changing Her Name and Writing Hits (2010–2011)

Skylar Grey singing at the Tibet Talk for World Peace in July 2011

Holly Brook decided to change her stage name to Skylar Grey. She said the name "Skylar Grey" represents the unknown things in life. She likes to explore new possibilities. She chose "Grey" with an 'e' because she likes to be original.

She met producer Alex da Kid in New York. He sent her some music ideas. The first song they finished was "Love the Way You Lie". This song was given to Eminem and Rihanna. It became a huge hit around the world. Skylar Grey wrote the main part (the "hook") of the song. She even recorded her own version later. She was nominated for a Grammy Award for this song.

Alex da Kid then signed Skylar Grey to his record label. In 2010, she also helped write and sang on "Coming Home" by Diddy – Dirty Money. This song was also very successful. She also co-wrote "Castle Walls" for T.I. and Christina Aguilera. In 2011, she was featured on Dr. Dre's song "I Need a Doctor" with Eminem. This song reached number four on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. It also sold over two million copies. She received more Grammy nominations for this song.

Skylar Grey performed "I Need a Doctor" with Eminem and Dr. Dre at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards. This was her first time performing on national TV under her new name. She later signed with Interscope Records. In 2011, she was featured on Lupe Fiasco's song "Words I Never Said". She released her first single, "Dance Without You", in June 2011. She also released "Invisible". She performed on the TV show Tosh.0. She also worked with DJ Kaskade on the song "Room for Happiness". This song also earned a Grammy nomination.

New Album and More Songs (2012–2014)

In 2012, Skylar Grey sang on two songs for the hip hop group Slaughterhouse. Her song "Building a Monster" was used in the movie Frankenweenie. She also helped write Zedd's song "Clarity" in 2012. This song won a Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording in 2014.

In 2013, she co-wrote "Only You" for CeeLo Green. She also contributed a song called "Slowly Freaking Out" to the movie The Host. She worked with will.i.am on his album #willpower.

Skylar Grey announced that Eminem would help produce her second album. She changed the album's name to Don't Look Down. The album was released in July 2013. It reached number eight on the US Billboard 200 chart.

In September 2013, she released a music video for her cover of Daft Punk's song "Get Lucky". She also appeared on Moby's album Innocents. In November 2013, she was on Eminem's album The Marshall Mathers LP 2.

In January 2014, Skylar Grey released "Shot Me Down" with David Guetta. This song was very popular in many countries. She also recorded "Hero" with Kid Cudi for the Need for Speed movie soundtrack. She was featured on T.I.'s song "New National Anthem". In November 2014, she sang on "Twisted" with Eminem and Yelawolf for the Shady XV album. She also co-wrote "Bed of Lies" for Nicki Minaj. She performed this song with Nicki Minaj on TV.

New Albums and Movie Songs (2015–2017)

Skylar Grey performing in 2015

Skylar Grey released "I Know You" for the Fifty Shades of Grey movie soundtrack in February 2015. She also had a song called "I Will Return" on the Furious 7 soundtrack. She performed at WrestleMania 31 with Travis Barker and Kid Ink.

In May 2015, she worked with deadmau5 and Kaskade on a song called "Beneath with Me". Her third album, Natural Causes, was released in September 2016. It received good reviews. She went on tour for this album.

In 2017, Skylar Grey sang on "Wreak Havoc" and wrote "Gangsta" for the Suicide Squad soundtrack. She also co-wrote "Good Life" for The Fate of the Furious: The Album soundtrack. She worked with G-Eazy again on "Pick Me Up". She was featured on Papa Roach's song "Periscope". She also sang on Macklemore's popular song "Glorious". This song topped the charts in many countries. She worked with Eminem again on his album Revival. She co-wrote songs with Beyoncé, Alicia Keys, and Pink. She also sang on a Christmas song with Kaskade.

New Music and Projects (2018–2020)

In January 2018, Skylar Grey released a cover of Ben E. King's "Stand by Me". This song was used in a Budweiser commercial during the Super Bowl LII. Part of the money from the song went to help people affected by natural disasters.

She also revealed she was working on her fourth album. She planned to include her own version of "Walk on Water", which she wrote for Eminem and Beyoncé. Later that year, she co-wrote and sang "Everything I Need" for the movie Aquaman.

In May 2019, Skylar Grey released a new version of Soul Asylum's song "Runaway Train". The music video for this song worked with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. It showed viewers missing children in their local area.

In July 2019, Skylar Grey announced she had left her record labels. She then released her fourth album, Angel with Tattoos, as a short album (EP) in October 2019. She said she would add more songs to it over time. She also released a new song called "New Kind Of Love" for the TV show "Four Weddings And A Funeral". She also wrote "Falling In Love Again" for Celine Dion's album Courage. She was featured on Train's song "Mai Tais".

In January 2020, Eminem released his album Music to Be Murdered By. It featured a song with Skylar Grey called "Leaving Heaven". She also co-wrote and produced this song. This made her the first female artist to produce an Eminem song by herself. She planned to release an album called Dark Thoughts, but later decided to work on a new project. Some of her 2020 songs were put together in an EP called Make It Through the Day - EP.

Recent Albums and Collaborations (2021–present)

In September 2021, Skylar Grey's song "Last One Standing" was featured in the movie Venom: Let There Be Carnage. It included Eminem, Polo G, and Mozzy.

Her self-titled fourth album, Skylar Grey, was released in April 2022. In July 2022, her song "My Heart Has Teeth" was featured in the TV series Resident Evil. In October 2022, "Walking On Fire" was featured in the TV series Vampire Academy.

In 2023, Skylar Grey announced she would re-record her older songs. This was because she sold the rights to her original recordings due to personal reasons. She planned to release a collection of her greatest hits. This would include her original versions of "Love the Way You Lie" and "Coming Home". She released her album Lofi Chill Vibes with Skylar Grey in August 2023. This album features calm, relaxed versions of her past songs. In 2024, she co-wrote and sang on Eminem's song "Temporary" from his album The Death of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce).

Music Style and Inspirations

What Inspires Her Music

Skylar Grey has said that many artists have influenced her music. Some of these include Bon Iver, Fleetwood Mac, James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, Radiohead, Eminem, and Fiona Apple.

Personal Life

Skylar Grey is engaged to Elliott Taylor.

Albums

• Like Blood Like Honey (2006)
• Don't Look Down (2013)
• Natural Causes (2016)
• Skylar Grey (2022)

Movies and TV Shows

Movies

Television

Web Shows

Concert Tours

• Don't Look Down Summer US Tour
• The Natural Causes Tour

Awards and Nominations

Grammy Awards

Skylar Grey has been nominated for five Grammy Awards.

MTV Video Music Awards

Teen Choice Awards

Variety's Breakthrough of the Year Awards

Vevo Certified Awards

World Music Awards

See also

In Spanish: Skylar Grey para niños