1. He released his first solo album, but he’s already dropped some music. Friday the 13th suddenly became a lucky day for R&B fans, thanks to Brent Faiyaz. The 22-year-old released Sonder Son on Oct. 13 and it’s pure sex. Smooth tracks like “Gang Over Luv,” “Stay Down” and “Missing Out” will be popping up in everyone’s playlists. While this is Brent’s first solo album, he’s released music in the past. As a part of the three-piece Sonder, he released a critically acclaimed Intro EP, and he also sang the hook on Goldlink’s hit, “Crew.”
2. He was born in Maryland but calls L.A. home. Born and raised in the “Old Line State,” Brent moved from Maryland to Charlotte, North Carolina when he was a teenager. “I moved out here almost two years ago, when I was seventeen,” he told Artistic Manifesto in 2015. “I’ve never been too active in any local music scenes. I don’t really like crowds or social events. I feel like with the Internet you can reach people on a much larger scale. I enjoy just putting out records and watching new fans familiarize themselves with my music and the movement.” He has since relocated to Los Angeles to help take his career to the next level.
3. Brent named his band (and solo album) after a tattoo. The word “sonder” means “the realization that each random passerby lives a life as vivid and complex as your own,” according to Pigeons And Planes. It’s no surprising that Brent called his album Sonder Son, especially since he had the word tattooed in all-caps over his right eyebrow. “’Is funny ’cause we named the band after the tattoo,” he said, referring to the three-piece he formed with fellow musician/producers Dpat and Atu. “It was all just organic. We all had our own thing going on and we crossed paths and we made something beautiful out of it. I think it’s perfect. It sums up the lifestyle.”
4. He takes inspiration from movies. “I’m super big on [Quentin] Tarantino films with blood and sh*t like that,” Brent said. “If I’m not making music, I’m watching movies so I can’t really, directly find a way that it affects it but I already know it does.”
5. He’s very introspective. There’s a brain that’s always thinking behind Brent’s eyes. Though he has a few flashy poses on his Instagram, the young singer seems more thoughtful with how he carries himself. That’s probably because he’s always taking in his surroundings and how he interacts with the world. “I’ve always felt like I was observing everything, like I’m just looking out of the window, peeping how everybody is living and just penning about it, so I made the album about that concept.”
What do you think about Brent’s debut album, HollywoodLifers?