Aloe Blacc Biography

The artist and producer known as Aloe Blacc was born Egbert Nathaniel Dawkins III in 1979 in Southern California. Long before Blacc rose to fame for his vocal word on Avicii’s smash hit “Wake Me Up,” he learned to play trumpet while still in middle school, and later graduated from the University of Southern California to enjoy a brief career in the corporate world. But Aloe’s love of music always beckoned, and in the mid 1990’s, he joined forces with the producer known as Exile, to form the group Emanon.

With Emanon, Blacc went on to enjoy a number of successful albums, including: Steps Through Time (2001), Imaginary Friends (2002), and the Waiting Room (2005.) In 2003, Aloe began work as a solo artist, releasing a few EPs before his full-length solo debut, Shine Through, arrived in 2006. The album was a hit both critically and commercially, and by the late 2000’s, Aloe Blacc was touring extensively, performing both with Emanon and as a solo artist.

By 2010, Aloe Blacc had become well-known for his song “I Need a Dollar,” especially after the single was featured in the HBO series How To Make It in America, as the show’s theme song. During this time Blacc also had a hit with the album Good Things, and with the singles “Green Lights” and “Loving You is Killing Me.” But his success hit an all-time high when he co-wrote and provided the vocal tracks to Avicii’s smash  hit “Wake Me Up, which has become an international sensation, rising to the number one spot in a staggering 103 countries.

Since that time, Aloe Blacc’s star has been on the rise, earning him multiple Brit Award nominations and bringing him to perform at some of the world’s biggest music festivals, including: Glastonbury Festival, Lollapalooza Festival, Montreal Jazz Festival, and the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. Blacc recently released his latest album, Lift Your Spirit, in 2014. It is currently rumored that Aloe Blacc will join the next season of NBC’s show, The Voice, as a guest advisor for Adam Levine’s team.