Bilal (singer)

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Bilal at an appearance
Bilal at an appearance
Chart positions
Explanation of the data
Albums
1st Born Second
  US 31 08/18/2001 (11 weeks)
Airtight's Revenge
  US 106 02/10/2010 (1 week)
A love surreal
  US 103 03/16/2013 (1 week)
In Another Life
  US 179 08/01/2015 (1 week)
Singles
Soul Sista
  US 71 01/27/2001 (14 weeks)
These Walls (with Kendrick Lamar , Thundercat & Anna Wise)
  UK 77 03/28/2015 (1 week)
  US 94 04/04/2015 (1 week)
Institutionalized (with Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg & Anna Wise)
  UK 92 03/28/2015 (1 week)
  US 99 04/04/2015 (1 week)

Bilal (born Bilal Sayeed Oliver in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , August 23, 1979 ) is an American soul singer and songwriter . He became known mainly through the participation in the neo-soul - movement and its collaboration with the rapper Common .

Musical career

After graduating from college, Bilal began his musical career as a jazz singer in smaller clubs and received professional vocal training at the Mannes Music Conservatory in New York . In addition to jazz and big band pieces, he also sang opera arias there . In 1995 he was discovered and signed by the operators of the record label Moyo Music. He moved to Brooklyn , where in turn Erykah Badu noticed him. He worked then on her album Mama's Gun with and became a member of the neo-soul -Zusammenschlusses Soulquarians , the next Badu among other things, Quest Love , D'Angelo , J Dilla and Common angehör (ed). He accompanied D'Angelo on tour as a background singer .

In 2001, Bilal released his debut album 1st Born Second , which placed 31st on the Billboard 200 and was almost unanimously praised by the critics (" one of the most significant debuts in black pop during the past 25 years " - PopMatters ). It was made by the Soulquarians, Raphael Saadiq and Dr. Dre produces. The single Soul Sista reached number 71 on the Billboard Hot 100 . The name of the album is derived from Bilal's self-image as a representative of the second generation of the neo-soul movement, which was founded by artists such as The Roots and D'Angelo: " First born prodigal son of the second generation of contemporary soul stirrers "

In 2006 the successor Love for Sale should appear. Since the album was leaked in advance and Bilal's Interscope Records label feared poor sales, the album, although highly praised, has not been officially released to this day. He currently has a record deal with PlugResearch through which the second official album Airtigh's Revenge was released in 2010 .

Apart from the Soulquarians, Bilal worked with Guru , Jay-Z , Max Herre , The Game , Beyoncé and Solange Knowles , among others . On the occasion of Prince 's death in April 2016, a tribute evening in honor of the musician took place on October 13, 2016 at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul (US state Minnesota), on which Bilal also performed. In 2016 he also appeared as a guest singer at live concerts with The Revolution , Prince's former backing band.

Discography

album

  • 2001: 1st Born Second
  • 2008: The Dresden Soul Symphony (live album)
  • 2010: Airtight's Revenge
  • 2013: A Love Surreal
  • 2015: In Another Life

Singles

Web links

swell

  1. ↑ UK US
  2. ↑ http://www.allmusic.com/artist/bilal-mn0000057280/biography
  3. ^ "Vagina Monologues" , August 7, 2001
  4. ↑ a b Review on PopMatters , July 27, 2001
  5. ↑ "Bilal Oliver continues with the new sound revival of jazz, funk and soul"  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , August 1, 2001@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / media.www.collegian.com  
  6. ^ "Love (Not) For Sale" , September 17, 2006
  7. ↑ Review of Love for Sale , October 26, 2006
  8. ↑ Jon Bream: Prince tribute shows why he is missed. In: StarTribune.com. October 14, 2016, accessed October 14, 2016 .
personal data
SURNAME Bilal
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Oliver, Bilal Sayeed (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American soul singer and songwriter
DATE OF BIRTH 23rd August 1979
PLACE OF BIRTH Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , USA