McCoy was born the son of a Haitian . His mother is of Irish, Filipino and Native American descent. He grew up in Geneva. At high school in 1997 he met his future bandmate Matt McGinley in physical education. The two began to make music with other things. From these activities in 2001 the band Gym Class Heroes formed. After six albums together, he released his solo debut in the summer of 2010. McCoy is the ex-boyfriend of US singer Katy Perry and the cousin of US rapper Tyga . In 2012 McCoy made a guest appearance on the sitcom Malibu Country .