Colby O'Donis
Colby O'Donis Colón (born March 14, 1989) is an American singer. He is best known for his guest appearance on Lady Gaga's 2008 single "Just Dance" which peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100, spent over 11 months on the chart, and received diamond certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Due to label conflicts, Senegalese-American singer Akon was unable to perform on the song and recruited O'Donis to do so; O'Donis was Lady Gaga's labelmate on Akon's KonLive Distribution label, to which he signed in 2007.
Also recorded as Colby O'Donis Colón
Colby O'Donis
Ilya Haykinson · Photographed by Ilya Haykinson, image level adjustment by Nick Moreau · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Name
- Colby O'Donis
- Birth Name
- Colby O'Donis Colón
- Born
- 14 March 1989
- Birthplace
- Queens, New York, U.S.
- Occupation
- * Singer
- Nationality
- United States
- Fields
- pop music
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Colby O'Donis Colón (born March 14, 1989) is an American singer. He is best known for his guest appearance on Lady Gaga's 2008 single "Just Dance" which peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100, spent over 11 months on the chart, and received diamond certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Due to label conflicts, Senegalese-American singer Akon was unable to perform on the song and recruited O'Donis to do so; O'Donis was Lady Gaga's labelmate on Akon's KonLive Distribution label, to which he signed in 2007.
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In this article
Biography
Biography
Released by KonLive's joint venture with Geffen Records, his debut studio album, Colby O (2008), peaked at number 41 on the Billboard 200. Its lead single, "What You Got" (featuring Akon) peaked within the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100, along with his guest performance alongside Kardinal Offishall on Akon's single "Beautiful" that same year. Colby O served as his only release on a major label, although he has since written songs for other artists including Jordan Knight and Che'Nelle.[2]
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Colby O'Donis • Birth Name — Colby O'Donis Colón • Born — 14 March 1989 • Birthplace — Queens, New York, U.S. • Origin — Orlando, Florida, U.S.[1] • Genre — * R&B • pop • Occupation — * Singer • songwriter • record producer • dancer • Discography — * Discography • production • Years Active — 1997–present • Label — * KonLive • Geffen
Early life
Early life
O'Donis was born in Queens, New York and grew up there and in Florida.[3] He is of Puerto Rican and Italian descent.[4] His mother, Olga, is a singer once crowned Miss Puerto Rico in New York, and his father, Freddy "Fast Freddy" Colón is a disc jockey who worked at WQHT, a radio station in Lower Manhattan, New York.[5][6] He was named after Colby O'Donis, a firefighter who was killed while saving his father's life.[7] O'Donis has a sister who is five years older. He said that for seven years she helped pay for his dance, piano, and guitar lessons from her own paychecks.[8] His parents first realized his singing talent when he won a talent show singing a Michael Jackson song when he was only three and a half.
1997–2007: Beginnings
1997–2007: Beginnings
When O'Donis was eight, his parents moved to Orlando, Florida and a year later, he began collaborating with the production group Full Force, the same group which worked with Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, and Britney Spears.[9] O'Donis' rise to fame began at age ten, when he became the youngest recording artist ever signed to Motown in order to do a song for a major motion picture soundtrack. The song, titled "Mouse in the House", was featured on the Stuart Little soundtrack.[10] Soon afterwards, he began taking guitar lessons with Johan Oiested, a musician in Carlos Santana's rhythm section. At the age of 11, he was making regular appearances as an actor on the television series Grandpa's Garage. When he was 12, his father bought him his first production studio, and by the time he had reached fourteen, O'Donis was opening local Florida shows for major recording artists including Backstreet Boys, Brian McKnight, 98 Degrees, Britney Spears, and Ne-Yo.[11][12] Shortly after his fifteenth birthday, O'Donis' parents made the decision to go to Los Angeles and pursue a recording deal for him. After the move, O'Donis was introduced to Genuine Music Group, where he began collaborating on producing an LP album consisting of songs from his catalog and songs co-written by producers Damon Sharpe, Gregg Pagani, and Brion James.[13] In 2006, O'Donis almost signed a record deal with Babyface.[14] However, before the deal was finalized, O'Donis' management arranged a meeting with O'Donis and Akon. O'Donis played Akon his first demo of fourteen songs in a recording studio, and Akon loved and "really connected with it". A few weeks later, they set up a session and began working on music where O'Donis said they had really good chemistry from the start. At the time, Akon told O'Donis that he was starting his own label, called Konvict Muzik, and asked if he wanted to be a part of it. O'Donis agreed and, for the next two years, he waited for the label to "get going and achieve the stature they need to launch new artists" before being officially signed.[15] O'Donis has said that, before he signed with Interscope Records and Akon, he had already released six independent record albums.
2008–2009: Breakthrough with "Just Dance" and debut album
2008–2009: Breakthrough with "Just Dance" and debut album
O'Donis's first single, "What You Got" (featuring Akon), was released on February 26, 2008, and his second single, titled "Don't Turn Back", was released on June 24, 2008. Both singles were released for digital download via iTunes and are featured on his debut album, Colby O. O'Donis was featured on Lady Gaga's debut single, "Just Dance", earning him a nomination for Best Dance Recording at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards. To date, it has been his most successful single. In 2009, O'Donis and Gaga won Best Dance Recording at the Teen Choice Awards for "Just Dance". He also performed a duet with Brooke Hogan entitled "Hey Yo!" later that year, in addition to his single "I Wanna Touch You" being released to radio. The music video for the latter premiered on July 27, 2009.[16] Also in that year, he was featured in the Akon song "Beautiful".
2010–present: Later career and Start Over
2010–present: Later career and Start Over
In 2010, O'Donis was featured in a song called "What You Waiting For" by Malaysian artist Mizz Nina, which has received extensive airplay in Malaysia and other Southeast Asian countries. He released a single, "Texting Flirtation."[17] In 2011, O'Donis signed with Z-Entertainment Records and released the digital single "Like Me". The music video premiered on February 9, 2012, on YouTube.[18] In 2013, after what he described as "a four-year hiatus", O'Donis began working on his second studio album, titled Start Over.[19][20] He released singles "Lean",[21] "Turn This Night Around", "Come Back",[22] "State of Mind",[23] and "Kiss Those Lips"[24][25] to promote the album. Although planned for a release date in early 2014, the album was never released. In March 2020, he announced on Instagram that he would be working on new music amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.[26] His single "Hold On" was released on March 14.
Artistry
Artistry
O'Donis grew up listening to artists including the Temptations, Luther Vandross, Michael Jackson, and Usher.[27]
Personal life
Personal life
O'Donis and Erin Yvonne, a dancer, actress, and life coach married on November 21, 2016. In October 2019, their daughter Alina Cruz was born.[28][29]
Filmography
Filmography
Film and television • Year — Title — Role — Notes • 2000–2005 — Grandpa's Garage — Diego — Main role[31] • 2006 — Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide — Nelson Duckworth / Quack — 1 episode: "Nicknames and Shyness"[32] • 2009 — The Pig People — Alex — Horror movie[33] • 2009 — Brooke Knows Best — Self — 1 episode: “Brooke’s New Beau”[34]
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1989
Colby O'Donis born at New York City.
2008
Lady GaGa Ft. Colby O'Donis - Just Dance (Viva Polska) (2008) is digitised and catalogued by Internet Archive.
Discography
• Colby O (2008)
Awards and nominations
• Year — Association — Category — Recipient — Result • 2009 — Grammy Awards — Best Dance Recording — "Just Dance" (with Lady Gaga) • American Latino Awards — Favorite Newcomer — Colby O'Donis • Teen Choice Awards — Choice Music Hook-Up — "Just Dance" (with Lady Gaga) • | 2010 — Grammy Awards — Album of the Year — The Fame (as featured artist)
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Archived copy.
- 2.Colby O'Donis / Biography, Music & News. Billboard.
- 3.Nolasco, Stephanie. Q&A Sessions: Colby O' Donis. NocheLatina.
- 4.O'Donis, Colby. Tweet "Puerto Rican & Italian RT @absorb_love: @Colbyodonis what nationality are you? :)". Twitter. March 28, 2013.
- 5.Puerto Rico Herald. Marisela Rivera: Jewelry Job Is Real Gem Colby O'Donis Colón: Dead-Set On A 'Show-Biz' Career.
- 6.Lee Hernández. Colby O'Donis: The New Kid on the Block. Nydailynews.com. September 22, 2008.
- 7.Doolittle, Leslie. Altamonte Sound – Colby's A Star At 10. Orlando Sentinel. December 16, 1999.
- 8.Paine, Jake. Colby O'Donis: Paid Dues. Hip Hop DX. May 6, 2008.
- 9.Leal, Erik. Colby Odoni's interview. Celebrity Detour.
- 10.Crane, Kelly. Ahead of his Abu Dhabi gig, Colby O'Donis talks dreams and romance. Gulf News. February 11, 2010.
- 11.Osegueda, Elisa. Colby O'Donis Interview – Grammy Nominee Makes Strides. Splash magazine.
- 12.Colon, Freddy. Colby O'Donis: How It All Began, Part 2. Doug Dillon. January 7, 2012.
- 13.Music Artists – Colby O'Donis. Entertainment Nigera.
- 14.Colby O'Donis Biography. Artist Direct.
- 15.Widran, Jonathan. Colby O'Donis Breaks Through With Hit Single "What You Got" (feat. Akon) And Debut Album, Colby O. SingerUniverse.
- 16.YouTube. Colby O'Donis I wanna Touch you Music video. February 2022.
- 17.YouTube. Colby O'Donis Texting flirtation. February 2022.
- 18.YouTube. February 2022.
- 19.Colby O'Donis & Le VICE Tour Dates. Bottom Of The Hill.
- 20.Interview: Colby O'Donis. Vanity 52. November 16, 2013.
- 21.Apple, Inc. Lean – Single by Colby O'Donis. iTunes. August 12, 2013.
- 22.Apple, Inc. Come Back – Single by Colby O'Donis. iTunes. October 15, 2013.
- 23.Apple, Inc. State of Mind – Single by Colby O'Donis. iTunes. November 11, 2013.
- 24.Apple, Inc. Kiss Those Lips – Single by Colby O'Donis. iTunes. May 29, 2014.
- 25.O'Donis, Colby. Go cop my new song "Kiss Those Lips". Twitter.
- 26.O'DONIS on Instagram: "I wanna do something fun for my bday but also something that involves little to no human contact at all. The Rona got my mans Tom Hanks. Ima make this a positive experience & camp out in my studio & make a ton of new music till they figure this shit out✌🏼lol ! Any ideas??!! New music this Saturday by the way 🤣 #Holdon #Mar14 . . 📸: @thatfirstmoment".
- 27.COLBY O'DONIS Konvict Muzik / Interscope Records. Fanvasion.
- 28.That First Moment – Captured by Claire & Rob. Facebook. November 30, 2016.
- 29.That First Moment – Captured by Claire & Rob. Facebook. November 30, 2016.
- 30.O'Donis, Erin Yvonne. Happy Thanksgiving from Mr & Mrs O'Donis 😛💕 #ourfirstthanksgiving #newlyweds #happythanksgiving #love #happilyeverodonis #grateful. Facebook. November 24, 2016.
- 31.Grandpa's Garage (2000–2005). IMDb. September 2000.
- 32.IMDb. Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide: Season 2, Episode 11 Nicknames and Shyness (Feb 25, 2006). February 25, 2006.
- 33.The Pig People (2009). IMDb.
- 34.IMDb. Brooke Knows Best (July 5, 2009). July 5, 2009.
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