Earl St. Clair
Initially breaking into the music business as a hip-hop producer, Earl St. Clair set out on his own as a soul singer. Armed with a deep, bluesy voice, his songs channel the fervor of classic Southern soul and gospel singers like Al Green and Ray Charles, but with swagger and production techniques ensuring that St. Clair is up to date on contemporary rap, pop, and dance music. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio, but he spent much of his childhood in Alabama, where his father was from. He started experimenting with music production while a college student, and after he dropped out and returned home, he began producing for numerous Cleveland-based rappers. Eventually, he worked on major-label albums by Machine Gun Kelly and Rick Ross, either as a producer or songwriter. He also sang on tracks by EDM titans David Guetta and Avicii, and released a duet with Bibi Bourelly titled "Perfect." The song was released by Def Jam in 2016, and the label also issued St. Clair's solo singles "Man on Fire" and "Good Time" that year, with "Feeling Alive" following in early 2017.