Anderson Paak

Anderson .Paak
Paak in 2017
Background information
Birth name	Brandon Paak Anderson
Also known as	Breezy Lovejoy (2009–12) • Cheeky Andy
Born	(1986-02-08) February 8, 1986 Oxnard, California, U.S.
Genres	Hip hop R&B funk soul
Occupation(s)	Singer Songwriter Rapper Record producer
Instruments	Vocals Drums Percussion Keyboards
Years active	2009–present
Labels	Stones Throw Steel Wool OBE ArtClub Empire Aftermath Atlantic
Associated acts	NxWorries Knxwledge Dr. Dre Mac Miller Earl Sweatshirt Kaytranada George Watsky Dean
Website	www.andersonpaak.com

Brandon Paak Anderson^[1][2] (born February 8, 1986), better known by his stage name Anderson Paak (stylized as Anderson .Paak), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, drummer and record producer from Oxnard, California. He released his debut album, O.B.E. Vol. 1 in 2012, under the pseudonym Breezy Lovejoy. He went on to release Venice in 2014, under his current moniker.^[3] Paak followed with Malibu, in 2016,^[4] which received a nomination for Best Urban Contemporary Album at the Grammy Awards. Apart from his solo career, Paak is also one-half of NxWorries, alongside record producer Knxwledge. He is accompanied by the band The Free Nationals, who play a variety of instruments such as electric guitar, bass, piano, keyboards and drums and also serve as backing vocalists.

Early life

Paak was born in Oxnard, California in 1986. His mother is of African American and Korean ancestry and his father was African American.^[5] At the age of seven, Paak witnessed his estranged father attack his mother: "My little sister and I went out front and my pops was on top of my mom. There was blood in the street. He was arrested and that was the last time I saw him. I think he did 14 years."^[6]

Career

Paak began producing music from his bedroom as a teenager, while attending Foothill Technology High School. His first experiences performing were as a drummer at his family's church where he met and married his first wife. After a few years, they divorced, and when Paak was teaching at a music school, he met his second wife, a music student from South Korea.^[7] In 2011, prior to being a successful working musician, Paak was working at a marijuana farm in Santa Barbara. He was let go without warning, becoming homeless together with his wife and infant son.^[8]

In 2011, Paak had started earning acceptance in the Los Angeles music world as he worked on his debut album. Shafiq Husayn of Sa-Ra helped Paak recover financially from losing his job in Santa Barbara by employing him as an assistant, videographer, editor, writer and producer. He completed O.B.E. Vol.1 and released the album in mid-2012. He became the drummer for American Idol contestant Haley Reinhart.^[8]

Paak performing in July 2016

On November 27, 2013, Paak produced and recorded Cover Art, an all-covers EP. Paak was inspired by the white artists of the 1950s who achieved commercial success by remaking songs written by black blues and R&B singers, while hardly ever compensating the original artists.^[9] Cover Art reversed the process and transformed folk and rock classics from white musicians into a mold of soul, jazz, hip hop, and R&B. The album was released by the independent Hellfyre Club and OBE labels.^[10] Paak was the lead producer for Watsky's 2014 album All You Can Do and is featured on three of its tracks.

On October 28, 2014, Paak released Venice, his debut album as Anderson .Paak, on OBE and Steel Wool. Paak performed on six songs on Dr. Dre's 2015 album Compton and two on The Game's The Documentary 2.5. In October 2015, he announced that he had recorded material with ScHoolboy Q and 9th Wonder. Paak released his second album, Malibu, on January 15, 2016, to critical acclaim.^[4][11]

In January 2016, he indicated that he had been recording with Flying Lotus.^[12] On January 30, 2016, Paak spoke with Scott Simon of NPR's Weekend Edition Saturday about his tumultuous background as a child of mixed-race parents, the significance of "." (dot) Paak, his apprenticeship with Dr. Dre and how all of these influences shaped his music.^[13] On January 30, Paak announced via Twitter he has signed to Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment.^[14] In 2016, Paak was named one of the XXL Freshman, along with Lil Dicky, Desiigner, Dave East, Denzel Curry, Lil Yachty, G Herbo, Lil Uzi Vert, 21 Savage, & Kodak Black.

He said he always sends his ideas to Dr. Dre and the two work very fast.^[15]

In 2018, Paak's new single 'Til It's Over featured in a new TV commercial released by Apple Inc. The advertisement was directed by Spike Jonze, featuring FKA Twigs in the video, promoting the Apple HomePod smart speaker.^[16]

In May 2018, Dr. Dre leaked the title to Paak's upcoming album, Oxnard Ventura during an Instagram livestream. ^[17]

In an interview with Complex magazine posted on October 10, 2018, Paak revealed that his forthcoming album Oxnard will be released on November 16, 2018.^[18]

He is known for his strong visual designs based on collage techniques created by Dewey Saunders till 2016, such as his instagram and following designs created by Berlin based artist Simone Cihlar.

The Free Nationals – Band members

• Anderson .Paak – lead vocals, drums
• Jose Rios – guitar, backing vocals
• Ron Tnava Avant – keyboards, backing vocals
• Kelsey Gonzalez – bass guitar, backing vocals
• Callum Connor – DJ, drums, backing vocals

Discography

Awards and nominations

References

External links

• Official website