It’s the song of the summer, the one with the explicit music video which was removed from YouTube and other major video sites after just one week, the one that has topped the charts in 40 countries worldwide (and has still to be released in in several other regions). "Blurred Lines" has become the biggest selling single of 2013 so far and has made an international superstar of the artist behind it, Robin Thicke.
Now, if you haven’t heard of Thicke before the release of his smash hit single, it’s not that surprising. While he has had several albums in the Billboard Top 20, his music up to this point has failed to make an impact on this side of the Atlantic. But that could be about to change when his latest album hits stores on July 30th. So just where exactly did Robin Thicke come from?
Well, like many top artists in the industry today such as Timbaland, David Guetta and even The Scripts Danny O’Donoghue, Thicke’s career began behind the scenes where he worked as a songwriter for some of music’s top names, such as Usher and Christina Aguilera, before eventually signing a deal to write and record his first album in early 2000. This would bring about the release of one of his most recognisable single releases When I Get You Alone and while the song did well, his album ultimately failed to set the charts alight.
With the experience of failure behind him, Robin decided to return to a musical genre he himself has always had a deep appreciation for. Much like Justin Timberlake, Thicke is very much an R&B and soul man amidst a career that was largely dominated by pop music, having been influenced by the likes of Al Green, Smokey Robinson and Brian McKnight. Returning to his roots, he found success.
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He would eventually begin collaborating with Pharrell Williams in 2005 which would see Thicke produce the biggest selling album of his career, The Evolution of Robin Thicke. After the album landed in the hands of the Queen of daytime tv Oprah Winfrey, Robin performed as a musical guest, a performance that would prove to be his career defining moment. The album would go on to achieve a Top 5 chart position and supporting slots with Alicia Keys and Beyoncé would follow. However worldwide recognition hasn’t been as quick to come knocking on his door, until now.
With a voice that many critics have identified as being incredibly similar to Justin Timberlake, from his soulful tone to his ear pleasing falsetto, Robin has teamed up yet again with Pharrell (who recently topped the charts with his collaboration on Lucky with Daft Punk), to try and emulate his stateside success and finally achieve mainstream worldwide success. With "Blurred Lines", he may just be on the brink of success.
Warning NSFW
