Conor Maynard is the hottest artist across the pond in the U.K. but chances are you’ve never heard of him. The artist that Pharrell Williams said “is going to change the future of pop music” is finally starting to get the recognition he deserves. The 19-year-old singer exploded onto the scene with his UK #1 debut album Contrast.
Maynard, often considered the Justin Bieber of the UK, got his start by uploading cover songs by his favorite artists on Youtube. After attracting over 90 million views on Youtube, Neyo took notice of Conor’s rendition of his song “Beautiful Monster.” Neyo called Conor at his seaside home in Brighton and offered to sign and produce him.
Once Conor was on the radar everyone wanted to work with him. The witty, young singer got phone calls from heavy-hitting producers across the globe including Jermaine Dupri, Midi Mafia, Kevin Rudolf and Pharrell Williams. “One minute I was recording myself in my bedroom, the next I’m on a video call with Ne-Yo, and the next in a studio in Miami with Pharrell,” Conor says. “It’s still hard to get my head around it all.”
“When Pharrell first called, he was trying to sign me,” Conor says, although he just signed to EMI. “He’d been watching my progress on YouTube and said that he really believed in me.”
Now Conor’s catchy, new single “Vegas Girls” is making moves in the United States, climbing its way up to #33 on the Billboard Hot 100 this week. The track was produced by Jason Pebworth, George Astasio, and Jon Shave, best known as the production trio The Invisible Men (Jessie J/DJ Fresh). It was at their West London recording studio that Conor would find his signature sound.
“I had time to chill with those guys; we sat around for a couple of weeks, taking our time. It’s how I work best generally, though sometimes what you can get in 15 minutes is incredible,” he says.
Thanks to the help of Neyo, Pharrell and The Invisible Men, Conor Maynard will soon become a household name in the United States. With his addictive new song “Vegas Girl” and the amount of support he has behind him, Justin Bieber might actually have someone to give him a run for his money.
Check out Conor Maynard’s new single “Vegas Girls”!
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