The man who wrote
Usher's "Caught Up,"
112's "Peaches and Cream," and
Chris Brown's "I Can Transform Ya," Jason Boyd, aka
Poo Bear, launched his own singing career in 2014 with the help of frequent collaborator
Justin Bieber. Born in Connecticut but raised in Atlanta, Boyd was only 14 when he co-wrote
112's "Always," and work for
Whitney Houston,
Jagged Edge,
P!nk,
Dr. Dre,
Drake, and many others followed. In 2004 he worked on numerous tracks on
Usher's album
Confessions, while in 2007 he co-wrote the chart-topping "Make It Rain" with
Lil Wayne and
Fat Joe. He dropped his debut track in 2014 when "Work for It" landed, featuring
Tyga and
Justin Bieber. His collaborations with
Bieber continued into 2013 with the singer's
Journals project, but it wasn't until 2015 that Boyd scored a handful of hits from
Bieber's
Purpose, including "Where Are U Now" and "What Do You Mean." That same year, he issued the Beats 2 Make Love 2 mixtape. Work with
Trey Songz,
David Guetta, and
Fifth Harmony followed in 2017, as well as his joint single with
Skrillex, "Would You Ever." Finally, in 2018, Boyd delivered his full-length debut album,
Poo Bear Presents: Bearthday Music. Among the album's many collaborators were
Bieber,
Zara Larsson,
Ty Dolla $ign, and
Jennifer Lopez. Back on the songwriting side, he contributed to notable releases by
Mariah Carey,
DJ Khaled, and
Utada Hikaru, while teaming with
Bieber for a trio of Hot 100 hit collaborations with
Ed Sheeran ("I Don't Care"),
Billie Eilish ("Bad Guy (Remix)"), and
Dan + Shay ("10,000 Hours"). ~ David Jeffries