Alongside
Jay Sean and
Taio Cruz, singer/songwriter and producer
Talay Riley is at the forefront of the British futuristic urban pop scene. Born in London, in 1990, he began singing at an early age. Influenced by both the U.K. grime scene, and the smooth R&B of
Usher and
Joe, he wrote his first song at 17. After he penned
Chipmunk's U.K. number one "Oopsie Daisy," and provided guest vocals for his follow-up Top Teb hit "Look at Me," he dropped out of his law and business course at university to concentrate on his music career. He signed to Jive Records in 2009, and traveled to L.A. to record material with
Rodney Jerkins and
Ryan Tedder. After touring with
N-Dubz, he released his first solo single, "Humanoid," and wrote tracks for
Justin Bieber,
JLS, and
Tinie Tempah. His debut album, inspired by the movie Avatar, was scheduled for release in 2011. ~ Jon O'Brien