Jason Derülo (born Jason Desrouleaux; September 21, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, actor and dancer.
After producing records for several artists and writing songs for Cash Money Records, co-founder of the label Birdman, Young Money Entertainment owner Lil Wayne and rapper Diddy, Derülo signed to minor recording label Beluga Heights. After Beluga Heights became part of the Warner Music Group, Derülo released his debut single, "Whatcha Say" in May 2009. The song became a huge digital hit, selling over 2 million digital downloads, gaining an RIAA certification of 2x platinum, and reaching #1 in the US and several other countries. Derülo released his second single, "In My Head", in December 2009. His debut album, Jason Derülo, is due for release on March 2, 2010.
Derülo has been writing songs for artists including Diddy, Danity Kane, Donnie Klang, Sean Kingston, Cassie, and Lil Mama since he was 16, intent on becoming a solo performer. After attending performing arts schools and honing his talents as a singer and dancer (plus acting in theatre productions like Ragtime and Smokey Joe's Cafe), Derülo won the grand prize on the 2006 season finale of the TV show Showtime at the Apollo. Derülo's music career began in 2007, when he was featured on Birdman's song "Bossy", which was featured on his album, 5 * Stunna.
On August 4, 2009, Jason released his debut single, "Whatcha Say". It was produced by J.R. Rotem with additional production by Fuego. The track samples the Imogen Heap song "Hide And Seek". In late August 2009, the song debuted at #54 on the Billboard Hot 100[6] and hit #1 in November of 2009. The single's music video was released in September 2009; after the single became successful, Derülo began work on his debut album. He released the second single from his album, "In My Head", on December 8, 2009. It debuted at #63 on the Billboard Hot 100, and has since reached #9.
Derülo's eponymous debut album, Jason Derülo is due for release on March 2, 2010. He is currently promoting the album in his appearances as one of the opening acts for Lady Gaga's 2009–2010 The Monster Ball Tour. In February 2010, he premiered his third single, "The Sky's the Limit," on MySpace Music. He has also recently been featured in a song by new artist Will Roush called "Turn it Up," which also features Stat Quo and Young Buck.