Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter
Colette Carr began her career by combining pop and rap, but soon switched to confessional synth pop. As a child,
Carr had diverse musical tastes, listening to
the Smiths,
Jimi Hendrix,
Gwen Stefani, and
Talking Heads before discovering rap. In turn, she was discovered in 2008 at a
Game concert -- in the most hardcore of hardcore rap surroundings -- as a call-out for freestylers in the audience, which drew
Carr on-stage. She wowed the crowd and was pulled backstage where producers, including the successful crew
the Cataracs, offered the young singer their card. In 2009 she released her debut single, "Back It Up," a viral hit that caught the attention of
Nick Cannon, who signed
Carr to his N'Credible record label. The single "Bitch Like Me" followed in 2010 along with the mixtape Sex Sells Stay Tuned. She released her debut album,
Skitzo, in 2013 with production coming from
the Cataracs,
RedOne, and
FrankMusik, while guest artists included rapper
E-40 and industrial pop singer
Porcelain Black. She continued her collaboration with
FrankMusik in a new, soul-bearing musical direction, the first taste of which was the early-2016 single "Play House." The Static.Start. EP followed a few months later. ~ David Jeffries