Aloe Blacc is ‘The Man’ and Our Man Crush Monday

It seems almost poetic that Aloe Blacc provided the vocals for Avicii's "Wake Me Up", and then awoke his own solo career with "The Man." We've crowned him our Man Crush Monday.

On January 7, 1979, Egbert Nathaniel Dawkins III, better known as Aloe Blacc, was born in Orange County, California. Blacc grew up in Laguna Hills with his Panamanian parents. In the third grade, his love for music was born when he began playing the trumpet. He was introduced to LL Cool J the following year which ignited a passion. Blacc attended the University of Southern California and graduated in 2001.

He teamed up with Exile, a hip hop producer, and formed Emanon ('no name' spelled backward) in 1995. Their music was jazz with a beat. They released an EP in 1999 called Acid 9. Emanon released three albums after that; Steps Through Time in 2001, Imaginary Friends in 2002, and The Waiting Room (2005). They recorded a fourth album, Bird's Eye View, but never released it.

In 2003, Blacc launched his solo career. After two EPs he signed on with Stone's Throw Records in 2006. That same year he released Shine Through, a full-length album which showcased his ability to write songs. While walking down the solo road, Blacc continued to do work with Emanon.

Good Things, was released in 2010 with singles like "I Need a Dollar", "Loving You is Killing Me", and "Green Lights." Blacc then signed with Simon Fuller's XIX Management. In 2012, he joined a musical project called Roseaux which was established by Emile Omar and featured Alex Finkin and Clement Petit. The band released a self-titled album with 11 tracks all featuring Blacc's voice.

Blacc teamed up with Swedish DJ Avicii in 2013 to write "Wake Me Up", with Blacc providing the vocals. The song went to No. 1 in 103 countries. That same year, he signed with Interscope Records and released an EP called Wake Me Up EP. The EP featured five tracks; "Love is the Answer", "Can You Do This", "Ticking Bomb", and acoustic version of "Wake Me Up", and "The Man."

His debut album under the Interscope label, called Lift Your Spirit, was released in November 2013. The album was produced by Pharrell Williams and others. He also served as a guest advisor for Adam Levine's team on this season of The Voice.

Personal Life

Blacc is currently married to Maya Jupiter, a rapper from Australia. Jupiter and Blacc have been married since 2010. The couple welcomed their first child, a girl, in September 2013. They named her Mandela. His personal life has been kept under wraps for the most part. It is unclear who he dated before he met his wife.

Blacc prides himself on his philanthropy. He is actively involved in Malaria No More, a charity with a mission to end deaths caused by malaria. Their strategy is to spread awareness through "engaging leaders, rallying the public, and delivering life-saving tools and education to families across Africa."