Once upon a time in the late 2000s to early 2010s, Taio Cruz dominated the charts and conquered the radio with his feel-good songs. At the time, the London-based singer and producer became one of the most prominent faces of the rise of pop-dance music. With singles like "Break Your Heart" and "Dynamite," Taio's domination in the music industry led many to think that he would be the next big thing. His second album, Rokstarr, debuted among the top 10 on the Billboard 200.
Unfortunately, fast-forward to 2022, Taio doesn't seem to have been able to recreate the magic he once had with the sophomore album. Falling into depression, the artist took a few steps away from the public's eye after fans bullied him off TikTok in 2020. So, what happened to the career he once had?
6 Taio Cruz's 'TY.O,' Was Released Over A Decade Ago
Taio Cruz's last album under a major label, TY.O, was released over a decade ago back in 2011. During its release window, the album faced quite a bit of an odd marketing strategy. It wasn't until September 2014 that TY.O was finally available for the digital markets in the US. It was an instant invitation to the dance floor, spawning singles like "Hangover," "Troublemaker," and "Fast Car." While TY.O was seen as a weaker follow up to Rokstarr, the album was still a solid masterpiece, and unfortunately, it's the last major album that he's ever released up to this writing.
5 Taio Cruz's Fashion Brand 'Rokstarr'
When his career took off in 2009, Taio Cruz launched a fashion brand called Rokstarr, an obvious nod to the sophomore album that catapulted him into stardom. Inspired by Kanye West, Kid Cudi, and Justin Timberlake's sunglasses brand, Rokstarr was launched on September 1, 2009. He also expanded his brand's reach to streetwear a year later and renamed it RXTR, hoping to revive the short-lived brand. Unfortunately, the fashion line's project wasn't quite as successful as he hoped it would be.
4 Taio Cruz's 2020 Return To Music
In 2020, however, Taio Cruz wanted to blueprint his comeback to music. To promote his new projects, he entered the laundry list of celebs who joined TikTok. He received over 85,000 followers in no time back in September that year, but fans didn't seem to enjoy his comeback.
"A lot of the time people will see something, then look at the comments to give them the answer of how they should feel about it, or how they should behave," he told BBC, "And I think that's really what happened with my stuff. I was making fun videos, then someone decided to be toxic - and a bunch of other people decided, 'Oh, I'm gonna join in on that.'"
3 Taio Cruz's Struggle With Mental Health Issues And Pressures From Social Media
As a result of excessive online bullying, the singer revealed that he quit TikTok and all forms of social media for good. The 41-year-old took to Instagram back in September 2020, revealing that the video-sharing app had given him "suicidal thoughts."
"Some users posted hateful, mocking videos which spurred a feedback loop of negativity, where more and more people began to join in on the mockery and hate," he wrote, "Never in my life have I had a more negative experience than the past few days on here. This community is not for me."
2 How Taio Cruz Feels About Fame
The artist has shed more light on why he dropped out of the spotlight for good. Speaking to a Canadian content creator and pop culture enthusiast who goes by the name of "Honest" on YouTube, the singer said that he did not enjoy the fame and the attention that being a frontman of music has brought him.
"It has been a conscious choice of mine to step back from the public eye and the role of performer. Some people call it "falling off" and that's their prerogative, but I would call it a strategic withdrawal. I do not particularly enjoy fame," he wrote via Instagram DM.
1 What Taio Cruz Is Doing Now
So, what's next for Taio Cruz? As mentioned, the 41-year-old seems to be enjoying working backstage now, just like how he started off his musical career back in the 2000s as a songwriter. In the same interview, the British singer said that he has been "working on new music projects, technology, and writing projects that require less of a public presence from me."
"I am a writer and producer for Wonder Stereo, and sometimes a featured artist. I am working on a new tech project for musicians (secret for now) which should be launching either in May or June of this year," he wrote.