Cupid | |
|---|---|
 Bernard in 2020 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Bryson Bernard |
| Born | October 10, 1982 Lafayette, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Genres | R&B |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Labels | Atlantic, Asylum |
Bryson Bernard (born October 10, 1982), better known by his stage name Cupid, is an American singer and songwriter from Lafayette, Louisiana.[1] He is best known for the 2007 line dance single "Cupid Shuffle", which peaked at number 68 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Bernard started singing in his church's choir, encouraged by his pastor father. He initially enrolled at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette with a full athletic scholarship in track and field. He left the track team to form a singing group known as Fasho, which later changed its name to Fifth Element. After Fifth Element was dissolved, Bernard pursued a solo career. He sang at venues such as talent shows, weddings and funerals. With a five-octave vocal range, Bernard earned the nickname "Cupid" for an impressive performance of the late-'90s 112 hit single "Cupid".
The singer first received radio airplay in 2001 with his self-released first single, "Do Ya Thang". His second self-released album, 2005's The King of Down South R&B, gained airplay throughout the region, from Florida to Texas. In January 2007, shortly before the release of his third album, Time For a Change, he was signed to Atlantic Records. His first single from that album, "Cupid Shuffle", peaked at No. 66 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 21 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Since then, the song has gone double platinum and gets roughly 6,500 new downloads each week. His other singles include "Say Yes", "Happy Dance", "The Love Slide" and "Do My Ladies Run This Party".
In 2008, Cupid broke the Guinness World Record for the largest line dance assembled with over 17,000 people in Atlanta at Ebony's Black Family Reunion Tour.[citation needed]
In addition, Cupid's music can be heard in the films Step Up 2: The Streets, P.S. I Love You, Nancy Drew, and Jumping the Broom.
In 2012, he auditioned for the third season of the American music competition The Voice singing for his blind audition his own hit "Cupid Shuffle" in a varied version. None of the four judges Adam Levine, Cee Lo Green, Christina Aguilera or Blake Shelton pressed their "I Want You" button, thus eliminating him from further competition. But Cee Lo Green recognized Cupid after he finished the song and asked him to perform another tune to prove that "he can sing". After recognizing his true musical talent, the judges said that he should have tried a different song to help present his voice better.
