Christopher Joseph Gallant III (born November 14, 1991), better known as Gallant, is an American singer and songwriter from Columbia, Maryland, signed to Mind of a Genius Records and Warner Bros. Records.[1] He first began to gain recognition after self-releasing his debut EP, Zebra in 2014. His debut studio album, Ology, was released worldwide in April 2016 to critical acclaim, earning him a Grammy Award nomination for Best Urban Contemporary Album.[2]
Early life and education
Gallant was born in Washington, D.C. When he was in elementary school, he and his family moved to Columbia, Maryland, where he attended Atholton High School. He started recording songs during middle school. He was influenced by R&B artists and then later alternative rock while growing up.[3]
In 2014, he self-released his debut EP, Zebra, which he describes as "a sonic diary about dealing with the aftermath of New York".[5]
In 2015, his single, "Weight in Gold", was played by Zane Lowe on Beats1's first air date in June 2015.[7] The same year Gallant toured with Sufjan Stevens on his North American tour, where he performed 18 shows throughout the country.[8]
Following the debut of "Weight in Gold" and a North American tour with Sufjan Stevens, Gallant was named one of 15 artists that Spotify believed were destined to "breakout" in 2016.[9]
He is also featured in Zhu's (another Mind of a Genius Records artist) "Testarossa Music" from the Genesis Series EP.[10] Gallant was also announced as the opener for Zhu's "Neon City" tour, spanning April and May in venues throughout America, beginning with Coachella.[11]
On February 5, 2016, Gallant and Jhené Aiko released their first collaborative song, "Skipping Stones." The track was produced by Adrian Younge and co-produced by Stint (a frequent producer for Gallant), and features Gallant's signature falsetto style with specks of bold vocals and Jhené's signature soothing, a cappella-esque vocals. The song is licensed under Red Bull Media House and featured in its Red Bull Sound Select collection along with the B-side "Borderline".[12]
Gallant performed both weekends of Coachella in 2016, which Billboard named the number one moment of the entire festival.[13] Weekend one included a surprise appearance from Seal, where the pair performed Seal's song "Crazy" and Gallant's song "Weight in Gold". The following weekend, included a surprise appearance from Jhené Aiko where the pair performed their collaboration "Skipping Stones".[14]
In the Room
On January 6, 2016, Gallant debuted the first episode of his new series In the Room with Sufjan Stevens. The pair performed Stevens' song "Blue Bucket of Gold".[15] Gallant partnered with Spotify for the second episode, which featured Seal and premiered on March 9, 2016. Gallant and Seal performed Gallant's hit song "Weight in Gold". At the end of the episode, Seal claimed that he was Gallant's biggest fan.[16] For the third episode, Gallant covered Janet Jackson's "I Get Lonely" with Jack Garratt.[17] Gallant's next collaboration was with John Legend, on Legend's song "Overload"[18] Gallant's next collaborations were with Andra Day and Dua Lipa for the fifth and sixth episodes respectively.
Gallant described the In the Room series as "an ongoing collaborative project – a chance to both pay tribute to and create something special with the artists that have inspired me the most".[19]
2016–present: Ology, Sweet Insomnia, Neptune
Ology
Gallant's debut studio album, Ology, was released on April 6, 2016 by Mind of a Genius Records.[20][21] The album received critical acclaim, including a rating of 7.5/10 from Pitchfork,[22] a rating 4/5 from The Guardian, which states, “If this is what R&B’s future looks like it’s brighter than ever”.[23] Also, Entertainment Weekly named Ology one of the 25 best albums of 2016 (so far).[24] The album was given praise given for his distinct and diverse sound, voice, and lyricism.[25]
On May 12, 2016, Gallant made his national television debut on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Gallant performed "Weight in Gold", which ended with a standing ovation from the audience. Fallon ended the show praising Gallant's performance with the quote, “Oh my goodness! I told you… Watch out for this guy [GALLANT]!”.[26]
In January 2017, he was chosen as Elvis Duran's Artist of the Month and on January 11, appeared on and performed "Weight in Gold" live on NBC's Today show with Kathie Lee and Hoda Kotb.[28] On January 26, he released "Cave Me In" in collaboration with Epik High's Tablo and Eric Nam.[29] In the spring of 2017, he performed as the opening act on John Legend's Darkness and Light tour.
Sweet Insomnia
On January 25, 2019, Gallant released his sophomore album Sweet Insomnia. The album features Sabrina Claudio on "Compromise" and 6lack on "Sweet Insomnia", the album's title track.[30]
Neptune
On March 26, 2021, Gallant released his second EP Neptune with features from Brandy, Arin Ray, and R&B duo VanJess.
Discography
Studio albums
List of studio albums, with selected details and chart positions
^Goodman, Jessica; O'Donnell, Kevin; Greenblatt, Leah; Renner Brown, Eric; Feeney, Nolan; Vain, Madison (26 May 2016). "The 25 best albums of 2016 (so far)". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
