About
Aloe Blacc is a Grammy-nominated singer and songwriter known for his rustic tenor voice, uplifting melodies, and the hit single “I Need a Dollar.”
Aloe was born in California to immigrants from Panama. He grew up listening to merengue, cumbia, salsa, and later hip-hop. Throughout his childhood and adolescence, Aloe wrote songs and played instruments, most prominently the trumpet. As a teenager, Aloe worked with Exile, and the two released an album in 2004, The Waiting Room, under the name Emanon.
After releasing a slew of solo works as Aloe, he was noticed by Stones Throw Labul, through which he released Shine Through in 2006. Four years later, Aloe wrote the refined Good Things, which featured timeless, universal lyrics. Its lead single, “I Need a Dollar,” reached number two on the U.K.’s pop chart, went Top Ten in several other countries, and was picked up as the theme song for HBO’s How to Make It in America.
In 2012, Aloe co-wrote and provided the vocals on Avicii’s “Wake Me Up,” a country/folk-EDM hybrid that went on to become one of 2013’s biggest hits worldwide. That year, Aloe released Lift Your Spirit, produced with the help of Pharrell Williams and DJ Khalil. Lift Your Spirit debuted at number four on the Billboard 200, and its single “The Man,” a fusion of soul, gospel, and pop reached number 8 in the U.S. The album also garnered a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Album.
Aloe went on to appear in a series of featured collaborations alongside the likes of Zedd (“Candyman”), Owl City (“Verge”), and Tiesto (“Carry You Home”). He also appeared on The Hamilton Mixtape, and released a holiday album, Christmas Funk, in 2018.
In 2019, Aloe gave guest vocals to a number of EDM singles, “Never Growing Up,” “Truth Never Lies,” and “SOS,” from Avicii’s posthumous album, Tim. Aloe performs regularly, and is often booked for corporate entertainment events and private parties.
