Over the next five years, SAINt JHN tallied a number of credits: he co-wrote Hoodie Allen’s 2012 breakout hit, “No Interruption” helped pen a handful of tracks on Kiesza’s major label debut record in 2014 and assisted in writing and producing the falsetto-heavy “Crash” from Usher’s Hard II Love in 2016. “They tell you that one song will change your life in songwriting, and we believed it at the time,” he says. Though he tried to write records for Rihanna, nothing stuck, and SAINt JHN moved back to New York more determined than dejected. in hopes of landing their breakthrough hit. It was the first time somebody was reaching out to me and was interested in something that I could contribute.”įor the next two months, SAINt JHN and Azeem recorded in the latter’s cousin’s garage in West Covina, paying more than $35 for a daily car rental to drive the roughly 20 miles into L.A. “He says to me, ‘Do you want to rap or do you want to make a million dollars?’” SAINt JHN remembers. repertoire Zach Katz discovered the track online seven hours after it was posted and asked to meet the two in Los Angeles to talk about songwriting. And it worked.”Ģ020's Chartbreakers: Trevor Daniel, Natanael Cano & More Each MonthĪfter the fake agency “added” his studio collaborator, Azeem, to the team’s roster in 2011, SAINt JHN wrote a chorus and delivered a guest verse on a song called “ Hurricanes and Tornadoes.” Former BMG president of U.S. “It sounded like someone you should respond to. “Taylor Foor sounded college-educated and gender ambiguous,” he says with a laugh.
Both releases were recorded at a collaborator’s spot in Queens, so that he could save on the usual $25-30 hourly studio rate.Īt the same time, he created a fake public relations agency called Taylor Foor PR to make his work seem more official, which led to some blog recognition. John while living rent-free on a friend’s couch in Harlem. In 2010, he made his official foray into the industry, dropping two projects under his birth name Carlos St. But it took more than a decade for the singer-songwriter to obtain the breakthrough he’d long been pursuing.įor many years after watching his brother, SAINt JHN honed his rapping skills - he admits to stealing some of his own brother’s lyrics back then to impress his peers - while simultaneously working to create a brand for himself. 23 on the Billboard Hot 100 (a spot removed from its peak last week). 1 in several countries across the globe and currently resides atop Billboard’s Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart for the third consecutive week, as well as at No. SAINt JHN is now experiencing his first self-described “feverish” hit with Imanbek’s bass-bumping remix of his 2016 single “Roses.” The song has gone No. SAINt JHN photographed on Apin Los Angeles Djeneba Aduayom