Eric Bellinger

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“Sharing the genetic pool with his grandfather, Bobby Day – R&B singer, and songwriter for groups like the Jackson 5 – Eric is R&B’s most gifted songwriter.” – The Lunch Table

“Eric Bellinger is an up-and-coming R&B singer who has tons of talent and could make some waves very soon.”  – Complex

“Eric Bellinger—the Los Angeles singer/songwriter whose single with Problem, “I Don’t Want Her,” made waves last year—fits somewhere between Ty Dolla $ign’s of-the-moment snap and Ne-Yo’s oh-so-earnest mid-’00s R&B.” – FADER

“If you’re single or trying to find signs of love in the world, Eric Bellinger will make you believe in love again.” – Singersroom

About

Talk about a career detour. Eric Bellinger grew up focused on playing football. Running back/kick return specialist … that was the ultimate gig envisioned by the University of Southern California scholarship holder. Then fate stepped in.  Now Bellinger is fielding major plays in another arena: music. Since trading his cleats for a pen, the ex-football team captain has become one of the industry’s most sought-after songwriters. In just the last two years, he’s racked up more than 80 song placements while co-penning hits for such pop and R&B stars as Usher (“Lemme See”), Justin Bieber (“Right Here”) and Chris Brown (“Fine China”). He also won his first Grammy Award as one of the collaborators on Brown’s best R&B-crowned album, F.A.M.E.

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A self-described perfectionist influenced by Michael Jackson, Usher, Brandy and Drake, Bellinger comes by his talent naturally. His maternal grandfather was Bobby Day, who scored a Billboard Hot 100 No. 2 hit in 1958 with “Rockin’ Robin.” Day also wrote the rock and roll classics “Over and Over” and “Little Bitty Pretty One,” covered by the Dave Clark Five and the Jackson Five, respectively.

Bellinger, who sang in church as a youngster, didn’t get serious about pursuing music right away, however. There was school to finish and a football scholarship from USC waiting upon his high school graduation. Then he was injured in a game. “I stopped playing football and had to make a decision,” recalls Bellinger. “That’s when I started moving more seriously into music.”

A music audition his mother heard about resulted in Bellinger joining a vocal quintet called AKNU (A Kind Never Understood) in 2002. Within five months, the group signed with Epic Records. But after a few tours, AKNU disbanded in 2004. Bellinger next joined O.N.E., a quartet with whom he wrote songs and performed for six years.

Following nearly 10 years of being in groups, Bellinger sought a fresh start. He left O.N.E. in 2010 and began demoing songs for different songwriters while writing his own songs. Within four months, he signed with Sony/ATV under the publishing firm’s joint partnership with the Writing Camp, responsible for such hits as Beyonce’s “Halo.” Under the mentorship of Writing Camp members Evan Bogart, David Quinones and longtime friend Erika Nuri, Bellinger hit the ground running, collaborating with such Grammy-winning songwriter/producers as J.R. Rotem and Rodney Jerkins.

Gaining a reputation as a quick yet intuitive songwriter over the next couple of years, Bellinger began building an extensive discography encompassing a who’s who in R&B, hip-hop and pop: Trey Songz, Janelle Monae, Usher, Jennifer Hudson, Justin Bieber, Nicki Minaj and The Game. His breakthrough moment arrived when he placed two songs on Chris Brown’s 2011 album F.A.M.E., netting his first Grammy when the project claimed best R&B album honors. Since then, Bellinger has co-penned two hits for Brown, including “Fine China” and the Grammy-nominated “New Flame.”

With his writing career taking off, Bellinger returned to his first love: singing. “I just wanted to put some of my own songs out,” he says. “It was a struggle. ‘Eric the Songwriter’ was really embedded in people’s heads not ‘Eric the Singer/Songwriter.’ So I said I’ll do it on my own.”

Bellinger formally stepped out as a solo artist 2013, steadily churning out a series of well-regarded mixtapes. First up was the three-volume Born II Sing, In The Meantime followed by The ReBirth and, most recently, Choose Up Season. Under YFS (Your Favorite Song), the indie label he created with manager/business partner Nieman Johnson, Bellinger released his debut solo album in 2014, The Rebirth.

Featuring Sevyn Streeter, Kid Ink, Sage the Gemini, Ty Dolla $ign and others, The Rebirth also spun off the top 40 rhythmic hit “I Don’t Want Her” with Problem. The single, in turn, caught the ears of industry veteran Lyor Cohen’s 300 Entertainment, which now distributes YFS. Bellinger, who recently completed a sold-out international tour in the U.K., is also a popular YouTube fixture with a total over 10 million video views.

Now Bellinger has come full circle as a triple-threat talent simultaneously forging a burgeoning solo career while further cementing his reputation as one of R&B and pop music’s top go-to writers. But football is still never far from his mind.

“In football, you have the fullback who blocks for the tailback running through the hole,” explains Bellinger. “My artist career is the tailback and my writing career is the fullback making a way. And I’m just holding on tight.”

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Press Releases

Eric Bellinger Strips Down For the Last Days of Summer with the Chilled-Out Term 2 Acoustic
Eric Bellinger Strips Back for Term 2 Acoustic, Out September 8th; “Island” Premiered by Earmilk
Eric Bellinger Releases “Be The Change” In Response to Charlottesville Events
Eric Bellinger Drops Cannabliss EP, the Key to a Perfect 4/20
Eric Bellinger Enlists The Game for “Blazin Wit The Bros” from Forthcoming Cannabliss EP
Eric Bellinger Creates a Beachside Utopia in “Make You Mine” Visual
Eric Bellinger Brings Tropical Vibes With Eric B. For President: Term 2 
Eric Bellinger Wants to “Make You Mine,” Eric B. For President: Term 2 Project Releases This Friday 3/10
Eric Bellinger Enlists Wale For “Treat Yourself,” Announces Eric B. For President: Term 2 Project
Showcasing His Lyrics and Vocals, Eric Bellinger Unplugs on EBFP: An Acoustic Experience
Eric Bellinger Unplugs, Spotlights His Excellent Voice and Songwriting on EBFP: An Acoustic Experience, Out January 20th
Eric Bellinger Transforms Justin Bieber & DJ Snake’s “Let Me Love You” Into an Acoustic R&B Ballad
Eric Bellinger is a Real Crowd Pleaser, Covers “Black Beatles”
Eric Bellinger Gets Naughty AND Nice with “Sex On Christmas”
Eric Bellinger Runs a Dirty Campaign in the 2-For-1 Video for “G.O.A.T.” and “In My Prime”
Grammy Winner Eric Bellinger Unplugs, Strips Down Drake’s “Fake Love”
Hail to the Chief: Eric Bellinger Campaigns For the Nation’s Highest Office in New Mixtape
Make ‘Em Clap to This: Eric Bellinger For President

Press Photos

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1j6e1tx8L_w

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