Alexander Fleming (born March 19, 1994), professionally known as Black Atlass, is a Canadian singer, songwriter and model.[1] His song, Paris, debuted in a Louis Vuitton campaign, and was also featured in a Saint Laurent fragrance ad.[2][3][4][5] He was previously signed to XO/Republic Records and released his debut studio album, Pain & Pleasure, in 2018.[5][1] He released his second studio album Dream Awake in 2020.[6][7][8]

Black Atlass
Birth nameAlexander Fleming
Born (1994-03-19) March 19, 1994 (age 30)
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
OriginMontreal, Quebec, Canada
GenresAlternative R&B
Occupation(s)Singer, songwriter, model
Years active2012–present
Labels
Websitehttp://blackatlass.com

Early life

edit

Black Atlass was born in Montreal, Quebec. After his father got a new job his family settled in London, Ontario, where he grew up.[4][9][5]

Career

edit

Black Atlass began his career in the music industry while he was still in high school.[10] He created an eponymous EP, The Black Atlass EP, in his parents' basement in 2012. The EP's single, Paris, was used by the luxury retailer, Louis Vuitton, to score a film celebrating their exhibit at the Musée Des Arts Décoratifs.[11] The track was also featured in a Saint Laurent fragrance ad in 2013. The same year, Black Atlass was invited to the front row and dressed by Christian Dior's menswear designer Kris Van Assche for their spring/summer 2014 show in Paris.[10][12][3]

He released his second EP, Young Bloods, in 2014, on Fool's Gold Records.[13] To promote the EP, toured in support of the French artist Woodkid, with dates in Toronto, Montreal and across Europe. Woodkid also directed the music video for one of the EP's songs, "Jewels", which starred the model Anja Rubik.

In the fall of 2016, Alexander Wang featured Black Atlass in his fashion campaign alongside Kylie Jenner, Vince Staples, Lexi Boling, Zoe Kravitz, A$AP Ferg, Big Sean, Metro Boomin, , Skrillex, Tinashe, Tyga and others.[4][5]

In 2018, he was signed to The Weeknd's record label XO, and released his debut studio album, Pain & Pleasure. In the same year, he collaborated with Jessie Reyez on the song "Sacrifice", which was featured on the Fifty Shades Freed soundtrack.[8][2][5][1]

Black Atlass' second studio album, Dream Awake, was released on April 3, 2020. The album consists of 12 tracks.[6][7][8][14] On July 1, 2022, he released the ‘side A’ of his EP “Infinite”, which was his first release independently via Black Atlass, Inc. since the expiration of his deal with XO/Republic.

Discography

edit
Title Year Type
The Black Atlass EP 2012 EP (6 tracks)
"Paris" 2013 Single
Young Bloods 2014 EP (6 tracks)
Haunted Paradise 2016 Album (11 tracks)
Pain & Pleasure 2018 Album (8 tracks)
"Sacrifice" (Fifty Shades Freed Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) 2018 Single
Dream Awake 2020 Album (12 tracks)
Infinite 2022 Album (10 tracks)
When The Darkness Fades 2023 EP (6 tracks)
I'll Meet You There 2024 EP (6 tracks)

Recognitions and nominations

edit

In April 2013, Black Atlass was recognized as Vogue's "Artist of the Week".[11] His album Pain & Pleasure was nominated for a JUNO Award for "R&B/Soul Recording Of The Year" in 2019.[15]

Personal life

edit

Black Atlass is interested in photography and graphic design, and originally intended to carry both as a profession after high school. [4]

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c "Exploring Sonic Worlds With Black Atlass' Dream Awake". NUVO. 2020-05-07. Retrieved 2020-11-27.
  2. ^ a b "Black Atlass brings the Pain & Pleasure". Flaunt Magazine. Archived from the original on 2020-12-04. Retrieved 2020-11-27.
  3. ^ a b Reese, Nathan (2016-05-09). "Musician to Know: Fashion's New Favorite R&B Artist (Published 2016)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-11-27.
  4. ^ a b c d "How Black Atlass Became Fashion's Latest It-Boy: Exclusive". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-11-27.
  5. ^ a b c d e "MEET: Black Atlass - The Fresh New Face of Fashion And R&B". Umusic. 2018-07-13. Archived from the original on 2023-01-25. Retrieved 2020-11-27.
  6. ^ a b Reid, Max (8 April 2020). "Review - Black Atlass | Canadian Beats Media". Retrieved 2020-11-27.
  7. ^ a b "Black Atlass Releases New Album "Dream Awake"". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved 2020-11-27.
  8. ^ a b c "Black Atass New Single: Do for Love". www.kiss925.com. Archived from the original on 2020-04-04. Retrieved 2020-11-27.
  9. ^ Leijon, Erik. "Black Atlass navigates his way to the stars". www.montrealgazette.com. Retrieved 2020-11-27.
  10. ^ a b "Black Atlass: The anti-Justin Bieber - Macleans.ca". www.macleans.ca. Retrieved 2020-11-27.
  11. ^ a b Brown, Jacob (14 June 2013). "Artist of the Week: Black Atlass". Vogue. Retrieved 2020-11-27.
  12. ^ "One to watch: Black Atlass". Archived from the original on 2020-12-04.
  13. ^ "Black Atlass". First Avenue. Retrieved 2020-11-27.[permanent dead link]
  14. ^ "Black Atlass on Joining XO and Weaving Dreams | Northern Clutch". Complex. Retrieved 2020-12-07.
  15. ^ "Juno Awards: Full List of Winners | Hollywood Reporter". www.hollywoodreporter.com. 17 March 2019. Retrieved 2020-11-27.