British contemporary R&B singer/songwriter/producer Taio Cruz established himself as a songwriter, notably co-penning Will Young's BRIT Award-winning "Your Game" and Rihanna's cross-Atlantic chart-topper "Umbrella," before embarking on a performance career of his own. Born Adetayo Ayowale Onile-Ere on April 23, 1982, in London, England, to a Nigerian father and a Brazilian mother, Cruz went to school in rural Sussex and was introduced to soul music at a young age by his mother. At age 18 he signed a publishing deal and made a big name for himself by co-writing Pop Idol winner Will Young's "Your Game" (2004), the
