Colby O'Donis

1.1. Birth and Upbringing

O'Donis was born Colby O'Donis Colón on March 14, 1989, in Queens, New York City, New York. He spent his early childhood in New York before his parents relocated to Florida, where he grew up. When he was three years old, his parents moved to Altamonte Springs, Florida.

1.2. Family and Heritage

Colby O'Donis is of Puerto Rican and Italian descent. His mother, Olga, is a singer who was once crowned Miss Puerto Rico in New York. His father, Freddy "Fast Freddy" Colón, worked as a disc jockey at the New York radio station WQHT. Colby O'Donis was named after a firefighter who tragically died while saving his father's life. He has an older sister, who is five years his senior. For seven years, his sister contributed her own paychecks to help fund his dance, piano, and guitar lessons.

1.3. Early Musical Talent

O'Donis's musical talent was recognized at a very young age. When he was just three and a half years old, he won first place at a talent show by singing a Michael Jackson song, which was the first indication of his singing ability to his parents. At the age of eight, his family moved to Orlando, Florida, and a year later, at age nine, he began collaborating with the production group Full Force, known for their work with artists like Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, and Britney Spears.

His rise to fame began at age ten when he became the youngest recording artist ever signed to Motown Records to contribute a song for a major motion picture soundtrack. The song, titled "Mouse in the House", was featured on the 1999 soundtrack for the film Stuart Little. Soon after, he started taking guitar lessons from Johan Oiested, a musician who was part of Carlos Santana's rhythm section. By the age of eleven, he was making regular appearances as an actor on the television series Grandpa's Garage. When he was twelve, his father purchased his first production studio. By the time he was fourteen, O'Donis was opening local Florida shows for major recording artists such as Backstreet Boys, Brian McKnight, 98 Degrees, Britney Spears, Ne-Yo, JoJo, and B-5.

2.1. Beginnings (1997-2007)

Colby O'Donis's career started at a very young age. After his family moved to Orlando, Florida when he was eight, he began collaborating with the renowned production group Full Force at the age of nine. This group had previously worked with popular acts like the Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, and Britney Spears. At ten years old, O'Donis made history by becoming the youngest recording artist ever signed to Motown Records when he recorded "Mouse in the House" for the soundtrack of the 1999 film Stuart Little. Following this, he took guitar lessons from Johan Oiested, a musician associated with Carlos Santana's rhythm section.

By age eleven, O'Donis was regularly appearing as an actor on the television series Grandpa's Garage. His father provided him with his first production studio when he was twelve, fostering his burgeoning musical talents. At fourteen, he was already performing as an opening act for major recording artists in Florida, including the Backstreet Boys, Brian McKnight, 98 Degrees, Britney Spears, Ne-Yo, JoJo, and B-5. Shortly after his fifteenth birthday, O'Donis's parents decided to move to Los Angeles, California, to further his music career. In Los Angeles, he was introduced to Genuine Music Group, where he began producing an LP album, incorporating songs from his existing catalog and co-writing new tracks with producers Damon Sharpe, Gregg Pagani, and Brion James.

In 2006, O'Donis was close to signing a record deal with Babyface. However, before the deal was finalized, his management arranged a meeting with Akon. O'Donis played Akon a demo of fourteen songs, which Akon reportedly loved and "really connected with." A few weeks later, they set up a session and began working on music where O'Donis said they had really good chemistry from the start. At this time, Akon told O'Donis that he was starting his own label, called Konvict Muzik, and asked if he wanted to be a part of it. O'Donis agreed and, for the next two years, he waited for the label to "get going and achieve the stature they need to launch new artists" before being officially signed. Prior to his signing with Interscope Records and Akon, O'Donis had already independently released six albums.

2.2. Breakthrough and Debut Album (2008-2009)

Colby O'Donis's breakthrough came in 2008. His first single, "What You Got", featuring Akon, was released on February 26, 2008. This was followed by his second single, "Don't Turn Back", released on June 24, 2008. Both singles were made available for digital download via iTunes and were included on his debut album, Colby O.

A pivotal moment in his career was his guest appearance on Lady Gaga's debut single, "Just Dance". Due to label conflicts, Akon was unable to perform on the song and subsequently enlisted O'Donis to do so, as O'Donis was Lady Gaga's labelmate on Akon's KonLive Distribution label. This collaboration earned him a nomination for Best Dance Recording at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards, and it remains his most successful single to date. In 2009, O'Donis and Lady Gaga jointly won the Teen Choice Awards for Choice Music Hook-Up for "Just Dance". The song achieved immense success, peaking atop the Billboard Hot 100, staying on the chart for over 11 months, and receiving diamond certification. It became the best-selling digital song in the US within a single week and sold 7.7 million copies.

In 2009, O'Donis also performed a duet with Brooke Hogan titled "Hey Yo!". His single "I Wanna Touch You" was released to radio, and its music video premiered on July 27, 2009. Additionally, he was featured on Akon's song "Beautiful", released as part of Akon's 2008 album Freedom. During this period, O'Donis also performed his hit "What You Got" at the US Open's Arthur Ashe Kids' Day and collaborated on the opening act for New Kids on the Block. He further showcased his talents by performing the national anthem at the 2008 MLS Cup.

2.3. Later Career and Projects (2010-Present)

Following his initial breakthrough, Colby O'Donis continued to be active in the music scene. In 2010, he was featured on the song "What You Waiting For" by Malaysian artist Mizz Nina, which gained extensive airplay across Malaysia and other Southeast Asian countries. He also released another single titled "Texting Flirtation" that year.

In 2011, O'Donis signed with Z-Entertainment Records and subsequently released the digital single "Like Me". The music video for "Like Me" premiered on YouTube on February 9, 2012. After what he described as a "4-year hiatus," O'Donis announced in 2013 that he was working on his second studio album, tentatively titled Start Over. To promote this upcoming album, he released several singles, including "Lean" (released August 12, 2013), "Turn This Night Around", "Come Back" (released October 15, 2013), "State of Mind" (released November 11, 2013), and "Kiss Those Lips" (released May 29, 2014). Although Start Over was planned for an early 2014 release, the album was ultimately never officially released.

In March 2020, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, O'Donis took to Instagram to announce that he would be working on new music. His single "Hold On" was released on March 14, 2020.

3.1. Musical Influences

O'Donis grew up listening to a diverse range of artists who significantly shaped his musical development and sound. His influences include legendary acts such as The Temptations, Luther Vandross, Michael Jackson, and Usher.

4.1. Studio Albums

• Colby O (2008)

5.1. Television Appearances

5.2. Film Appearances