Taio Cruz, born Jacob Taio Cruz in London, England, is a pop British singer- songwriter who uses elements of Dance-pop and R&B. His songwriting career began at age 19 and he has co-writing credits on the single Your Game for Will Young, the Pop Idol winner. The hit received the Best British Single at the 2005 Brit Award. In 2006, Cruz embarked as a solo artist, releasing his Top 30 song I Just Wanna Know. The single promoted him to a major label deal with Island Records. After the singles Moving On and Come on Girl, he released his debut album Departure in 2008. He wrote and produced the album in its entirety and earned positive reviews with the singles I Can Be and Shes Like a Star. Cruz continued to co-write songs for pop stars like Cheryl Cole and JLS. He wrote for rapper Tinchy Stryder, including the Top Five single Take Me Back and the highly successful single Never Leave You. By 2010, Cruz had achieved international success with the hits Break Your Heart and Dynamite from his second album Rokstarr. The first single reached the top of the UK singles chart and the third release Dirty Picture reached the Top Ten. Rockstarr was re-released worldwide in 2010 and the song Dynamite became a chart-topper in several countries. Break Your Heart was remixed with guest star Ludacris.