Cris Cab (born Christian Cabrerizo) is a 21 y/o Cuban-American singer/songwriter hailing from Miami, Florida. Signed to Virgin EMI Records, Cris Cab‘s sound can be described as a healthy mix of pop, R&B and reggae, all blended together seamlessly. His first single, the Pharrell Williams-produced, Dallas Austin co-written “Liar Liar” (out in the UK August 10th) was originally released September 30th last year in Europe, hitting the Top 10 in Austria, France, Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands. Check out the Alex Topaller, Dan Shapiro-directed video below.
“Liar Liar” infuses pop and R&B with some traditional-sounding reggae beats, all highlighted by Pharrell‘s signature funky beats. Seeing how in-demand Pharrell has become in recent months, I can’t help but worry a little bit his over-saturation in the pop music marketplace. I mean…he’s literally everywhere! I guess the main difference here is that with Cris Cab, Pharrell doesn’t just seem to be another “producer-for-hire,” rather Pharrell has taken on an active mentor role in this burgeoning artist’s young and promising career. Working with Cris since the age of 16, Pharrell had this to say about his young protegé:
“I couldn’t be any happier for Cris. He’s been on an incredible journey since I met him a little over three years ago, and it’s awesome to see him continue to rise and grow. Just get ready – this is the beginning of many great albums, this is a career.”
Pharrell certainly has an eye for talent, one that I look forward to seeing in action on the next season of The Voice (U.S.) when he and Gwen Stefani join Blake Shelton and Adam Levine on the panel. Hanging out in the Bahamas while his father fished, Cris Cab would play for patrons in the bars, picking up a love for the reggae genre. This love of reggae music can be heard throughout Cris’ debut album, Where I Belong, out August 18th in the UK (via Virgin EMI).
Cris Cab has been working on amping up his international cred, sharing stages with Ellie Goulding, Pitbull, Tegan & Sara, Lily Allen, Enrique Iglesias, even performing at the World Music Awards in Monaco as well as a bevy of international music festivals.
“Liar Liar” is available for download now (iTunes UK + iTunes US) and the album, Where I Belong is up for pre-order. Check out the sexy Black & White video for “Liar Liar” below, in which Cris’ mentor and song-co-writer/producer Pharrell appears.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-qYMl9T9wQ&feature=kp]
Check out Cris Cab on the web:
Official Site || Facebook || Twitter || YouTube || Instagram