Connell Cruise

Cruise was born and raised in Johannesburg, South Africa.[18] He completed training in Classical Piano through Trinity College, London while still in high school.[19] He studied Psychology, Sociology, and Law at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg[20][21] and he then studied Theology at the Baptist Theological College of Southern Africa.[22]

After relocating to the United States of America in 2015, following his signing with Epic Records, Cruise met Sarah Dunham in New York City. The two married in September 2016 in a very intimate ceremony at New York City Hall. The couple celebrated their marriage again almost a year later, in August 2017, at a wedding ceremony held in South Africa.[23] The ceremony and reception, which featured a performance by Cruise for his wife, was broadcast on an episode of a premiere South African lifestyle show, Top Billing.

In March 2019,[24] Connell and Sarah publicly announced the December birth of their son, Ivor Wright Kingsburgh.[25]

In 2010, Cruise auditioned for the sixth season of Idols South Africa and made it to the Top 16.[26] Following his experience on the show, he began a career in gospel music as a performer and songwriter. He featured on Integrity Music compilation albums[27] and participated in the founding of South African contemporary gospel group We Will Worship,[28] before being discovered and signed as a solo artist and songwriter by David Gresham Records in 2012.[29][30]

His 2013 debut album with David Gresham Records was well received in South Africa,[31] earning Cruise three South African Music Awards nominations[32] and giving him his first number one charted South Africa radio single "Not Just Friends."[4] Work began immediately on a follow up album and Cruise collaborated with songwriters in New York City, such as Ido Zmishlany, through video calls from South Africa.[33] His 2014 single, "Into The Wild," debuted at number one on the South African iTunes singles chart and caused a social media frenzy on Twitter, which caught the attention of American music executive L.A Reid.[34]

In 2014,[35] Reid signed Cruise to Epic Records, a division of Sony Music, in what is widely regarded to be the largest and most significant record deal in South African music history.[36] Cruise followed up his move to the United States by releasing his international debut Into The Wild EP in 2015 through Island Records[37] and spent most of 2015 and 2016 touring extensively around the United States and South Africa.[38] He also worked in studio with acclaimed producers and songwriters John Ryan, Teddy Geiger, Ido Zmishlany, and Scott Harris.[39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48]

In 2016 Cruise performed with The Fray,[49] Adam Lambert,[50] SafetySuit,[41] and The American Authors[51] in venues across the United States such as The Troubadour in Los Angeles,[52] and the Billboard Lounge in New York City.[53] Cruise took the stage at the Firefly Music Festival[54] and the Bonnaroo Music Festival[55] and was invited to perform at a gala celebration of Harry Belafonte in Greenwich, Connecticut.[56]

In 2017, Cruise released his sophomore studio album, Barely Breathing.[57] The album debuted at number one on the South African iTunes album chart[12] and would go on to earn him his fifth South African Music Award nomination.[58] The lead single from the album, "All Day" topped the South African radio charts.[59] Cruise was invited to be a mentor on the second season of The Voice South Africa, and performed "All Day" live on the show.[60]

In 2018, Cruise was one of 12 South African celebrities chosen to compete in the first season of Dancing with the Stars South Africa.[61] He was partnered with Latin dance champion, Marcella Solimeo.[62] After topping the leaderboard throughout the competition, Cruise and Solimeo bounced back from their first and only dance-off in the semifinal to win the show and take home the mirrorball trophy.[63] The Twitter hashtag, #TeamCruiseControl, became a rallying point for Cruise's fans and supporters throughout the season, dominating much of the television show's social media presence.[64]

Several of Cruise's songs have been featured in international synchronizations during his career. "Endless Possibilities," an exclusive release for the United States of America, was selected by Pepsi Co. for their North American Quaker Oats television commercial campaign[65] and "Into The Wild" featured in the international trailers of the animated feature films "Robinson Crusoe"[66] (2016), and "Missing Link."[16] (2019). Also in 2019, "All Day" was selected as the theme song for the first season of The Bachelor South Africa.[67] Cruise performed a live version of the song on the season finale.[68] Later in 2019, Cruise was invited to participate in the opening performance of the 25th South African Music Awards where he performed "All Day" as part of a showcase that displayed and honored South African music industry legends.[69]

In 2019, after taking a brief hiatus from the music industry to start a family with his wife, Sarah, Cruise announced that he had renewed his recording contract with David Gresham Records and had begun to record his third studio album.[16] Confluence, his third studio album, was released in 2020 in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic to critical acclaim. Described as a project where all of his "ideas, creativity, and work converge, making way for something more"[70] the album includes his latest hit singles "All Summer Long" and "Take Me To The River."

South African singer and songwriter Connell Cruise has released three studio albums, one reissue album, two extended plays and eighteen singles.

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