Jacob Taio Cruz (born Adetayo Ayowale Onile-Ere; 23 April) is an English singer, songwriter, rapper and record producer. In 2008, he released his debut album Departure, which he wrote, arranged and produced. The album achieved certified gold status in the United Kingdom and earned him a MOBO Music of Black Origin Awards nomination. In October 2009, Cruz released his follow-up album Rokstarr, which includes the number one singles "Break Your Heart" and "Dynamite".
In March 2011, Cruz premiered an all-new song called "Telling the World", which was written by Cruz and Alan Kasiyre for the Rio soundtrack. The track was not featured on any of Cruz's prior studio albums. On 23 May 2011, Cruz received his first Billboard Award in the United States. He announced onstage that his third album, entitled Black and Leather, would be released in the fourth quarter of 2011. In June 2011, Cruz released a collaborative single, "Little Bad Girl", with French DJ David Guetta and American rapper Ludacris. The song was a worldwide smash, topping singles charts across the world. During July and August 2011, a series of unreleased songs, recorded during the album sessions, were leaked to YouTube. in an interview, Cruz promised a "fun" and "energetic" album, and claimed that due to the leak, none of the tracks posted on YouTube would be included on the album. Cruz claimed, "It's a shame really, because one person has spoilt it for all the fans. They could have had an album packed with 17, 18 tracks, and now, they're only getting eleven because of one stupid act of tomfooolery." During the interview, Cruz also claimed that the title of the album had been changed to Troublemaker, after one of the tracks included on the album. On 4 October 2011, the single "Hangover" was officially released in Germany and the US, and it was rumoured that a solo version of the song, that features on the physical release, would be included as a bonus track on the album. However, these rumours were later quashed. Around October 2011, the album was made available for pre-order, and as such, the album's final title, TY.O, was revealed. Cruz, via his Twitter account, made the decision to name the album TY.O after he expressed his annoyance at people constantly pronouncing his name wrong. The album was first released in Germany on 2 December 2011. It will be released in the UK on 31 December 2012. It was going to release in the United States on 17 May 2012, but it was released on 31 December 2012, coinciding with the UK release, but with new tracks, including the U.S. single "Fast Car". Cruz was scheduled to co-headline Pitbull's Australian leg of Planet Pit World Tour in August 2012. On 12 August, Cruz performed at the closing ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. The performance at London's Olympic Stadium saw Cruz sing his own song "Dynamite", and also perform "Written in the Stars" alongside Jessie J and Tinie Tempah.

Q: What was most important about 2011 for Taio?
A: Cruz premiered an all-new song called "Telling the World", which was written by Cruz and Alan Kasiyre for the Rio soundtrack.

Q: Was that song a hit?
A: soundtrack. The track was not featured on any of Cruz's prior studio albums.

Q: What band was he with when the song was released?
A: unknown

Q: What was Rio?
A: Rio soundtrack.

Q: Did anything else important happen in 2011?
A: Around October 2011, the album was made available for pre-order,

Q: Was that album successful?
A: unknown

Q: Did any of the albums singles make the charts?
A: "Little Bad Girl", with French DJ David Guetta and American rapper Ludacris.

Q: What was the most important thing to happen in 2012?
A: 2012. On 12 August, Cruz performed at the closing ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
What happened on this tour?
The performance at London's Olympic Stadium saw Cruz sing his own song "Dynamite", and also perform "Written in the Stars" alongside Jessie J and Tinie Tempah. On 12 August, Cruz performed at the closing ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. On 12 August, Cruz performed at the closing ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. On 12 August, Cruz performed at the closing ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
On 12 August, Cruz performed at the closing ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.