Sunni Colón Thierry Tetsu (born 1991) known by his stage name Sunni Colón is an American singer/songwriter, producer, and artist based in Los Angeles, California. He has released three albums and his music was featured in Dear White People and HBO’s Insecure and Ballers.
| Sunni Colón | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Sunni Colón Thierry Tetsu |
| Also known as | Sunni Colón, Tetsu |
| Born | 1991 Los Angeles, California, US |
| Genres | Alternative R&B, Funk, Soul |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, Songwriter, Record Producer, Artist |
| Instrument(s) | Guitar, Piano |
| Discography | Albums, Singles |
| Years active | 2013 – present |
| Labels | Tetsu Recordings |
Early life
editTetsu was born to Nigerian parents and grew up moving around the world,[1] his mother a biochemist and his father a real estate professional.[2] Sunni always had an affinity with music and began creating beats as early as 13 years old. He is a self-taught multi-instrumentalist.[3]
Sunni attended California State University, Long Beach and graduated with a degree in civil engineering.[4] He went on to work as a project manager at a design and construction company before quitting to create the creative agency, TETSU with a business partner.[5]
Along with the new business venture, Sunni continued taking risks by establishing himself as a singer/songwriter and producer. A stark contrast to his family background coming from educators, business professionals, and engineers.[6]
Tetsu made hip-hop beats for rappers and through his journey of sampling, he became enamored with the music he sampled and found himself learning and honing his craft from soul, funk, Neo-soul, rock and roll, and contemporary R&B.[6]
Career
editTetsu garnered recognition from his demo single, Temple released on SoundCloud in 2013.[7] The single reached the attention of a Hollywood music supervisor, Paul Stewart and it became a part of the soundtrack for Justin Simien's film Dear White People.[5]
His debut single, Water was released in 2015.
In 2016, he served as a co-writer and guitarist on Cinderella, a track for Mac Miller’s album, The Divine Feminine. Sunni released Little Things, a single produced by Kaytranada in 2017.[8] Little Things was featured in HBO’s Insecure and Ballers.[4]
Sunni debuted his first album, Thierry Disko in 2016. Thierry Disko a refreshing take on modern funk, alternative R&B, with hints of soul and rock & roll.[9]
Following his album’s release, he had a multi-sensory art installation called Manifest 1.0. featured in East Williamsburg, New York City in 2017.[10]
Tetsu retreated to Paris to focus on the creation of his next project, his second album Satin Psicodelic, released in 2018.[7] The album cemented Sunni’s sonic signature, a melting pot of progressive funk, alt-R&B, soul, and flirtation with rock & roll and jazz. The three lead singles from the album are Summer Blu, Technicolor, and Baby I Don't Mind.
Sunni was featured in a few publications (Highsnobiety[6] and The New York Times [5]) and platforms (Colors Studio) following the release of his self-released album. He performed Mornin Dew, a track from Satin Psicodelic, on Colors Studio.[11]
In 2019, Sunni signed with IMG Models and was featured in Tommy Hilfiger F/W 2019 campaign[12]
From 2019 to 2020, Tetsu releases three singles: Supernova , Slip n Slide , and Penny for Your Thoughts.
Early 2022, Sunni debuts his album JúJú & The Flowerbug. The lead singles are Provide, Flowerbug (Interlude), and Supernatural Woman. JúJú & The Flowerbug stays true to Sunni’s signature sound of alternative R&B and funk plus incorporates Afrobeats and Samba.[13]
As of 2024, Tetsu has released three singles: Dream About You All Through the Night, DISKO MUSHROOM, and TURBO, which led fans to speculate if a fourth album is coming soon.
Discography
editAlbums
edit- Thierry Disko (2016)
- Satin Psicodelic (2018)
- JúJú & The Flowerbug (2022)
Singles
edit- Water (2015)
- Little Things (2017)
- God is a Woman (2017)
- Yours Truly, 2095 (2018)
- Supernova (2019)
- Slip n Slide (2020)
- Penny For Your Thoughts (2020)
Features
edit- Braxe + Falcon - Elevation - (2023)
- Lee Bannon - PLACE/CRUSHER (2013)
References
edit- ^ "Sunni Colón, the up-and-coming singer-songwriter from LA, will be performing in Japan for the first time". Toky Times. July 25, 2024.
- ^ Acey, James (Nov 18, 2018). "Sunni Inspirations". Eaton Workshop.
- ^ Mestad, Ray (June 10, 2016). "Respect The Neighbors • Sunni Colón". These Days.
- ^ a b "Multimedia Visionary Sunni Colon Is Creating His Own Universe". WRBJ 97.7 FM - The Beat of the Capital. Dec 3, 2021.
- ^ a b c Rollinson, Xenia (May 15, 2018). "Sunni Colón composes ethereal music for all senses". The New York Times.
- ^ a b c NEMBHARD, CANDICE NEMBHARD (August 2018). "SUNNI COLÓN IS LOS ANGELES' BEST-KEPT SECRET". HIGHSNOBIETY.
- ^ a b "SUNNI COLÓN". Another Planet Entertainment. August 10, 2021.
- ^ "Little Things (produced by KAYTRANADA)". Soundcloud.com.
- ^ "3 CALIFORNIAN PRINCES HONORING NEO-SOUL, NEO-R'N'B AND RAP : SUNNI COLON, ELUJAY AND BLACK PARTY". POINT ZERO WORLD. May 10, 2020.
- ^ Benavidez, Max (Oct 22, 2017). "Manifest 1.0: A New Sonic and Sensory Immersion Experience". Huff Post.
- ^ "Sunni Colón". Colors Studio. Feb 18, 2019.
- ^ "SUNNI COLÓN | TOMMY JEANS F/W 2019". IMG Models. July 31, 2019.
- ^ Alarcón, David (March 31, 2022). "Sunni Colón - Knowing the seed".