Taio Cruz -- About to Pop

By Ashley Iasimone Posted Apr 16th 2010 01:00PM

Who: Taio Cruz
Album: 'Rokstarr'
Video: 'Break Your Heart'
Hails From: London, England
For Fans Of: Jay Sean, Jason Derulo

Why He's About to Pop: Taio Cruz may sing about breaking girls' hearts and taking dirty pictures on his latest tracks, but he's nothing short of polite and business-minded. The British singer, writer and producer first got into the industry making hits for other acts -- he's since been enlisted by Britney Spears, Leona Lewis and Justin Timberlake, to name a few. He soon broke into the UK's music scene as a solo artist with his dance and R&B-tinged pop. Cruz, who currently has a Top 10 hit of his own on iTunes with 'Break Your Heart,' tells PopEater that his catchy tunes are actually "a bit of an exaggeration of a true story." But the stories behind his lyrics take a backseat to the relatable themes and catchy beats that have made his songs so successful. The singer, who is looking forward to releasing and touring in support of his new album, 'Rokstarr,' also runs his own brand of the same name, which currently consists of sunglasses and, by summertime, will include high end T-shirts and jeans. In an exclusive interview with PopEater, Cruz talks about his influences, working with Ludacris and Ke$ha, and why fast cars and girls made his recent video shoots so memorable. Check it out after the jump.

Watch the 'Break Your Heart' Feat. Ludacris Video

Seven Questions With Taio Cruz:

What are the stories behind your singles, 'Break Your Heart' and 'Dirty Picture'?

Generally, they come out of subconscious places. I don't actually sit down and think, "All right, I'm going to write a song about this." It's kind of in hindsight, when I look back at them -- and then I try to analyze why I may have written these songs. It generally comes in when someone like you asks me. I would say 'Break You Heart' was written when I broke up with my girlfriend -- ex-girlfriend -- a year or so ago, then I would go out and meet new people and new girls and they would kind of want to lock me into a new relationship. I wouldn't want to do that at that point because I was just kind of newly single and wasn't trying to get back into relationships immediately, so I'd have to let those girls down. And that kind of spurred me to write a song called 'Break Your Heart' because I felt like some of those girls ... well, [they were] not particularly heartbroken, but to a certain extent. I thought, what it would be like if I was going out and breaking girls' hearts? It's a bit of an exaggeration of a true story. And that's also true about 'Dirty Picture.' People send each other naughty messages all the time, and girls have sent me naughty pictures. I'm sure I'm not the only one. I'm sure if you asked, 90% [of people] have the same thing happening. But it was quite fun, just a fun song. I thought the songs are really catchy and that's why I released them.

What was it like to get to work with Ludacris and Ke$ha on these songs?

It was cool. I always liked working with different artists, especially new ones. You can be a big fan of the existing ones, but the new ones are kind of cool because we are all part of the same crew coming up. It's good to work with Ke$ha in those respects. And Ludacris is just amazing. He has so many hit songs, so many hit albums out. They're both very nice people, true professionals and great performers. It was great all around.

Which video was more fun to shoot: 'Break Your Heart' or 'Dirty Picture'?

Wow. I think they were both fun. Both fun in different ways, I suppose. For 'Break Your Heart' ... it was filmed in Spain, which was fun. Also, I got to kiss like loads and loads of girls, which was also fun. In the video, I got to drive one of my favorite sports cars. I got to hang out in a party full of just gorgeous people. I got to go all the way to the desert and hang out there, which I've never been to. And I got to meet Ke$ha, let's not forget that. That was the first video. We also shot the extra scenes with Ludacris, and I got to go to Miami and I got to meet Luda as well. I always try to speak to the director I work with quite a lot, and we try to make a holiday out of it and try to fly somewhere nice hang out. Two of my videos were shot in Spain, and we shot my last one in LA. And they're both about going somewhere nice where it's sunny and have a good time.

What song that you've written or produced do you think you're most proud of?

I guess at the moment it would be 'Break Your Heart,' my first international No. 1 record. I have written songs for people, and I have other hit songs [but] this one is just crazy because it's me singing the song, it's broken the Billboard record -- it's just crazy.

What artists are you into right now?

I love Owl City. I'm always listening to Coldplay. Drake. I'm not sure if I like Drake as much as I liked him on the mixtape, but I thought that Drake is also [like] ... a lot of me, a lot of the new stuff that I'm always writing. I'm always listening and checking and making sure that it's right or that I don't want to change a line here or there. I listen to the last Ke$ha album. And I think that's it. I like to listen to pop music, so whatever's in the charts -- that's what I'm listening to. I think about the charts. I definitely have been listening to Justin Bieber, Rihanna, Timbaland and Justin.

Who were your idols growing when you were first getting into music that you would love to meet?

Well, it would have been Michael Jackson, but I can't. Unfortunately, it's not possible. Madonna, Culture Club, David Bowie. Generally, loads of '80s pop [stars] -- Adam and the Ants, people like that. From the '90s, from when I got into R&B, I guess it would be more like Boyz II Men, all the pop stars -- MC Hammer, Vanilla Ice, people like that. They were so cool when I was, I don't know, 10. Naughty by Nature was cool. Foxy Brown was cool. The list goes on.

What's coming next for you?

We're going to release the album. That's where our focus is at the moment -- promoting the single, promoting the second single. And then I would love to tour. But I like to wait. Personally, for my own joy of performing, I don't like doing it when no one knows my music. I think it's really cold. Because you go there and everyone's got blank faces. At the same time, I think for the audience it's much more fun to go to the show if you know the songs. When the album's out and people have bought it and they know the songs and come to the show, when they understand and can sing along, everyone will have a better time in general. So I'll wait for the album it be out for a few months before we go tour, I think.

Download Taio Cruz Songs