Roy Woods
Canadian singer and rapper
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Denzel Spencer (born April 18, 1996),[1] better known by his stage name Roy Woods (also stylized as Roy Wood$), is a Canadian singer, rapper, and songwriter.[2][3] He signed with Drake's record label OVO Sound, an imprint of Warner Records in 2014. His first two albums, Waking at Dawn (2016) and Say Less (2017), both moderately entered the Canadian Albums Chart and US Billboard 200. Woods has also founded his own collective, Unlock the Underground.
April 18, 1996
- Singer
- rapper
- songwriter
Early life
Denzel Spencer was born April 18, 1996, in Brampton, Ontario, Canada to Guyanese[4] parents.[1] For over three years, Woods attended Turner Fenton High School and moved to St. Augustine Secondary School during his final year.[5]
Career
2014–2026: Career beginnings, Say Less, and Mixed Emotions
On July 11, 2015, Drake premiered "Drama", the first song from Woods' EP, Exis. The song was also premiered on Apple's Beats 1 radio during the first OVO Sound radio show.[6] The track also features with the guest appearances from Woods' label boss, Drake. On July 25, 2015, a second song titled "Get You Good" premiered on the second episode of the OVO Sound radio show. On July 31, 2015, Roy released his debut EP Exis digitally through OVO Sound, of which was the record label co-founded by Canadian rapper and singer Drake.[7] On October 9, 2015, Woods released his first music video for his song, "Jealousy".[8] It has since garnered over 9,000,000 views on YouTube.
On July 1, 2016, Wood's debut mixtape, Waking at Dawn, was released and promoted by Woods and other artists, including Drake and Wiz Khalifa through social media.[9][non-primary source needed]
On December 23, 2016, Woods released his second EP, titled Nocturnal.[10]
On July 20, 2017, Woods released the track, "What Are You On?", as the lead single from his debut studio album, Say Less.[11] On November 17, 2017, Woods released the title track, "Say Less". On December 1, 2017, Woods released his debut studio album, Say Less.[12]
On June 8, 2018, Woods released two new singles, titled "Russian Cream" and "Snow White", with no prior announcement.[13][14]
On February 8, 2019, Roy Woods released a single titled "Worth It".[15]
On September 18, 2019, Roy Woods released a single titled "Bubbly".[16]
On May 8, 2020, Roy Woods released the single titled "I Feel It"
On May 15, 2020, Roy Woods released his third EP, titled Dem Times.[17]
In 2023, he participated in an all-star recording of Serena Ryder's single "What I Wouldn't Do", which was released as a charity single to benefit Kids Help Phone's Feel Out Loud campaign for youth mental health.[18]
On July 28, 2023, Roy Woods released his second studio album, titled Mixed Emotions. The album features guest appearances from Coi Leray, Jada Kingdom, and Vory, and was preceded by the singles "Touch You", "Insecure", "Bad Bad", "Don't Love Me", "Young Boy Problems", "Don't Mind Me", and "Test What I Know".
Artistry
Woods has said some of his biggest influences are Michael Jackson, Drake, Nelly, The Weeknd and PartyNextDoor.[19] Woods has also started an artist collective, titled Unlock The Underground, which is a branch of the OVO Sound. The artists on this collective include In-house Producer/Engineer BATMANONTHEBEATZ, RAYNY, and DOLOINDACUT as Wood's DJ.[20]
Discography
Studio albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAN [21] |
US [22] |
US R&B /HH [23] |
US R&B [24] | ||
| Waking at Dawn | 30 | 127 | 11 | 6 | |
| Say Less |
|
26 | 92 | 38 | 11 |
| Mixed Emotions |
|
– | – | – | – |
| Rolling Stone |
|
– | – | – | – |
Extended plays
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US R&B /HH [23] |
US R&B [24] | |||||
| Exis |
|
27 | 10 | |||
| Nocturnal |
|
— | — | |||
| Dem Times |
|
— | — | |||
| Flower City Heartbreak |
|
— | — | |||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||
Singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US R&B [30] |
IRE [31] |
UK [32] | ||||
| "Drama" (featuring Drake) |
2015 | — | — | — | Exis | |
| "Gwan Big Up Urself" | 2016 | — | — | — | Waking at Dawn | |
| "How I Feel" | — | — | — | |||
| "What Are You On?" | 2017 | — | — | — | Say Less | |
| "Russian Cream" | 2018 | — | — | — | Non-album singles | |
| "Snow White" | — | — | — | |||
| "Worth It" | 2019 | — | — | — | ||
| "Bubbly" | — | — | — | |||
| "Juliet & Romeo" (with Martin Solveig)[35] |
— | 79 | 51 |
| ||
| "Shot Again"[36] | 2020 | — | — | — | ||
| "Too Much"[37] (with Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike and Dvbbs) |
2021 | — | — | — | ||
| "Touch You" | 21 | — | — | Mixed Emotions | ||
| "Speeding" | 2022 | — | — | — | Non-album single | |
| "Insecure" | — | — | — | Mixed Emotions | ||
| "Bad Bad" | — | — | — | |||
| "Luces" (with Fuego and Polimá Westcoast) |
2023 | — | — | — | Non-album single | |
| "Don't Love Me" | — | — | — | Mixed Emotions | ||
| "Young Boy Problems" | — | — | — | |||
| "Don't Mind Me" | — | — | — | |||
| "Test What I Know" | — | — | — | |||
| "Hold Still" | 2024 | — | — | — | Non-album single | |
Other charted and certified songs
Music videos
| Title | Year | Director(s) |
|---|---|---|
| "Jealousy" | 2015 | Jim Joe[38] |
| "Get You Good" | Christo Anesti and Glenn Michael (Kid. Studio)[39][40][41] | |
| "Gwan Big Up Urself" | 2016 | |
| "Go Go Go" | ||
| "Love You" | 2017 | Ninja Djacic[42] |
| "Instinct" (featuring MadeinTYO) |
Elliot Clancy Osberg[43] | |
| "Say Less" | Gab3 | |
| "Monday to Monday" | Unknown | |
| "Something New" | 2018 | Elliot Clancy Osberg[44] |
| "Snow White" | Alfy[45] |
Tours
Filmography
| Film and television | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2017 | 6IX RISING | Himself | Documentary (non-speaking appearance) |
