Robin Thicke

Long before “Blurred Lines” became the biggest song on the planet in 2013, Robin Thicke—who was born in Los Angeles in 1977—had proven himself as one of contemporary R&B’s true talents. In fact, his gifts as a neo-soul balladeer were clear on “Lost Without U”, one of the many buttery-smooth tracks on 2006’s The Evolution of Robin Thicke. This album, his second, demonstrated his maturity and finesse as a performer and writer, qualities that were born out of the lessons he learned from early mentors like Brian McKnight. (Another advantage for Thicke was having two parents in showbiz: Growing Pains dad Alan Thicke and actress/singer Gloria Loring.) The album also marked the beginning of his relationship with Pharrell Williams, who gave Thicke a major boost when he signed him to his Star Trak label and exec-produced his 2008 album, Something Else. Their most successful teaming came with “Blurred Lines”, a slinky funk-pop smash that caused complications for its creators. In Thicke’s case, there was a courtroom battle over plagiarism, a personal struggle with addiction and the end of his marriage to actress Paula Patton, the subject of his forlorn 2014 album, Paula. But as Thicke said in an interview with Apple Music, “I always wanted to be an artist’s artist,” and his determination to put the focus back on his songs yielded vivid results on 2021’s On Earth, and in Heaven, a gorgeous showcase of his brand of pop-soul.