Neo-soul and R&B singer, songwriter, musician, and producer Andwele Gardner was born on February 14, 1978 in Detroit, Michigan. He is better-known by his stage name Dwele. Blending soul music with a hint of jazz, Dwele’s music was influenced by Stevie Wonder, A Tribe Called Quest, Freddie Hubbard, Donny Hathaway, Roy Ayers, and Miles Davis. His recording career began with The Rize, a 2002 demo that he sold out of the trunk of his car. The recording caught the attention of Slum Village and their producer J Dilla. Dwele provided vocals to the Slum Village track "Tainted" (2002). The track brought Dwele media attention and led to further musical collaborations and signing a contract with Virgin Records. His first album for the label was 2003’s Subject. The album entered the Top 20 on the Billboard R&B Albums chart. His second album, Some Kinda…, was released in 2005 and hit Number 10 on the R&B chart. Further releases – Sketches of a Man (2008), W.ants, World W.omen (2010), and Greater Than One (2012) continued to sell well, all three entering the R&B Top 10. Throughout his career, Dwele has collaborated with a variety of artists including Common, Kanye West, Boney James, Phat Kat, Pharoahe Monch, Foxy Brown, Big Sean, DJ Quik, and many others.
