Layton Greene

Layton Greene is a St. Louis-based R&B singer whose emotional songs take influence from both hip-hop and artists like <a href="spotify:artist:1vfezMIyCr4XUdYRaKIKi3">Keyshia Cole</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:0urTpYCsixqZwgNTkPJOJ4">Aaliyah</a>. After her 2017 version of <a href="spotify:artist:46SHBwWsqBkxI7EeeBEQG7">Kodak Black</a>'s "Roll in Peace" went viral on social media she signed a major-label deal and landed a Top Ten R&B hit with 2019's "Leave Em Alone" featuring <a href="spotify:artist:5f7VJjfbwm532GiveGC0ZK">Lil Baby</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:37hAfseJWi0G3Scife12Il">City Girls</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:21WS9wngs9AqFckK7yYJPM">PnB Rock</a>. She released her debut EP that same year and followed it up with singles like 2020's "Chosen One" and 2023's "Spin Again."

Greene was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on December 4, 1998. She grew up with a love for music and sang for her own enjoyment but didn't begin taking it seriously until she was 18 years old. Greene began making videos of herself singing some of her favorite tunes and posting them on social media. One of them was a version of <a href="spotify:artist:46SHBwWsqBkxI7EeeBEQG7">Kodak Black</a>'s "Roll in Peace," with Greene putting her own spin on the lyrics. To her surprise, after posting it, the clip began attracting attention far beyond her circle of friends, receiving more than half-a-million views. Greene next partnered with producer G-Styles, recording a more professional version of what she called her "Roll in Peace Remix," and after it was posted online in November 2017, it exploded, receiving over three-and-a-half million plays. At the end of that year, Greene issued her second studio track, an interpretation of <a href="spotify:artist:1C5vXvYnmVVTKw4GVCKGzM">Derez De'Shon</a>'s "Fed Up" that she called "Fed Up Remix." With G-Styles once again at the controls, Greene's success continued, and she celebrated by quitting her day job at a restaurant to focus on music full-time. In 2019, she signed with the <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Universal%22">Universal</a>-affiliated imprint <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Quality+Control%22">Quality Control</a> and released "Leave Em Alone." A collaboration with <a href="spotify:artist:5f7VJjfbwm532GiveGC0ZK">Lil Baby</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:37hAfseJWi0G3Scife12Il">City Girls</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:21WS9wngs9AqFckK7yYJPM">PnB Rock</a>, the song was featured on the label's Control the Streets: Vol. 2 compilation and reached the Top Ten on Billboard's R&B singles chart, crossing over onto the pop charts as well. Her debut EP, Tell Ya Story, followed later that year and included the streaming hit "I Love You."

Following the 2020 release of the <a href="spotify:artist:0jpR7qZMbdtF352G2icmtM">NOVA Wav</a>-produced "Chosen One," Greene gave birth to her son and took a short hiatus from her music career. Released in 2023, her return single, "Spin Again," was a sensual late-night cut and heralded her forthcoming debut full-length. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi