Bilal

Six days after the release of The Retrospection, Bilal released "Back to Love," the first single off A Love Surreal. A video was released for the song on 8 January 2013, telling the story of a drug-addicted love doctor who ironically uses the advice he gives to his patients to help his own relationship. The song sets the tone for the album, which Bilal says embodies "the whole process [of love]: meeting, the break-up, [and] the get-back-together." A Love Surreal was released on 26 February 2013.

In 2012, Bilal revealed plans for a new album under a new label, eOne Music. During several interviews, Bilal described the new project as "a lot warmer and [more] sensual" than its conceptual predecessor. The new album, titled A Love Surreal, has a more acoustic sound, as Bilal worked very closely with his entire band. To set up the album's release, on 5 December 2012, Bilal released a mixtape titled The Retrospection via Facebook.

After nine years without a properly released album, Bilal made a comeback on 14 September 2010 with Airtight's Revenge, a sophomore LP released under independent record label Plug Research. Bilal describes the album as a retrospective album: an album that explores his experiences and things that he's learned since his last release. An experimental album, Airtight's Revenge blends jazz, hip-hop, electronic, rock, soul, and blues into one raw, genuine collection of music.

Bilal began to familiarize himself with the music scene in New York City, meeting big talents such as Common, The Roots, and Erykah Badu. Eventually, he was discovered by Aaron Comess from the Spin Doctors during an after-school jam session. It was with him that Bilal recorded his demo that landed him a record deal with Interscope. In 2001, he released his debut album 1st Born Second, which featured contributions from the Soulquarians as well as high-profile producers such as Dr. Dre and J Dilla. The album peaked at number 31 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, and it has sold 319,000 copies. 1st Born Second received universal acclaim from music critics; and holds a score of 82 out of 100 at Metacritic. The album earned rave reviews from publications, including The Village Voice, Chicago Sun-Times, and USA Today, and it also received comparisons to the music of Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Sly & the Family Stone, Prince, and Curtis Mayfield.

Bilal was born as Bilal Sayeed Oliver in Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He grew up in a religiously mixed household, his mother being Christian and his father Muslim. When he was 11 he became choir director at his mother's church, and at 14 he formed a group and performed gigs at the Blue Moon Cafe in Philadelphia. Bilal attended The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music. He attended and Graduated from the High School for Creative And Performing Arts (CAPA) in 1998.

Bilal Sayeed Oliver (born August 23, 1979), better known mononymously as Bilal, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is currently an independent artist residing in New York City.