Smiley
Birth nameAlexander Eli Morand[1]
Also known asSmiley_61st
Born1997 (age 26–27)[2]
Toronto, Ontario, Canada[2]
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Rapper
  • songwriter
InstrumentsVocals
Years active2014–present[3]
Labels

Alexander Eli Morand (born 1997), known professionally as Smiley (formerly Smiley_61st), is a Canadian rapper. He signed to hometown native Drake's OVO Sound record label, an imprint of Warner Records in 2021. The same year, he released the single "Over the Top" (featuring Drake), which peaked at number 13 on the Canadian Hot 100 and number 57 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Career

Smiley began rapping in 2014 with rap crew Garden Gang after seeing his friends freestyling. In 2015, he released his track "9 on Me" which captured the attention of record producer Boi-1da. His track "Garden Girl" also helped him gain traction.[3] He first interacted with Drake in 2017.[2] In 2018 he released his debut project Bye or Bye.[4] Also in 2018, Drake cited Smiley's lyrics during his first public statement following the release of diss track The Story of Adidon by American rapper Pusha T.[4] In July 2021, he released Over the Top, collaboration with Drake produced by American record producer Tay Keith.[5] In November 2021, he released his album Buy or Bye 2, the sequel to his 2018 project with appearances from Yung Bleu, Duvy, Drake, Pressa and OhGeesy.[6]

Musical style

Jordan Darville, writing for The Fader, describes Smiley's style in the following manner: "Stark street bars rapped with a cadence that's light but fills the room with its presence, like a cloud of good weed."[4]

In 2015, Smiley was in jail for a gun-related charge.[3]

References

  1. ↑ "Try the TIDAL Web Player". listen.tidal.com.
  2. 1 2 3 "Meet Smiley, OVO's New Secret Weapon". Complex. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "The Break Presents: Smiley". XXL. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 "Smiley rules, and here's proof". The Fader. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
  5. ↑ "Hear Drake Join Smiley on New Single 'Over the Top'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
  6. ↑ "Smiley Drops New Album 'Buy or Bye 2,' f/ Drake, Duvy, Pressa, and More". Complex. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
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