Denzel Spencer (born April 18, 1996),[1] better known by his stage name Roy Woods (also stylized as Roy Wood$), is a Canadian singer, rapper, and songwriter.[2][3] He signed with Drake's record label OVO Sound, an imprint of Warner Records in 2014. His first two albums, Waking at Dawn (2016) and Say Less (2017), both moderately entered the Canadian Albums Chart and US Billboard 200. Woods has also founded his own collective, Unlock the Underground.
Denzel Spencer was born April 18, 1996, in Brampton, Ontario, Canada.[1] For over three years, Woods attended Turner Fenton High School and eventually made a decision to move to St. Augustine Secondary School during his final year.[4] Before his music career took off, he was often recognized for his commitment and talent in the sport of football. The origin of his name "Roy" comes from a youth that lived in the same building as him from Brampton. Woods took a survey throughout his high school and "Roy Wood$" seemed to be the winning ticket.[citation needed]
2014–present: Career beginnings, Say Less, and Mixed Emotions[edit]
On July 11, 2015, Drake premiered "Drama", the first song from Woods' EP, Exis. The song was also premiered on Apple's Beats 1 radio during the first OVO Sound radio show.[5] The track also features with the guest appearances from Woods' label boss, Drake. On July 25, 2015, a second song titled "Get You Good" premiered on the second episode of the OVO Sound radio show. On July 31, 2015, Roy released his debut EP Exis digitally through OVO Sound, of which was the record label co-founded by Canadian rapper and singer Drake.[6] On October 9, 2015, Woods released his first music video for his song, "Jealousy".[7] It has since garnered over 9,000,000 views on YouTube.
On December 23, 2016, Woods released his second EP, titled Nocturnal.[9]
On July 20, 2017, Woods released the track, "What Are You On?", as the lead single from his debut studio album, Say Less.[10] On November 17, 2017, Woods released the title track, "Say Less". On December 1, 2017, Woods released his debut studio album, Say Less.[11]
On June 8, 2018, Woods released two new singles, titled "Russian Cream" and "Snow White", with no prior announcement.[12][13]
On February 8, 2019, Roy Woods released a single titled "Worth It".[14]
On September 18, 2019, Roy Woods released a single titled "Bubbly".[15]
On May 8, 2020, Roy Woods released his newest single titled "I Feel It"
On May 15, 2020, Roy Woods released his third EP, titled Dem Times.[16]
In 2023, he participated in an all-star recording of Serena Ryder's single "What I Wouldn't Do", which was released as a charity single to benefit Kids Help Phone's Feel Out Loud campaign for youth mental health.[17]
On July 28, 2023, Roy Woods released his second studio album, titled Mixed Emotions. The album features guest appearances from Coi Leray, Jada Kingdom, and Vory, and was preceded by the singles "Touch You", "Insecure", "Bad Bad", "Don't Love Me", "Young Boy Problems", "Don't Mind Me", and "Test What I Know".
Woods has said some of his biggest influences are Michael Jackson, Drake, Nelly, The Weeknd and PartyNextDoor.[18] Woods has also started an artist collective, titled Unlock The Underground, which is a branch of the OVO Sound. The artists on this collective include In-house Producer/Engineer BATMANONTHEBEATZ, RAYNY, and DOLOINDACUT as Wood's Official DJ.[19]
