Connell Cruise
Connell Cruise Kingsburgh (born May 19, 1987) known professionally as Connell Cruise, is a South African singer, songwriter, performer, pianist, and musician.
In 2013 he released his debut solo album in South Africa through David Gresham Records, and would earn three South African Music Award nominations the following year. The lead single, "Not Just Friends," became his first number one single on South African radio charts.
He released "Into The Wild" as a follow-up single in 2014, which led to L.A. Reid signing Cruise to Epic Records in what is considered the largest and most significant record deal in South African music history.
Following his move to New York City, he released his international debut, Into The Wild EP, in 2015 through Island Records.
Cruise met his wife, Sarah, in New York City and in September 2016 the two were married at New York City Hall. The couple relocated to South Africa in 2017 to coincide with the release of his second studio album Barely Breathing, again through David Gresham Records. The album debuted at number one on the South African iTunes album chart and garnered Cruise his fifth South African Music Award nomination
In 2018, he was one of 12 celebrity contestants to compete in the first season of Dancing with the Stars South Africa, which he and his dancing partner, Marcella Solimeo, won.
After a brief hiatus from the music industry, Cruise announced in 2019 that he had renewed his recording contract with David Gresham Records and had started work on his third studio album. Following the global and unprecedented upheaval caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Cruise released Confluence, a greatest hits album with five new songs including "All Summer Long" and "Take Me To The River" – receiving critical acclaim.
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