Lloyd Signed His First Deal At Age 10 And Years Later Platforms Like TikTok Are Helping His Music Reach Generations
Lloyd understood the importance of being a student of the game when he entered the music industry as a child.
Industry Journey
The R&B crooner is known for hit songs such as “You,” his “biggest earned streamed song.” He spent a lot of time in the studio learning from those who paved the way such as Dallas Austin, Gerald Busby, Tricky Stewart, as well as Joyce Irby, a mentor of his who signed him to Atlanta-based teen pop group N-Toon in 1997 when he was just 10 years old, noted Foxy 107.1/104.3.
“She basically just poured a lot of time and love into me so that I wouldn’t make kinda the same pitfalls in the beginning. So by the time I was 18 years old, I was really headstrong. I knew exactly what I wanted. I knew exactly how to find my sound, and I wasn’t gonna let anybody tell me what I already knew,“ Lloyd said following a performance on the Coca-Cola Stage at the Convention Center during the 2025 Essence Festival of Culture, held in his hometown of New Orleans, LA.
Entering the music business as a child, Lloyd realized that reading would be fundamental to navigating an industry, where he was already interacting with various producers and record executives, notes YouKnowIGotSoul. One book he read was titled “All You Need to Know About the Music Business,“ by music entertainment lawyer Don Passman. He also didn’t hesitate to write down questions about publishing, mechanical royalties, album earnings, and recoupment, even booking hour-long sessions with his lawyer to get the answers he needed.
“I learned to ask a million and one questions, that there are no dumb questions when you’re trying to figure things out,” he explained. “But you only get the answers to the questions you ask, so you have to at least be willing to ask…Because I find that music is great. It’s spiritual. It’s priceless. You can’t really put it in a box. That’s why it’s so valuable. But this is the music business. And a lot of us fall when we don’t take the time to learn the business.”
Lloyd says that one of the most strategic decisions he made — beyond hiring an attorney — was bringing on an accountant. At just 15 years old, he hired his first business manager. However, he notes that finding a spiritual mentor has also been crucial in maintaining his values.
“Really having a moral compass and really being tuned spiritually, I think is probably more valuable than any of it because money, you can win and lose, but your spirit is is valuable and is fragile. So you gotta protect that,“ he expressed.
It’s likely his spirit that has helped him through the highs and lows within his journey, which included signing to Irv Gotti’s Murder Inc. By 2003, he released his debut album “Southside,” before making his exit from the label all together in 2009. In a former interview with YouKnowIGotSoul, he said that period of his life allowed him to find greater freedom in his artistry, since he was able to write his songs, produce alongside friends, and he wasn’t pressured to conform. On “The Breakfast Club,” he acknowledged that there had been disputes “about petty stuff” that he later recognized as financial disagreements.
Not long after, Lloyd took a five year hiatus from the music industry, Complex reports, before returning with “Tru,” in 2016. Released independently, “Tru” marked a new chapter in his career, as an independent artist, which remains “his biggest earner personally,” nearly a decade later.
Technology’s Role In Music
Lloyd also reflected on the current music landscape, weighing in on technologies such as AI. As a “science geek,“ he finds it all interesting.
He mentioned that he’s familiar with stories of AI “going wrong.“ However, overall, he thinks AI is “awesome.“
In terms of TikTok, it is providing a new avenue for his songs to reach larger audiences. His single “Player’s Prayer,” is one of the most viral sounds, having generated more than 67,000 videos.
“I’m so thankful that the world adapts for me, and I’m not going against evolution. So when my music starts going viral on TikTok, I’m like, ‘Yeah. Let’s go.‘ I don’t have a TikTok. I don’t post TikToks,” he said. “Everybody tells me I should get a TikTok, but I don’t think I need it in order to still be a part of the world.”
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Homecoming
In real time, Lloyd continues to keep his music alive through touring. He recently received a warm homecoming during his set at the Essence Festival of Culture.
“There’s nothing like connecting with real ones in real time. Thank you to everyone who pulled up and packed out the @CocaCola booth at Essence Fest. I felt every word, every note, every ounce of love. You made it special — one for the books,” he expressed in an Instagram post shared on July 16.
The Coca-Cola Company Cultural Marketing Lead Stephanie Eaddy commented:
“Lloyd has been an artist for over twenty years, and I think you can see here, during Essence Festival, that he’s multi generational, pulling interest from Gen Zers all the way to my boomers. Everybody in between. One of the things that’s great about Lloyd is that he’s got the roots here in New Orleans. And our theme today is the 30th anniversary has a lot to do with being inspired by New Orleans and bringing little pieces of New Orleans into the into the design.”
She continued, “So having his voice here as somebody who represents New Orleans, that was was a perfect touch. But not only that, he also represents Atlanta. Being a resident of Atlanta and that’s our hometown for Coca-Cola, we thought it’s just a great combination. He’s joyful. He has a strong R&B voice that continues to have resonance and continues to be interesting to many listeners, and so we were excited he wanted to be part of today.”
