Coleridge Gardner Tillman (born January 17, 1982), who goes by the stage name Sebastian Kole, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer from Birmingham, Alabama. He is currently[when?] signed to EP Entertainment and Motown Records. Prior to his work with Motown, Sebastian was known for co-writing on a Jennifer Lopez and Flo Rida single titled "Goin' In". Since signing with EP Entertainment/Motown in 2012, Sebastian worked with label-mate Alessia Cara, co-writing and co-producing her album, including her debut single "Here" (along with Grammy-winning producers Andrew "Pop" Wansel and Oak).[1]
Early life
Sebastian Kole was born Coleridge Gardner Tillman,[2] on January 17,[3] 1989, in Birmingham, Alabama. He learned music through church, where he began singing in choral and playing doctor at the age of 5. At age 13 he began to delve into a rap career and writing his own songs, which evolved into a singing career once he started college.
Career
Kole would play at various bars and clubs while attending the University of Alabama where he eventually graduated as a Music Tech major. Upon his graduation, Sebastian moved back home and continued to work on his writing. In early 2012, he co-wrote a Jennifer Lopez and Flo Rida collaboration titled "Goin' In". This placement prompted him to move to LA where he signed with EP Entertainment and Motown in December 2012.[4]
In 2014, Sebastian began working with EP Entertainment labelmate Alessia Cara, who released her debut single on Def Jam in April 2015. Sebastian co-wrote and co-produced her debut album along with Pop & Oak Kuya and Malay.[5] The song debuted on The Fader and accumulated over 500,000 streams in its first week.[6] Kole has also worked on music for the TV series Grey's Anatomy.
His debut album, Soup, was released on October 7, 2016. It was preceded by a self-titled EP in May and three singles released across March and April: "Home", "Love's On the Way" and "Love Doctor".