Los Angeles, CA · pop-rap

Bryce Vine

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Sunny pop-rap with a guitar underneath — 'Drew Barrymore' breeziness built for a summer that never quite ends.

Bryce Vine was born Bryce Christopher Ross-Johnson in New York City in 1988 and moved to Los Angeles as a toddler, when his mother relocated to pursue an acting career. He grew up mostly in Westlake Village. His father introduced him to nineties R&B, which pushed him toward music, and he picked up a guitar at 13, teaching himself to play.

In 2011 he auditioned for The Glee Project, a reality series built around casting for the television show Glee, and made the twelve finalists before being the first contestant eliminated. He later said the show was not the right fit for him. He then enrolled at Berklee College of Music, where he adopted the stage name Vine, short for vinyl.

After leaving Berklee, Vine met producer Nolan Lambroza and signed to his label, Kiva House Lambroza, releasing music independently. His songs combine rapped verses with sung hooks and pop-rock guitar, a mix that put him closer to pop radio than to hip-hop. He released the EPs Lazy Fair in 2014 and Night Circus in 2016 while building that sound.

He broke through with "Drew Barrymore," which found a wide audience several years after its release, and followed it with "La La Land," a collaboration with YG. Both songs appeared on his 2019 debut album, Carnival, giving him his first two entries on the Billboard Hot 100.

Vine has named Third Eye Blind as a central influence, praising their honest lyrics and infectious choruses, alongside rapper J. Cole, whom he admires for his storytelling and for delivering a clear message without ever taking himself too seriously.

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