Gardner was raised to the west side of Detroit in a musical family. He played piano in the age of six, after taking up trumpet, bass guitar and guitar. He was profoundly influenced by the deadly shooting of his dad outside his house when he was age ten, after saying “I learned to put my emotions into music; it was my treatment.” Gardner recorded a demo in his bedroom, called, The Rize, and sold it from the trunk of his automobile. He’d about 100 copies, which sold out within a week. He caught the ears of local heroes Slum Village and much more particularly their world-famous producer J Dilla. Slum Village encouraged Dwele to sing the hook of the song “Tainted” for their record Trinity (Past, Present and Future). Dwele signed to Virgin Records in 2003, as well as the label released his debut record, Subject, which combined neo soul and hip hop. In a 2005 review in The Independent, his design was summed up: “Dwele’s rooted in classic soul but is not stuck in the past, too reverential or an exercise in pastiche – there is a leading hip hop border which betrays his first incarnation as a rapper.” Another record, Some Kind Of…, followed in 2005.
MTV Video Music Award for Best Art Direction, MTV Video Music Award for Best Visual Effects, Grammy Award for Best Urban/Alternative Performance, Soul Train Music Centric Certified Award, Soul Train Music Award for Best R&B/Soul Album – Male, What's Not to Love, I'm Cheatin', Find a Way
Soundtrack
Title
Year
Status
Character
Power Rangers
2017
performer: "Power"
Glastonbury 2015
2015
TV Series writer - 1 episode
Entourage
2015
writer: "Tainted"
Saints Row: The Third
2011
Video Game writer: "Power"
Runaway
2010/I
Short writer: "Power" - uncredited
Saturday Night Live
2010
TV Series writer - 1 episode
Grand Theft Auto IV
2008
Video Game performer: "Flashing Lights"
Actor
Title
Year
Status
Character
CornerStore
2011
Dwele
Composer
Title
Year
Status
Character
On My Own
2006
Short music composed by
Music Department
Title
Year
Status
Character
The Wrong Girl
2017
Video short composer: additional music
Self
Title
Year
Status
Character
Point and Drive
2016
Documentary
The Mo'Nique Show
2011
TV Series
Himself
Timeless: The Composer/Arranger Series (Suite for Ma Dukes)
2010
Video documentary
Himself - Vocals
'TV One Night Only: Live from the Essence Music Festival'