Kris Yute taps into his Jamaican roots to make melodic, upbeat and transformative music. His 2020 single “I Did It” caught a wave on TikTok and led to a deal with Columbia Records. • Born in Jamaica, Yute immigrated with his family to Maryland when he was five. When he was 11, the family relocated to rural Pennsylvania, where Yute experienced racism. • Yute began to sing in seventh grade and eventually picked up the guitar and other instruments. He moved to New York City when he was 18 to pursue music. • His uplifting 2020 song “I Did It” blew up on TikTok, soundtracking more than 500,000 videos en route to earning 10 million streams overall. • The success of “I Did It” earned Yute a deal with Columbia Records, which released a remix of the song by Compton rapper and producer Channel Tres. • Yute’s 2020 single “Bando” was co-produced by Major Lazer co-founder Walshy Fire.