While he's originally from the Midwest, contemporary R&B artist Upstrz ("upstairs") ably represents his adoptive home base of Atlanta with his knack for alternating between post-New Jack Swing ballads -- continuing in the tradition of LaFace Records -- and trap-styled slow jams. The independent singer/songwriter started recording in his teens and earned comparisons as a vocalist to the likes of Chris Brown and the Weeknd (more particularly, Trilogy-era Weeknd). He soon came into his own both as a writer -- coincidentally for Brown, among several others -- and as a nuanced singer, taking the spotlight under his stage name as he juggled outside work. Upstrz officially debuted in 2020 and has released the albums Love Ain't Easy (2020) and Meet Me Upstrz (2022), along with numerous singles.