Terius Nash

The-Dream
Terius Nash (The-Dream) photographed outside studio in Atlanta, Georgia September 2015
Background information
Birth name	Terius Youngdell Nash
Born	(1977-09-20) September 20, 1977 (age 39) Rockingham, North Carolina, U.S.
Genres	R&B hip hop pop
Occupation(s)	Singer songwriter record producer
Instruments	Vocals piano keyboards
Years active	2001–present
Labels	Radio Killa Roc Nation (current) Def Jam Capitol (former)
Associated acts	Beyoncé Jay Z Kanye West Rihanna Mariah Carey Britney Spears Madonna T.I. Fabolous Pusha T Rick Ross Christopher "Tricky" Stewart Electrik Red Los Da Mystro Jamie Foxx Nivea
Website	www.thekingdream.com

Terius Youngdell Nash (born September 20, 1977), better known by his stage name The-Dream, is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. His co-writing credits include songs with Dear Jayne, "Me Against the Music" (2003) for Britney Spears, "Umbrella" (2007) for Rihanna, "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" (2008) for Beyoncé and "Baby" (2010) for Justin Bieber. He released five studio albums between 2007 and 2013: Love Hate (2007), Love vs. Money (2009), Love King (2010), Terius Nash: 1977 (2012) and IV Play (2013).

Terius Nash was born in Rockingham, North Carolina. He moved with his mother to Atlanta when he was two years old. After first learning to play trumpet in elementary school, Nash learned how to play the drums and guitar. His mother died in 1992 when Nash was fifteen years old, an event which would inspire him to write songs. He states that the death of his mother gave him a "soft spot" for women, to which he credits his desire to write songs about female empowerment such as Rihanna's "Umbrella". He moved in with his grandfather, a concrete mason who instilled a strong work ethic in young Nash. Of his grandfather, Nash recalls "He came out of a bad time for blacks in the South, but even though we lived in the hood, we had a boat, some cars and a house that was paid for. So I've always had a different outlook on life. There's nothing I can't do."

Nash met R&B producer Laney Stewart in 2001 and Stewart helped him get a publishing deal after Nash wrote "Everything" for B2K's album Pandemonium!. Under the pen name "The-Dream," Nash began writing lyrics for many popular artists. He co-wrote Britney Spears' hit "Me Against the Music" from her album In the Zone. He spent two years working on Nivea's second album Complicated, which he executive produced, and continued to write and produce with Christopher "Tricky" Stewart, Laney's brother, which led to Rihanna's 2007 hit "Umbrella". "Umbrella" was nominated for Song of the Year at the 2008 Grammy Awards.