Christopher Brent Wood, commonly known as the sensational American R&B/Soul singer and songwriter Brent Faiyaz, has made a comeback with his new album, Icon set to release Friday, September 19. Fans have highly anticipated new music from Faiyaz once he released a snippet of a song on TikTok in early August. Alas, supporters are in an uproar owing to the fact there was no album drop on the designated date. As of today September 22, there has been no update—from Faiyaz or his label—explaining the delay or when the new songs will be published.

According to The Culture Crypt, Faiyaz rose to fame in 2016 after collaborating with GoldLink—an American rapper and singer—on their hit song Crew, which went on to receive a Grammy nomination for Best Rap/Sung Performance. Following his hit single, Faiyaz came out with his debut studio album Sonder Son in 2017. Fans may also know him by his R&B band Sonder as the lead singer. Students of Shadow Ridge may have heard his most played song, Clouded, with over 700 million streams as of September 2025. 

“The song Clouded is my favorite, and it’s my favorite because it’s so catchy and timeless,” said junior, Aiyana Scott. “It’s also my favorite album, and in my opinion it’s his best one yet because I believe it put him on the map, and all of his most memorable songs are on it.”

According to Billboard, R&B has been a competitive genre since the ‘90s and early 2000s, and its industry and audience has evolved. It is one of the most culturally significant categories of music in the U.S. Since the early 2000s, artists have been inspired to allow their creativity to flow and put their own spin on the genre. At just 30 years old, Faiyaz has made a notable mark on R&B coming in at 19.8 million monthly listeners on Spotify. 

“I got into Brent Faiyaz in 2021, and since then I’ve really enjoyed his music. It’s the definition of R&B. His music is glorious and it’s even better than other similar artists like Bryson Tiller and PARTYNEXTDOOR,” Scott says. “Brent is constantly being compared to people in the same genre that are essentially doing the same thing. He is versatile, he’s always doing something different and unique.”

It’s no surprise that other students have similar opinions to Scott, and some notice that he captures life experiences through his music. Whether it’s the relatability or creativity he puts into his music, people feel connected to his art.

“I like Brent because he shows lyricism well in his music, and puts time and effort to display his words to the world through music,” junior Kennedi Allen shares. “I’m a little disappointed he didn’t release Icon, but I know he’s going to deliver soon, and when he does it’ll be good.”