Aaron Jennings Puckett, better known by his

stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

Lil Aaron (stylized as lil aaron), is an American rapper, singer and songwriter from Goshen,

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

. Merging elements of

pop punk Pop punk (or punk pop) is a rock music genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop or pop. It is defined for its emphasis on classic pop songcraft, as well as adolescent and anti-suburbia themes, and is distinguished from other pu ...

and

emo Emo is a rock music genre characterized by emotional, often confessional lyrics. It emerged as a style of and hardcore punk from the Washington D.C. hardcore punk scene, where it was known as emotional hardcore or emocore and pioneered b ...

with hip hop and pop, he has released five solo EPs, as well as two EPs as a member of the

alternative hip hop Alternative hip hop (also known as alternative rap) is a subgenre of hip hop music that encompasses a wide range of styles that are not typically identified as mainstream. AllMusic defines it as comprising " hip hop groups that refuse to confor ...

collective Boyfriendz. He has also written songs for artists such as Blackbear,

Liam Payne Liam James Payne (born 29 August 1993) is an English singer. He rose to fame as a member of the boy band One Direction. Payne made his debut as a singer in 2008 when he auditioned for the British television series ''The X Factor''. After being ...

Hailee Steinfeld Hailee Steinfeld (born December 11, 1996) is an American actress and singer. She is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Hailee Steinfeld, various accolades, including a Peabody Award, and nominations for an Academy Award ...

, Dev and

Kiiara Kiara Saulters (born May 24, 1995), known professionally as Kiiara, is an American singer and songwriter from Wilmington, Illinois. She is currently signed to Atlantic Records. Her 2015 single "Gold" peaked at number 13 on the ''Billboard'' Ho ...

. He took part in the writing of

Lizzo Melissa Viviane Jefferson (born April 27, 1988), known professionally as Lizzo, is an American singer, rapper, and flutist. Born in Detroit, Michigan, she moved to Houston, Houston, Texas with her family when she was 10 years old. After col ...

's 2019 album ''

Cuz I Love You ''Cuz I Love You'' is the third studio album and major label debut studio album by American singer and rapper Lizzo. It was released through Nice Life and Atlantic Records on April 19, 2019. The album features guest appearances from American rapp ...

'', which won a

Grammy Award for Best Urban Contemporary Album The Grammy Award for Best Progressive R&B Album is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards to recording artists for quality works on albums in the urban contemporary subgenre within the R&B field. Honors in several categories are presented at th ...

Early life

Puckett grew up in Goshen,

. As a child, his

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

parents didn't allow him to listen to

secular Secularity, also the secular or secularness (from Latin ''saeculum'', "worldly" or "of a generation"), is the state of being unrelated or neutral in regards to religion. Anything that does not have an explicit reference to religion, either negativ ...

music, however he eventually became a fan of secular punk rock and

bands through websites such as MySpace and

PureVolume PureVolume (formerly Unborn Media) was a website for uploading and streaming of music files, the first independently run of its type. PureVolume was created by Unborn Media, Inc; Mitchell Pavao; Brett Woitunski; and Nate Hudson, all from the Univer ...

, without his parents knowing. First he discovered groups likes

Never Shout Never Never Shout Never (originally typeset as nevershoutnever! and NeverShoutNever!) is an American rock band formed in Joplin, Missouri in 2007. Vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Christofer Drew began the band as a solo project before expanding it t ...

Owl City Owl City is an American electronic music project created in 2007 in Owatonna, Minnesota. It is one of several projects by singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Adam Young, who created the project while experimenting with music in his pa ...

and

The Ready Set Jordan Mark Witzigreuter (born November 14, 1989), known professionally as The Ready Set, is an American singer-songwriter from Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States. He is the lead vocalist and sole member of the act, using a backup band while on ...

, before becoming a fan of bands like Hit the Lights and

Boys Like Girls Boys Like Girls is an American rock band from Boston, Massachusetts. Formed in 2005, the group gained mainstream recognition when it released its self-titled debut album which went on to sell over 700,000 albums in the United States earning a ...

. Looking back in adulthood, he has stated "I’ve been emo my whole fucking life". In middle school and high school, he was the vocalist of a

, that was influenced by Hit the Lights and

Metro Station A metro station or subway station is a station for a rapid transit system, which as a whole is usually called a "metro" or "subway". A station provides a means for passengers to purchase Train ticket, tickets, board trains, and Emergency eva ...

and saw Puckett using overt auto-tune. As he grew older, Puckett became increasingly interested in the independent hip hop scene that was coalescing on the internet. This led to him dropping out of high school and moving to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

Career

Puckett began his career as a songwriter, working with artists such as

Travis Mills Travis Tatum Mills (born April 12, 1989), previously known by his stage name T. Mills, is an American rapper, singer, and actor from Riverside, California. Following his name change from T. Mills to Travis Mills, he began hosting an eponymous s ...

DRAM Dynamic random-access memory (dynamic RAM or DRAM) is a type of random-access semiconductor memory that stores each bit of data in a memory cell, usually consisting of a tiny capacitor and a transistor, both typically based on metal-oxid ...

Icona Pop Icona Pop ( ) is a Swedish electropop duo which formed in 2009, with electro house and indie pop music influences. Its two members, Caroline Hjelt (born 8 November 1987) and Aino Jawo (born 7 July 1986), grew up in Stockholm and create what the ...

and

. However, he soon wished to perform the tracks he was writing himself, beginning a solo-career in 2016 with the "Damn" produced by

Y2K The year 2000 problem, also known as the Y2K problem, Y2K scare, millennium bug, Y2K bug, Y2K glitch, Y2K error, or simply Y2K refers to potential computer errors related to the formatting and storage of calendar data for dates in and after ...

. On April 10, he was featured on the Travis Mills song "Trouble". On June 23, he released the track Prolly featuring Ilovemakonnen. On September 22, he was featured on the

Joy The word joy refers to the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune, and is typically associated with feelings of intense, long lasting happiness. Dictionary definitions Dictionary definitions of joy typically include a sense of ...

song "Birthday". For his debut EP ''Gloing Pain$'', he enlisted the members of

Polyphia Polyphia is a primarily instrumental progressive rock band based in Plano, Texas, formed in 2010. The group consists of guitarists Tim Henson and Scott LePage, bassist Clay Gober, and drummer Clay Aeschliman. Polyphia's sound is noted for inco ...

to record the instrumentals. Puckett's music first began gaining attention in mid-2017, through songs "Hot Topic" and "Warped Tour" that made references to cornerstones of pop punk and emo culture, namely

Hot Topic Hot Topic, Inc. (stylized as HOT TOPIC) is an American retail chain specializing in counterculture-related clothing and accessories, as well as licensed music. The stores are aimed towards an audience interested in rock music and video gaming, ...

and

Warped Tour The Warped Tour was a traveling rock tour that toured the United States plus three or four stops in Canada annually each summer from 1995 until 2019. It was the largest traveling music festival in the United States and the longest-running touring ...

, and through sampling bands like

Paramore Paramore is an American rock band from Franklin, Tennessee, formed in 2004. The band currently consists of lead vocalist Hayley Williams, guitarist Taylor York and drummer Zac Farro. Williams and Farro are founding members of the group, whil ...

and

Panic! at the Disco Panic! at the Disco is the solo project of American musician Brendon Urie. It was originally a pop rock band from Las Vegas, Nevada, formed in 2004 by childhood friends Urie, Ryan Ross, Spencer Smith, and Brent Wilson. They recorded their firs ...

. In late 2017, Puckett formed the group Boyfriendz, with Smrtdeath and

Lil Lotus John Elias Villagran III (born March 1, 1994), known professionally as Lil Lotus (stylized as LiL Lotus) is an American musician, singer and rapper from Dallas, Texas. He has released one solo studio album, four solo EPs, three collaborative EPs a ...

. They released their debut self-titled EP in December 2017. The EP was recorded in a single night and was released within a week through

SoundCloud SoundCloud is an online audio distribution platform and music sharing website that enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is one of the largest music streaming se ...

. In 2017, Puckett was featured on the song "Faded" by

Kim Petras Kim Petras (born 27 August 1992) is a German singer and songwriter based in Los Angeles, California. Between 2016 and 2020, she released music as an independent artist under her own imprint, BunHead Records, before signing with Amigo and Republ ...

. A music video was released for the track in January 2018. He featured on

Goody Grace Goody Grace (born Branson Gudmundson; June 19, 1997) is a Canadian musician, singer, songwriter and producer from Selkirk, Manitoba. He has released one full length album and two EPs, as well as having co-written songs for musicians such as Machine ...

's song "In The Light Of The Moon", which was a part of the ''Infinite'' EP, released March 22, 2018. On May 31, he released the EP Rock$tar Famou$. The recording process for the EP was split between

Kauai Kauai, () anglicized as Kauai ( ), is geologically the second-oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands (after Niʻihau). With an area of 562.3 square miles (1,456.4 km2), it is the fourth-largest of these islands and the 21st largest island ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

and

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. On May 11, the EP's track "Quit" featuring

Travis Barker Travis Landon Barker (born November 14, 1975) is an American musician who serves as the drummer for the rock band Blink-182. He has also performed as a frequent collaborator with hip hop artists, is a member of the rap rock group Transpla ...

was released accompanied by a music video. On September 5, a music video was released for the EP's song "Anymore" featuring Kim Petras. On November 16 and 17, Puckett opened for

Blink-182 Blink-182 (stylized as blink-182) is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Poway, California in 1992. Their current lineup consists of bassist/vocalist Mark Hoppus, guitarist/vocalist Tom DeLonge, and drummer Travis Barker. Though their ...

during their concert at the Pearl Theater in

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

. He featured on

Brooke Candy Brooke Dyan Candy (born July 20, 1989) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and tattoo artist. Raised in the suburbs of Los Angeles, daughter of Tom Candy, former CFO of ''Hustler Magazine'', Brooke rose to prominence after starring in Gr ...

's song "Nuts", which was released on November 16. On December 7, 2018, he released a Christmas EP titled ''Worst Christmas Ever''. On December 29, he released the song "Studded Gucci Belt", which samples "

Shake It "Shake It" is a song by American pop band Metro Station, released as the third single (and debut British single) from the group's 2007 self-titled debut studio album. "Shake It" was the band's first charting single, peaking at number 10 on th ...

" by

was accompanied by a music video featuring clips from the videos for "

Welcome To The Black Parade "Welcome to the Black Parade" is a song from American rock band My Chemical Romance's third studio album, ''The Black Parade'' (2006). It was released on September 12, 2006, as the album's lead single, with the studio version available on the b ...

", "

I'm Not Okay (I Promise) "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)" is the lead single and fifth track from My Chemical Romance's second studio album, ''Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge''. "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)" was released to radio on September 28, 2004. The song is also featured on ...

", "

I Write Sins Not Tragedies "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" is a song by American rock band Panic! at the Disco, is the second single from their debut studio album, ''A Fever You Can't Sweat Out'' (2005), and was released in the United States as a digital download on January 1 ...

", "

Misery Business "Misery Business" is a song by American rock band Paramore and serves as the lead single from their second studio album, ''Riot!'' (2007). The song was written about a past experience of the band's lead singer, Hayley Williams, which involved a ...

", "

Adam's Song "Adam's Song" is a song recorded by the American rock band Blink-182 for their third studio album, ''Enema of the State'' (1999). It was released as the third and final single from ''Enema of the State'' on March 14, 2000, through MCA Records. " ...

" and " the Anthem". On January 25, 2019, he released the EP ''Dark Matter''. Puckett was featured on Kim Petras' song "Homework" which was released on February 7. On February 14, Boyfriendz released their second EP ''BFZ2''. He featured on Big Baby Scumbag's song "Dale Earnhardt (remix)", from the album Big Baby Earnhardt released January 17, 2020. Puckett was featured on

Big Freedia Freddie Ross Jr. (born January 28, 1978), better known by his stage name Big Freedia ( ), is an American rapper and performer known for his work in the New Orleans genre of hip hop called bounce music. Freedia has been credited with helping popu ...

's song "GTFOMF", from the EP ''Louder'' released March 13. He was featured on the track by Plavtinum titled "Girls on the Internet", which was release March 20. He was featured on the songs "Lights Off" and "She Told me to the Kill Myself" by Smrtdeath, which were released on the album ''Somethjng's Wrong'' on November 13, 2020. On October 6, 2020, he released his EP ''808 Rock''. He was featured on the song "Michelle Pfeiffer" by

Ethel Cain Hayden Silas Anhedönia (born March 24, 1998), known professionally as Ethel Cain, is an American singer-songwriter born in Tallahassee, Florida and living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In mid 2017, Cain began experimenting with writing, recordi ...

, which was released on Feb 11, 2021.

Musical style

Puckett's music had been categorised as

emo rap Emo rap is a fusion genre of hip hop and emo music. Originating in the SoundCloud rap scene in the mid-2010s, the genre fuses characteristics of hip hop music, such as beats and rapping, with the lyrical themes, instrumentals, and vocals commo ...

and

rap rock Rap rock is a fusion genre that fuses vocal and instrumental elements of hip hop with various forms of rock. Rap rock's most popular subgenres include rap metal and rapcore, which include heavy metal and hardcore punk-oriented influences, resp ...

. It includes elements of

, SoundCloud rap and pop.

Alternative Press Alternative press may refer to: Individual publications * ''Alternative Press'' (magazine), an American music magazine Alternative journalism * Alternative media ** Alternative media (U.S. political left) ** Alternative media (U.S. political ri ...

called his music "genre-defying". He has cited influences including

Brokencyde Brokencyde (stylized as brokeNCYDE) is an American hip hop group from Albuquerque, New Mexico, founded in 2006. The group's lineup consists of David "Se7en" Gallegos and Michael "Mikl" Shea, and musically are one of the founding groups in the ...

and Dot Dot Curve In an interview with Projectu.TV, he stated that his goal was to appeal to both "the kids who listened to A$AP,

Cudi The University Corporation for Internet Development ( es, Corporación Universitaria para el Desarrollo de Internet; CUDI) is a non-profit consortium to build and operate a Mexican high-performance backbone network for research and education, some ...

and

Kanye Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ear ...

and the kids who listened to

Black Veil Brides Black Veil Brides is an American rock band based in Hollywood, California. The group formed in 2006 in Cincinnati, Ohio and is currently composed of lead vocalist Andy Biersack, rhythm guitarist and violinist Jinxx, lead guitarist Jake Pitts, ...

Blood On The Dance Floor Blood on the Dance Floor may refer to: *'' Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix'', a 1997 album by Michael Jackson ** "Blood on the Dance Floor" (song), a 1997 song by Michael Jackson from the album *Blood on the Dance Floor (band) Bl ...

, the

kind of music". His music often merges

trap A trap is a mechanical device used to capture or restrain an animal for purposes such as hunting, pest control, or ecological research. Trap or TRAP may also refer to: Art and entertainment Films and television * ''Trap'' (2015 film), Fil ...

instrumentals with

autotune Auto-Tune (or autotune) is an audio processor introduced in 1996 by American company Antares Audio Technologies. Auto-Tune uses a proprietary device to measure and alter pitch in vocal and instrumental music recording and performances. Auto-Tu ...

d and distorted vocals using melodies reminiscent of pop punk and emo.

Complex Complex commonly refers to: * Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe ** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...

writer Joe Price described his sound as " Travis Scott meets

Green Day Green Day is an American rock band formed in the East Bay of California in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, together with bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt. For most of the band's career, they have been a powe ...

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

writer Jayson Greene described it as "sampl ngPanic! At the Disco, alternately whining like Blink’s Tom DeLonge and warbling like, well,

Chief Keef Keith Farrelle Cozart (born August 15, 1995), better known by his stage name Chief Keef, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. His music first became popular during his teen years in the early 2010s among high school s ...

over

808 808 may refer to: Music * Roland TR-808, a drum machine * ''808'' (film), a documentary about the Roland TR-808 * 808 State, British electronic group * ''808s & Heartbreak'', the fourth studio album by American Hip hop artist Kanye West * ''808'' ...

claps. It’s all mixed together and atomized, a fever dream of Adidas tracksuits and dreads and emo power ballads". Hypefresh.co described his music as "mixing pop-punk attitude with the new genre of autotuned rap". His music was cited as an influence by

Yungblud Dominic Richard Harrison (born 5 August 1997), known professionally as Yungblud (pronounced "Youngblood"), is an English singer, musician, songwriter and actor. In 2018, he released his first EP, ''Yungblud'', followed shortly after by the albu ...

for his album ''

Weird! ''Weird!'' is the second studio album by English singer Yungblud, released on 4 December 2020 by Locomotion and Interscope Records. Originally scheduled for 13 November 2020, the album's release was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is Y ...

''.

Discography

Extended plays

Singles

As lead artist

As featured artist

With Boyfriendz

Songwriting credits

Filmography

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aaron, Lil 21st-century American singers 21st-century American male singers American hip hop musicians American male rappers Emo rap musicians Pop punk musicians Musicians from Indianapolis Rap rock musicians Living people 1994 births