Avery Wilson

CTL-E-6297 · Person · musician · 2012–present

VERIFIED evidence grade — build store (JSON graph)

Combined Graph record U-07483 · provenance: build store (JSON graph), record CTL-E-6297.

Avery Wilson is an American R&B singer, songwriter, dancer and actor from Hamden, Connecticut. Born Branden Avery Wilson on July 18, 1995, he was nine when his father — who oversaw fourteen area McDonald's restaurants as a director of operations — began staging open-mic nights at one of them so the boy could perform; Wilson still returns to help with the event. His demo "Ringtone" won regional radio airplay across Connecticut, New York and Massachusetts, and songwriter-producer Sean Garrett began developing him; in 2011 he co-won New York's Next Teen Superstar competition. In 2012 he self-released On Top of the World and, at sixteen, reached the knockout rounds of The Voice's third season on Team Cee Lo Green — an elimination Rolling Stone covered as an upset. Signed to Clive Davis and RCA Records, he released his first official single, "If I Have To," in May 2015; it peaked at No. 18 on Billboard's Hot R&B Songs chart. After further RCA singles, among them "Change My Mind" featuring Migos, he went independent with the EPs FYI (2018) and 8:34 (2019). In 2024 he starred as the Scarecrow in the Broadway revival of The Wiz, and as a principal vocalist on its cast recording he earned his first Grammy nomination, for Best Musical Theater Album at the 67th Grammy Awards. In June 2026 he sang the national anthem throughout the New York Knicks' championship playoff run — including Game 3 of the NBA Finals — and performed at the team's City Hall championship ceremony.

The record

• Also known as: Branden Avery Wilson

Notes

Staged 2026-10-20 on the founder's direct order ("add as an entity, with photo," CULTGRAPH room) — a founder-made exception to the post-747 enrichment posture, recorded here so the mint's authority is on its face. Modelled on the Tiebreaker packet (CTL-E-6296). Gate A (pre-run by the parent, 2026-10-20; endpoint sweep re-run at build): CLEAR — Avery Wilson is not in the live graph (4,000 entities), not in the canonical CSV master, and not in any staged packet or the 747 supply ledger. The build's own full-graph string sweep returns only slavery-era collisions for "Avery" (Up from Slavery; the American Anti-Slavery Society; Prince Hall's 1777 Anti-Slavery Petition) — none is the subject. ID CTL-E-6297 free at staging (live CTL-E run ends at CTL-E-6296). Vital status: LIVING — verified from dated current evidence: Parade's June 8, 2026 report of his Game 3 NBA Finals anthem performance at Madison Square Garden, and the Wikimedia Commons file record of his performance at the Knicks' City Hall championship ceremony on June 18, 2026. No tribute treatment. STATISTICS (counted, sourced, dated 2026-10-20): Billboard peaks — "If I Have To" (May 2015): Hot R&B Songs No. 18 (AllMusic; corroborated as top-20 by Parade); Adult Contemporary No. 21 and Adult R&B Songs No. 24 (Wikipedia's tabulation of Billboard chart history); "Kiss the Sky" (2024): Adult R&B Songs No. 16 (same tabulation). Discography as counted from the opened sources: 1 self-released studio album (On Top of the World, August 14, 2012); 2 EPs (FYI, 5 tracks, October 2018; 8:34, 4 tracks, June 20, 2019); later singles include "Good Enough" (December 25, 2025, independent, under his own label). Grammy nominations: 1 — Best Musical Theater Album, 67th Grammy Awards, as a named principal vocalist on The Wiz (2024 Broadway Cast Recording); announced November 8, 2024; his first career nomination (Rated R&B). The Voice: season 3 (2012), Team Cee Lo Green, eliminated in the knockout round on October 29, 2012. 2026 anthem run: six national-anthem performances during the Knicks' playoff run before the Finals Game 3 performance (Parade, June 2026); championship-ceremony performance at City Hall, June 18, 2026 (Commons file record). RECORDED NOTE 1 — "debut album" framing (shown, not blended): Wikipedia's lead calls "If I Have To" the first single from Wilson's debut album, meaning the RCA album the single was released to introduce; AllMusic calls On Top of the World (2012) his self-released debut album and "If I Have To" his first proper/official single. No RCA album by Wilson appears in the opened discographies (a 2018 trade interview still described the album as forthcoming). The description follows AllMusic's formulation — "first official single" — and asserts no RCA album. RECORDED NOTE 2 — FYI release day: Wikipedia's article text dates the FYI release October 29, 2018; its own discography table gives October 26, 2018. The record asserts October 2018 only. MEDIA: map N/A (person); photo CLEARED — PHOTO-CTL-E-6297-01 (see media.visual_assets; Lane A file-level verification via the Commons API, 2026-10-20); chart FILLED (charts/chart-ctl-e-6297-avery-wilson.svg); video FILLED on the founder's official-archival branch (the NYC Mayor's Office video of his June 18, 2026 anthem performance, CC BY 4.0 verified at file level via Commons; no matching-entity CTL Short exists in the Shorts Link Map — 233 rows checked, zero hits for "avery" / "avery wilson"); audio HELD (his recordings are commercial releases; no CTL-owned or rights-cleared matching-entity audio exists at staging). MEDIA LAYER (built 2026-10-20 on the founder's direct order; full per-asset PHOTO-001 records + embed specs in the packet's staged JSON, Drive packet folder): map = N/A (Person records carry no map slot; maps attach to places and institutions.) | visual_assets = CLEARED: Avery Wilson performs at 2026 Knicks Championship Ceremony | chart = FILLED (CTL-created chart (black / deep red / gold) built only from this record's sourced facts: the 2012 Voice run an) | video = FILLED (No matching-entity CTL Short exists: the Shorts Link Map (shorts-link-map-2026-10-15.json, 233 rows) was check) | audio = HELD (HELD: No CTL-owned or rights-cleared matching-entity audio exists at staging. Wilson's recordings ("If I Have )

Relationships

• RCA Records — recorded for
  AllMusic's biography records that Wilson, with Sean Garrett's early support and The Voice exposure, landed a contract with major-label RCA, released his first official single "If I Have To" for the label in May 2015, and released further singles for RCA before going independent with FYI (2018). Wikipedia and Parade corroborate the RCA signing (Wikipedia: he signed with Clive Davis and RCA Records after The Voice). CTL-E-5784 is the graph's RCA Records record (Institution, subtype label).

Sources

• AllMusic (Rovi), Avery Wilson — biography by Andy Kellman, as published at Music Gateway (accessed 2026-10-20) — a contemporary R&B singer and songwriter; utilized early support from hitmaking songwriter/producer Sean Garrett, as well as exposure through The Voice, to land a contract with major-label RCA; his first official single "If I Have To" (2015) hit Billboard's Hot R&B Songs chart, and he released a couple additional singles for RCA prior to going independent with FYI (2018); originally from Hamden, Connecticut; began performing at open-mike events organized by his father and co-won a New York talent competition for teenagers; "Ringtone," a demo his father circulated to local and regional radio stations, received some airplay and led to his association with Sean Garrett; in 2012 he self-released his debut album, On Top of the World, and competed on the third season of The Voice, his knockout-round elimination preceded by renditions of "Without You" (David Guetta and Usher), "Titanium" (David Guetta and Sia), and "Yeah 3x" (Chris Brown) that led to a recording contract with major-label RCA; "If I Have To," created with Garrett, Rodney Jerkins, and Kirby Lauryen, was released as his first proper single in May 2015 and reached number 18 on the Billboard Hot R&B Songs chart; "Change My Mind," featuring Migos, arrived a few months later; following a Garrett-produced cover of Leon Russell's "A Song for You" in 2017, he went independent with the five-track EP FYI, released in 2018 — https://www.musicgateway.com/creative-professionals/songwriter/avery-wilson (primary source · build store)
• Wikipedia, Avery Wilson (accessed 2026-10-20) — born Branden Avery Wilson on July 18, 1995, in Hamden, Connecticut, US; genres R&B, pop, dance; occupations singer, songwriter, dancer, actor; instruments vocals, guitar, piano; years active 2012–present; label RCA Records; his father held open mic nights at one of the 14 area McDonald's that he oversaw as director of operations, Wilson aged 9 at the time and still returning to help with the event; raised in Hamden, attended Hamden Middle School and the Cooperative Arts and Humanities High School in New Haven; "Ringtone" demo sent by his father to WYBC-FM in New Haven received airplay and became a regional hit in Connecticut, New York, and Massachusetts; first discovered by Sean Garrett; co-winner of the Next Teen Superstar competition in New York in 2011; self-released On Top of the World (released August 14, 2012, digital download/streaming); appeared on season 3 of The Voice at 16 on team Cee Lo Green and made it to the knockouts, eliminated October 29, 2012, after his performance of "Yeah 3x," the elimination called a major upset by numerous publications (incl. Rolling Stone, Oct 30, 2012); later signed with Clive Davis and RCA Records; returned to The Voice season 8 in 2015 to sing "If I Have To"; announced a BET Awards performance for June 28, 2015; FYI, a 5-song project, released October 2018 (article text: October 29; discography table: October 26 — see recorded note) with first single "Dollar Bill," plus "Wass the Move," "Do For You," "Use 2," and "Touch Down"; 8:34, a 4-song project, released June 20, 2019; in 2024 he became a cast member of the Broadway show The Wiz as the Scarecrow; came out as bisexual in a tweet on his 25th birthday, July 18, 2020; singles chart peaks as tabulated from Billboard chart history: "If I Have To" (2015) — US R&B (Hot R&B Songs) 18, US Adult Contemporary 21, US Adult R&B 24; "Kiss the Sky" (2024) — US Adult R&B 16; the article's lead photograph shows Wilson performing at the 2026 Knicks championship ceremony in Manhattan — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avery_Wilson (build store)
• Broadway News, Nominations for 2025 Best Musical Theater Album Grammy Awards revealed; full nominations announced (published November 8, 2024; accessed 2026-10-20) — the Recording Academy revealed the nominations for the 2025 (67th) Grammy Awards; Best Musical Theater Album nominees include "The Wiz" — Wayne Brady, Deborah Cox, Nichelle Lewis and Avery Wilson, principal vocalists; Joseph Joubert, Allen René Louis and Lawrence Manchester, producers (Charlie Smalls, composer and lyricist) (2024 Broadway Cast Recording); the 67th annual ceremony took place February 2, 2025 — https://www.Broadwaynews.com/nominations-for-2025-best-musical-theater-album-grammy-awards-revealed-full-nominations-announced/ (build store)
• Rated R&B, 2025 Grammys: Alicia Keys, Deborah Cox, Avery Wilson Get Musical Theater Album Nod (published November 14, 2024; accessed 2026-10-20) — Wilson and Cox were featured as principal vocalists on The Wiz (2024 Broadway Cast Recording), a companion album for the revival of the 1975 Broadway production in which each starred; in the stage musical Wilson starred as Scarecrow, a role previously portrayed by Hinton Battle and Michael Jackson; the compilation earns both Wilson and Cox their first-ever career nominations; Wilson is heard on the album in a rendition of "You Can't Win"; the nomination slate names Wayne Brady, Deborah Cox, Nichelle Lewis and Avery Wilson as principal vocalists — http://ratedrnb.com/2024/11/alicia-keys-deborah-cox-avery-wilson-grammys-musical-theater-album-category/ (build store)
• Parade (Madz Dizon), Presidential Singer Announces National Anthem Performer for NBA Finals Game 3 (June 2026; accessed 2026-10-20) — Grammy-nominated singer and Broadway actor Avery Wilson set to perform "The Star-Spangled Banner" before Game 3 of the 2026 NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden (Mary Millben's announcement post dated June 8, 2026; Knicks holding a 2-0 lead over the San Antonio Spurs); Wilson had regularly performed the national anthem before Knicks home games since the opening round of the Eastern Conference playoffs against the Atlanta Hawks — six anthem performances during the playoff run, the only home playoff loss coming in a game he missed, fueling his "good-luck charm" reputation; biographical summary: Wilson, 30, first gained national attention on season 3 of The Voice at 16 as a member of Team Cee Lo Green; later signed with RCA Records; "If I Have To" reached the top 20 of Billboard's Hot R&B Songs chart in 2015; born and raised in Hamden, Connecticut, his father organizing community open-mic events; in 2024 he joined the Broadway revival of The Wiz as the Scarecrow, earning the Grammy nomination for Best Musical Theater Album; projects include the EPs FYI and 8:34 — https://parade.com/news/mary-millben-announces-avery-wilson-national-anthem-performer-nba-finals-game-3 (build store)
• YouKnowIGotSoul, Avery Wilson Releases New Single "Good Enough" (published January 9, 2026; accessed 2026-10-20) — Wilson released the single "Good Enough" on December 25, 2025, as a surprise holiday offering, independently released under his own label; it marks his first major solo release following his run as the Scarecrow in the 2024–2025 Broadway revival of The Wiz, the role that earned him a 2025 Grammy nomination for Best Musical Theater Album; the piece also identifies "Kiss the Sky" as his previous Billboard-charting hit — https://youknowigotsoul.com/avery-wilson-releases-new-single-good-enough (build store)

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Record CTL-E-6297 · Combined Graph record U-07483 · CultureTechLens Knowledge Graph · 6 sources · 1 mapped relationship.
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Researched and maintained by the CultureTechLens research program · CultureTechLens Combined Graph, Release 2026-11-04. Corrections are public: the corrections log.

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