Detroit native Choker is a progressive R&B artist blending emotionally resonant songwriting with ethereal sounds. He uploaded his first recordings in his teens, and at the age of 21, he made his proper commercial debut with Peak (2017), a self-produced, self-released album that drew comparisons to Frank Ocean. The more distinctive Honeybloom (2018) arrived shortly thereafter, and before the end of the decade, he issued a trio of EPs. A lengthy hiatus preceded the arrival of Heaven Ain’t Sold (2026), his third album.

A voracious listener from a young age, Choker (born Christopher Lloyd) grew up immersed in many genres that included classic soul, hip-hop, indie rock and, through his Jamaican mother, reggae. Deeply into writing, he wrote comics, scripts, poems, and eventually lyrics. Especially inspired by fellow Detroiters like Slum Village and Danny Brown, he started rapping, and eventually taught himself to make beats, play keyboards and guitar, and develop his singing voice. In 2017, Choker made his proper commercial debut with the self-produced and self-released Peak, an introspective and predominantly mellow yet varied set of songs. Choker quickly followed up in 2018 with Honeybloom, led by the wistful ballad “Juno.” After a trilogy of three-song EPs, namely Mono No Moto, Dog Candy, and Forever & a Few, he went on a lengthy musical hiatus. He returned in January 2026 with “Proof,” and the parent album Heaven Ain’t Sold landed the next month. – Biography by Andy Kellman