Jared Cotter
Jared Lincoln Cotter (born June 17, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and model from Long Island, New York. He grew up in a family of musicians. His great grandfather, James Reese Europe, was a pioneer in African American jazz, and his father, Robert Cotter, played with Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards of Chic. Cotter started recording at 15 as JL Cotter and released music while building his career.
He studied at Five Towns College, graduating in 2004, and released The Album Before the Album in 2005. He put out Good Morning in 2008 and, in 2014, released a five-song EP You Me Forever.
Cotter reached the semi-finals of American Idol Season 6 in 2007. He signed with EMI Music Publishing in 2009. He co-wrote Jay Sean's 2009 hit "Down," which topped the Billboard Hot 100, and wrote songs for Carl Thomas, Joe, and Jay Sean. He won an ASCAP award in 2010 for one of the most performed songs of the year.
He has performed on BET's 106 & Park and opened for Avant, and has played at venues like BB King's in Times Square. Cotter has also hosted TV shows on Fuse and Fox, including The Sauce, You Rock, Lets Roll, and No. 1 Countdown: Pop. He worked as a Good Day New York correspondent and hosted The Challenge on MSG Varsity. From 2014 to 2015, he co-anchored The Daily Buzz, and in 2017 he joined The List as a co-host. By 2024, he was a talent manager and partner at Range Music, and he co-founded 3AM Entertainment with Jay Sean and Jeremy Skaller.
Cotter cites Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, and Brian McKnight as influences. He began dating Canadian singer Melanie Fiona in 2013. They had their first child on March 14, 2016. They became engaged on February 14, 2018 and eloped on December 12, 2020 in Los Angeles. They welcomed a daughter in December 2021.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 15:02 (CET).