Bruner found his instrument at the age of 4. That made him a late-bloomer in the house of Ronald Bruner, Sr., who drummed with the Temptations among others. His first bass was a black Harmony, and he practiced to the Ninja Turtles soundtrack until pops played him Jaco Pastorius. He joined thrash legends Suicidal Tendencies as a teenager, and has spent road and studio time with everyone from Stanley Clarke and Herbie Hancock to Leon Ware, N.E.R.D., Travis Scott, HAIM, Silk Sonic (Bruno Mars & Anderson .Paak), Kaytranada, Stevie Wonder and Erykah Badu.

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In recent years Thundercat, aka Stephen Bruner, has completed his transition from virtuoso bassist to bonafide star and cemented his reputation as a wholly unique voice, transcending genre.  His 2020 album “It Is What It Is” won Best Progressive R&B Album at the 63rd GRAMMY Awards, and featured Ty Dolla $ign, Childish Gambino, Steve Lacy, Lil B, Kamasi Washington,  Steve Arrington, BADBADNOTGOOD, Louis Cole, Pedro Martins and Zack Fox. The record was produced by Thundercat and his longtime partner Flying Lotus who was GRAMMY-nominated in “Producer of the Year, Non-Classical” for his work on the album.

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Since then, Bruner has continued his global expansion. He joined Steve Lacy live onstage at the 65th Annual GRAMMY Awards to perform the hit single “Bad Habit, and completed several  tours spanning 5 continents that included stops at Glastonbury, Paris Fashion Week, Summer Sonic (Japan), Newport Jazz Fest and Red Rocks Amphitheatre to name a few.  He also released the highly acclaimed single “No More Lies” with Tame Impala, and co-wrote and featured on the track “The End” from French duo Justice’s latest album.

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