For singer and newcomer to the big screen Aloe Blacc, his hit single, "The Man," off of his third album, "Lift Your Spirit," couldn't be more fitting.

The soulful crooner, who was born in Southern California to Panamanian parents, is making his feature film debut as Nafloyd Scott, a member of The Famous Flames, in the new James Brown biopic, "Get On Up," which hits theaters Aug. 1. He also is extremely humbled by the success of his third album "Lift Your Spirit," featuring his popular hit single, "The Man," which has 26 million views on YouTube. (On Aug. 1, he performed the song and "Wake Me Up" to a packed audience on Today in New York City's Rockefeller Plaza.)

As a newcomer to the big screen, Blacc couldn't be more thrilled to appear in the James Brown biopic, "Get On Up," about one of his all-time favorite musicians.

"Playing a musician rather than the leader was different for me," Blacc told Essence. "I'm usually in charge of all the musicians that I work with so I got to see from the other side and get a better idea of how my musicians view me. It opened my eyes to see how I could be a better band leader to my band members."

On the music front, Blacc continues to thrive.

According to Blacc, his music career began after being laid off at his job in "corporate America." He started out creating R&B music and branched out to other genres, such as folk and soul.

"The response has been really positive," he told Today. "I have been able to go around the world and sing these songs that everybody wants to sing with me, it has been a great ride."

Many Blacc fans first heard the talented artist's vocals when they were featured on the original Avicii's EDM (Electronic Dance Music) version of "Wake Me Up." "Wake Me Up" became a huge international hit and was No. 1 in 102 countries.

"'Wake Me Up' was a song that came to me when I was on a bus, traveling back from Switzerland," Blacc told Today. "I was thinking to myself, 'My life is such a dream. Wake me up when it's all over,' and I started writing the lyrics. Next thing you know, the rest of the world was singing it."

Now a father to a 1-year-old, Blacc joked that like the song, "Wake Me Up," is like art imitating life in a sense. "I wake up five or six in the morning anyway," referring to why the Today show schedule is normal to him these days.

In 1996, Blacc released his first hip-hop mixtape and was associated with the indie hip-hop scene for many years thanks to his rap duo Emanon (alongside DJ Exile) before going solo.

In 2006, he signed to Stones Throw Records and released his genre-bending, debut solo album, "Shine Through," followed by 2010's, "Good Things," concocting a vintage yet current sound. "Good Things," which has been certified gold in France, Germany and the U.K., included the single "I Need A Dollar," which went on to sell over two million copies worldwide. In 2012, Blacc was nominated for two BRIT Awards (Best International Male Solo Artist and Best International Breakthrough Act). Currently his song "Wake Me Up" is No. 1 on the charts in more than 63 countries.

In 2013, the soulful singer, released the aforementioned, powerful acoustic version and music video for "Wake Me Up," highlighting the need for immigration reform. The video features a story of a day laborer's family struggling to reunite across borders.

The music video for "Wake Me Up," which was directed by filmmaker Alex Rivera in partnership with the National Day Laborer Organizing Network," features real-life Dreamer and UWD (United We Dream) leader, Hareth Andrade.

Check out the official video for "The Man" and the James Brown biopic, "Get On Up," which hit theaters, Friday, Aug. 1.