Panamanian-American singer-songwriter Aloe Blaac may be known for his hit "I Need a Dollar," but these days the multi-talented artist is no longer in need of a dollar -- as a matter of fact, he's doing pretty darn well for himself.

Dubbed a "retro style soul singer," Blacc has dabbled in several different genres to find his true voice, which he has fine-tuned for the release of his third album, Lift Your Spirit.

His wildy successful hit song with dance artist Avicii, "Wake Me Up," made him soar to new heights -- as it was the most steamed song ever at more than 200 million plays. Now Blacc's new song, "The Man" has been climbing the Billboard charts in a similar fashion that the anthemic "Wake Me Up" did.

So what's his secret?

"Well, my goal, of course, is to make songs that are evergreen and that evoke a strong enough emotion to be memorable," Blacc told NPR. "'The Man' was a theme that I wrote based on an Elton John interpolation: I took one line from an Elton John song, and part of the melody as well, and made a loop of it.

"I come from a hip-hop background, and that's what we do quite often - however, hip-hop songs often the actual recording. In this case I decided I would sing the interpolation and write lyrics around it. The music underneath it is inspired by Russian folk song that I learned when I was in middle school, playing the trumpet in the school orchestra. And the lyrics I wrote were to try to impress Dr. Dre."

The end result -- the song ended up in a Beats by Dre commercial, NPR adds.

This isn't the first time that Blacc's songs have been featured on the small sceen as well. His hit, "I Need a Dollar," from his 2010 album Good Things, was used as the theme for an HBO series, How to Make It in America.

Blacc teams up with Pharrell Williams in "Love Is The Answer," which he tells NPR is his favorite track on the album.

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This year, Blacc brought a Latino presence at Coachella 2014, the three-day music festival in Indio, Calif. that included headliners Outkast, Muse and Arcade Fire.

In 2013, the soulful singer, who was born in Southern California to Panamanian parents, released a powerful acoustic version and remake of his music video "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 follows the family and its failed attempt to cross the border and their baby being confiscated by a police officer. The child grows up to be a Dream Activist (a social media website dedicated to immigration reform) who comes face to face with the officer who took her.

Real-life Dreamer and UWD (United We Dream) leader, Hareth Andrade, was featured in Blacc's music video.

Directed by filmmaker Alex Rivera in partnership with the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, the music video is based on the true stories of families who come to the U.S. in pursuit of the American dream and are torn apart by a broken immigration policy.

As mentioned, Blacc also lends his vocals to the original Avicii's EDM (Electronic Dance Music) version of "Wake Me Up," which has been a huge international hit. The original video features a pair of outcast sisters living in a rural town who ultimately relocate to New York City where they find like-minded companions at a concert.

Before he was making political statements with his stellar voice, Blacc wasn't involved in the mainstream music circuit. In 1996, he 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). "Wake Me Up" hit No. 1 on the charts in more than 63 countries.