Distinct chapters bookmark life. One season paves the way for the next. GRAMMY® Award-nominated multiplatinum producer and songwriter Al Sherrod “Arod” Lambert penned a string of definitive anthems for everyone from Ariana Grande and Jennifer Lopez to Beyoncé. After a decade as a force behind-the-scenes, he steps into the spotlight in 2020 under the name POINTS, actualizing a lifelong ambition in the process. With a debut EP on the horizon, he ignites what might be his most important and impactful era yet. “This is the beginning of a new chapter,” he affirms. “It’s my first time really doing my own thing. I’m able to stand on my own two feet, go out on stage by myself, and speak. I think of it like Kobe Bryant with his number 8 and then number 24. The first decade is spoken for already. This is my next ten years.” It also fulfills his destiny. Growing up in Newark, NJ, he describes his life as “a typical welfare hood story.” His parents struggled with substance abuse problems, so he moved in with his grandparents at ten-years-old until his high school graduation. Along the way, he started producing on a copy ofFrooty Loops downloaded to his brother’s Compaq computer. Logging countless hours, he seeded beat mixtapes around and developed his profile.