Karl Frierson was born in Florence, South Carolina. Inspired by Dizzy Gillespie, he decided to become an international entertainer when he was 9 years old. Karl was part of many magnet programs in the US for the musically gifted and talented. In 1983, he became the youngest choral student in his highschool to achieve the honor of Honors All-State Chorus. In 1985 he received a summer scholarship at the South Carolina Governor's School Of The Arts. Karl opted to attend the Georgia State University and became acquainted with the entertainment business. Two years later Karl joined the US Army as an Infantryman and three years later received a special assignment with the US Army Europe Band and Chorus. During his military career (eight years), he performed over 800 shows as a musical ambassador throughout Europe.
In 1997, Karl and German Producer Pit Baumgartner formed "De Phazz", a downtempo jazz ensemble integrating modern turntabilism and elements of Soul, Latin, Trip Hop and Drum & Bass into a lounge music sound. "Hero Dead and Gone", the first single of their first album sung and texted by Karl Frierson, became a hit in German charts. Since 1997, the trend setting band has released 15 successful albums, received musical award nominations and international acclaim. In 2006, Karl released his solo album "Soulprint" which was two weeks in the U.K. Soul Charts. Karl Frierson continues writing and performing with De Phazz parallel to his solo career. He lives in Lindau, Germany at Lake Constance.