Entertainment Music Who Is Teddy Geiger, the Hit Singer-Songwriter Who Revealed Recent Transition? Get to know the musician who is connected to Emma Stone, Kristin Cavallari, Hilary Duff and more By Jeff Nelson Jeff Nelson Instagram Twitter Jeff Nelson is the Senior News Editor, Entertainment at PEOPLE. For nearly a decade, he has worked across the brand's entertainment verticals, reporting on breaking news and writing and editing across platforms, as well as securing A-list cover exclusives, including Barry Manilow's coming out and an at-home interview with Madonna. Jeff has appeared as an expert on Good Morning America, Extra, HLN and SiriusXM, as well as at RuPaul's DragCon as a moderator. He studied magazine journalism at Drake University, graduating with a B.A. in Journalism & Mass Communication. People Editorial Guidelines Published on October 27, 2017 03:20 PM Share Tweet Pin Email Early Friday, Teddy Geiger revealed the decision to transition. “I started talking about it with a couple of my close friends and family about a month ago and it’s given me the courage to start the process,” the singer-songwriter, 29, wrote in an emotional Instagram post. “I feel like the next step is to tell all y’all. So here goes. Love it or hate this is who i have been for a looooong time.” In the hours that followed, the singer-songwriter was met with a wave of support from fans and friends, including Michelle Branch and collaborator Shawn Mendes, who commented “love u” with a string of heart emojis. Friday afternoon, Geiger posted again on Instagram, captioning the smiley selfie: “Woke up to so much love. I have the best friends.” Here are five things to know about the brave musician. 1. Geiger was discovered on a VH1 reality series — that Emma Stone won! In 2004, Geiger appeared on In Search of the Partridge Family, a reality show on which aspiring performers competed to earn a part on a reboot of the ’70s sitcom classic. Geiger was a finalist for the role of Keith, and a young Emma Stone actually won the part of Laurie. Alas, the series was scrapped. Matt Baron/BEI/REX/Shutterstock 2. Kristin Cavallari once starred in one of Geiger’s music videos. Geiger scored a major recording deal with Columbia Records and released a single in 2006. “For You I Will (Confidence)” — which peaked at No. 29 on the Billboard Hot 100 — also appeared on the musician’s first album, Underage Thinking. For the romantic track’s music video, the singer tapped then-Laguna Beach star Kristin Cavallari to play the love interest. 3. Geiger opened for Hilary Duff on tour. Back in 2005, pop tart Hilary Duff was promoting her first greatest hits album on the Still Most Wanted tour — and asked Geiger to hit the road with her for the 30-city outing. Michael Kovac/Getty 4. Geiger made several of TV and movie appearances. Geiger appeared as an aspiring singer in four episodes of the short-lived 2006 CBS sitcom Love Monkey. And the star’s single “For You I Will (Confidence)” was used as a theme song for the show, a dramedy about a record executive that starred Tom Cavanagh, Judy Greer and Jason Priestley. In 2008, Geiger’s acting foray included a supporting role in the Rainn Wilson big-screen comedy The Rocker. Then, in 2012, the crossover star made a guest appearance on two episodes of the USA dramedy Royal Pains. 5. One Direction, Shawn Mendes and more can thank Geiger for hits. While Geiger independently released a sophomore album, The Last Fears, in 2013, the singer has focused more on songwriting and music production in recent years. The behind-the-scenes whiz is responsible for major hits for One Direction (“Where Do Broken Hearts Go”) and Shawn Mendes, for whom he cowrote the Hot 100 singles “Stitches,” “Treat You Better,” “Mercy” and “There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back.”