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Nate Ruess

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Nate Ruess
Ruess at a radio show in August 2012
Ruess at a radio show in August 2012
Background information
Birth nameNathaniel Joseph Ruess[1]
Born (1982-02-26) February 26, 1982 (age 42)[2]
Iowa City, Iowa, U.S.
OriginGlendale, Arizona, U.S.
GenresIndie pop
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter, musician
InstrumentVocals
Years active2000–present
LabelsFueled By Ramen

Nathaniel Joseph "Nate" Ruess (born February 26, 1982) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is the lead vocalist of indie pop band Fun, and previously of The Format.[3] As of 2015, he also performs as a solo musician.[4]

Early life

Ruess was born on February 26, 1982, in Iowa City, Iowa. He is the younger of two children of Bess Zinger and Larry Ruess[5][6] and has one sister named Elizabeth.[7] His uncle, John Ruess, was a performer on Broadway and served as an influence for Ruess' musical ventures.[8]

In 1986, his family moved to a farm in Glendale, Arizona, due to repeated bouts of pneumonia Ruess faced as a child.[9] Ruess remained in Arizona throughout his childhood and attended Deer Valley High School, graduating in 2000.[10] During his time in school, Ruess played in punk bands and upon graduation chose to pursue music professionally. In an interview with American Songwriter Ruess states, "I'm not one to take lessons, so I decided that the only way I was going to learn how to sing, if what they were saying was true, was to go in my car and put on any sort of music from a vocalist that might be really hard to mimic, turn it on as loud as possible and try to hit all those notes".[11] He took a job in a law firm as a way to support himself while he pursued his musical ambitions.[12]

In 2001, at the age of 19, he launched the band The Format with his longtime best friend, Sam Means. The Format was his first musical endeavor to gain widespread attention.

Career

2001–2008: The Format

After forming in 2001, The Format released a five song demo, titled EP, which generated local interest and led to the band's being signed to Elektra Records in 2002. They released their first studio album, Interventions + Lullabies, on October 21, 2003, leading to more local mainstream success. The band's fanbase began to grow, and The Format released their second EP, Snails, with Atlantic Records in April 2005. However, while working on their second album, Dog Problems, they were dropped from Atlantic. They eventually created their own label, The Vanity Label, and released the album on July 10, 2006. On February 4, 2008, Ruess announced through the band's blog that The Format would not be making another album.

We have just put out word that we will not be making a new Format album. Please understand this was a tough decision and we're both upset about it. While we accept there will be false speculation as to why, understand that Sam and I remain extremely close and in fact are still passing the Twin Peaks box set back and forth in an attempt to figure out who REALLY killed Laura Palmer. We also want to thank everyone with and within the Format, particularly Mike, Don, and Marko, whom without, none of this would have ever even been fully realized. We both suggest you support their musical talents and whatever they decide to do. And lastly we want to thank the fans who made this the best 5 years of our lives.[13]

2008–2014: Fun.

Ruess performing with Fun. in March 2010

Immediately after the split of The Format, Ruess contacted Jack Antonoff of Steel Train and Andrew Dost, formerly of Anathallo, to form a new band called Fun. They released their first demo, "Benson Hedges", through Spin's September 20, 2009, article.[14] Four months after releasing their first single, "At Least I'm Not as Sad (As I Used to Be)", through Myspace on April 6, 2009, Fun. released their first studio album, entitled Aim and Ignite. Despite receiving generally positive reviews, the album was not a commercial success, peaking at 71 on the Billboard 200.

The band's first tour happened in 2008 supporting Jack's Mannequin and gained exposure opening for them as well as Paramore in 2010. On August 4, 2010, Fun announced that they had been signed to the Fueled by Ramen label.

Their second album, Some Nights, was released on February 21, 2012, and featured production by Jeff Bhasker. The album's first single, "We Are Young", which features guest singer Janelle Monáe, was released September 20, 2011. The song was covered on Glee in December 2011 and featured in Spanish on a Taco Bell commercial during the Super Bowl in February 2012, and reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on March 8, 2012. The album has become a success throughout the world, selling hundreds of thousands of copies. The album's title song, "Some Nights", reached number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached number 1 on the Alternative Songs chart.

Ruess performing in Tucson, Arizona in March 2012.

On February 10, 2013, the band won a Grammy for their song "We Are Young". Upon receiving the Grammy, Ruess commented, "I don't know what I was thinking writing the chorus for this song. If this is in HD, everyone can see our faces and we are not very young. We've been doing this for 12 years and I just got to say we could not do this without the help of all the fans that we've had keeping us afloat for the last 12 years."[15] Fun. also won the Grammy for Best New Artist.[16]

Alongside Fun., Ruess had been a supporting vocalist for many different songs across genres. In 2012, he was featured on "Only Love" from Anthony Green's second solo album, Beautiful Things, and in 2013 was featured on Pink's album, The Truth About Love, in the song "Just Give Me a Reason".[17] The song began as a simple songwriting session with Pink. She decided the song needed another side to it and subsequently a male part was written. While at first reluctant, with Pink encouraging him, he decided to participate in the duet.[18] The song eventually topped the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming his first number-one single as a solo artist and his second overall. After the success of "Just Give Me a Reason", Ruess was featured on Eminem's eighth studio album The Marshall Mathers LP 2 on the track "Headlights". Many of Ruess' lyrics were borrowed from a previously unreleased track, "Jumping The Shark," written during the Aim and Ignite sessions.

On June 18, 2014, Fun debuted a new song on Late Night Show with Jimmy Fallon called "Harsh Lights". It would be the last Fun. song released before Ruess' pursuing his career as a solo artist, however the band has made it clear that they are on hiatus, not splitting up.

2014–present: Solo artist

On February 5, 2015, Fun posted a letter on their official website as a note to their fans on the status of the band. The band wrote that there was no new Fun album in the works, and instead that all three members were pursuing their own projects, including Ruess releasing an album as a solo musician.

Fun was founded by the three of us at a time when we were coming out of our own bands. One thing that has always been so special about Fun is that we exist as three individuals in music who come together to do something collaborative. We make Fun records when we are super inspired to do so. Currently Nate is working on his first solo album, Andrew is scoring films, and Jack is on tour and working on Bleachers music. The three of us have always followed inspiration wherever it leads us. Sometimes that inspiration leads to Fun music, sometimes it leads to musical endeavors outside of Fun. We see all of it as part of the ecosystem that makes Fun, fun.[19]

In an interview with Rolling Stone, Ruess added, "You get a little selfish about the songs that you write, and it's really hard to do that in a group setting, where there are two other people, and you have to think about everybody else's feelings. I'm writing and singing these songs about myself. When you work with producers versus bandmates, that line becomes a lot less blurry."[4]

In addition to his solo album, Ruess was invited to perform on Brian Wilson's album No Pier Pressure. Wilson, who co-founded the Beach Boys, likened Ruess' voice to his deceased brother and former bandmate Carl Wilson.[20] Ruess also contributed vocals to frequent collaborator Emile Haynie's 2015 release, We Fall.

Ruess' solo album is currently untitled, but slated for a summer of 2015 release. His first single is titled, Nothing Without Love, and was released to alternative radio on February 23, 2015.[21]

Discography

For Ruess' releases with The Format, see The Format discography
For Ruess' releases with Fun, see Fun discography

Singles

Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album
US Alternative AUS AUT CAN FRA GER IRL NLD NZ UK
"Nothing Without Love"
 2015 112 28 — — — — — — — — — — TBA

Guest appearances

References

  1. ^ Eliscu, Jenny (2012). "Fun". Rolling Stone: 30.
  2. ^ "On This Day: February 26". The Learning Network. The New York Times. February 26, 2013. Retrieved October 12, 2013. {{cite news}}: External link in |website= (help)
  3. ^ Escudero, Nicki (June 16, 2011). "Former Format Singer Nate Ruess Wants to Have fun. in Arizona". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved January 23, 2012.
  4. ^ a b Montgomery, James (February 6, 2015). "Nate Ruess on Going Solo and the Future of fun". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 11, 2015.
  5. ^ Larry Ruess | Brome Hill
  6. ^ Robert H. Ruess (1924 - 2001) - Find A Grave Memorial
  7. ^ Masley, Ed (February 9, 2013). "How Nate Ruess of Fun. went from Glendale to Grammys", The Arizona Republic. Retrieved May 6, 2013.
  8. ^ http://www.azcentral.com/thingstodo/music/articles/20130203grammys-fun-nate-ruess-glendale-band.html
  9. ^ Lawler, Joe. "fun. having fun at the top", Des Moines Register, Iowa, 7 April 2012. Retrieved on 5 March 2013.
  10. ^ O'Connor, Christopher. "Adjusting to Format". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved May 4, 2013.
  11. ^ "fun.:Everyday Anthems". fun.:Everyday Anthems. American Songwriter. Retrieved July 2, 2012.
  12. ^ Interview & Show Preview: fun. @ Showbox SoDo Friday, 6/24, Back Beat Seattle, 2011-06-22. Retrieved 2012-04-10.
  13. ^ News post, titled "Important." The Format's official website. Accessed February 4, 2008.
  14. ^ "Members of the Format, Steel Train, Anathallo unite as Fun", Spin, 2008-08-20. Retrieved 2012-04-10.
  15. ^ "Fun. Take Song Of The Year Grammy For 'We Are Young'".
  16. ^ "Best New Artist Winner at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards". http://www.grammy.com. Retrieved February 12, 2013. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  17. ^ "Just Give Me A Reason". {{cite web}}: |first= missing |last= (help)
  18. ^ "The Truth About Love - Track by Track Commentary". {{cite web}}: |first= missing |last= (help)
  19. ^ News post, titled "A Message from Nate, Jack, and Andrew." Fun's official website. Accessed February 11, 2015.
  20. ^ Fine, Jason (July 18, 2014). "Brian Wilson's Girl-Powered LP: In the Studio With the Beach Boy". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 18, 2014.
  21. ^ "All Access Future Releases".
  22. ^ Cameron Matthews (January 11, 2012). "Anthony Green Is in the Collaborative Spirit on 'Only Love' -- Song Premiere". Spinner. Retrieved October 26, 2012.
  23. ^ "RIAA - Gold & Platinum Searchable Database". RIAA. Retrieved October 12, 2013.
  24. ^ "Australian Singles Chart: 01/07/2013". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
  25. ^ "Gold & Platin" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved September 21, 2010.
  26. ^ "Music Canada: Pink (Just Give Me a Reason)". Music Canada. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
  27. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Pink)" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
  28. ^ "NZ Top 40: Singles Chart - 10 June 2013". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved June 11, 2013.
  29. ^ "ARIA Australian Top 50 Singles Chart - 24/03/2014". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on March 22, 2014. Retrieved March 22, 2014.

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