Fun (band)

"Fun." redirects here. For other uses, seeFun (disambiguation).

Fun(stylized asfun.) was an Americanindie popband based inNew York City.The band consists ofJack Antonoff(ofSteel Train),Andrew Dost(ofAnathallo), andNate Ruess(ofthe Format).

Fun
Fun performing in 2012
Background information
Origin	New York City, U.S.
Genres	Indie pop indie rock pop rock baroque pop
Years active	2008–2015
Labels	Nettwerk Fueled by Ramen
Spinoff of	The Format Anathallo Steel Train
Members	Nate Ruess Jack Antonoff Andrew Dost
Website	ournameisfun

Fun formed in 2008, and their debut studio album,Aim and Ignite,was released in 2009 to moderate commercial success. The band rose to prominence with the release of their second album,Some Nights,in 2012. The album peaked at number three on the U.S.Billboard200chart, and toppedBillboard'sTop Alternative AlbumsandTop Rock Albumscharts. It spawned their biggest hit singles to date: "We Are Young"featuringJanelle Monáe,"Some Nights"and"Carry On",all of which reached the top 20 on the U.S.BillboardHot 100with "We Are Young" peaking at number one. At the55th Annual Grammy Awards,they won the award forSong of the Yearfor their song "We Are Young";they also won the award forBest New Artist.

History

2008: Career beginnings and formation

In February 2008,Nate Ruess's former bandthe Formatsplit up. Immediately afterwards, Nate Ruess asked Andrew Dost and Jack Antonoff to join his new project. Dost had toured with the Format and provided various instrumentation, and Ruess met Antonoff after the Format toured with Steel Train.The three began working together inNew Jerseywithin a week. Ruess sang melodies while the other two provided music for them.The first demo song the band recorded was "Benson Hedges", which was made available free inSpin's August 20, 2008 article on the band.In November 2008, fun embarked on their first tour opening forJack's Mannequin.Their first show was played in Denver, Colorado on November 5, 2008.A couple of early demos and covers from other bands were performed. Fun then approached Steven McDonald, who producedthe Format's albumDog Problemswith Ruess, to produce their debut album. McDonald was enthusiastic about the project and stated, "I can't believe what we're working on here. This crushes anything I've ever done."

2009–2010:Aim and Ignite

Recording took place in the fall of 2008. The band's first single, "At Least I'm Not as Sad As I Used to Be" was made available as a free download on the band'sMyspacepage on April 6, 2009.Aim and Ignitewas released on August 25, 2009, and received positive reviews.AbsolutePunk.net's Drew Beringer praised the album, stating it was "what a pop album 'should' sound like" and "the most essential pop album of 2009".AllMusiccalled the album "progressive, but in the best possible way" and admired Ruess's lyrics for "investigating the larger truths of life...with a witty approach that keeps the songs bubbling merrily along on a positive note".Dave de Sylvia of Sputnikmusic wrote, "Aim and Igniteisn't the most consistent pop album around, "but he ultimately commended the album as" a superbly mixed and arranged album made by musicians who clearly understand the limits and potential of pop music ".Estella Hung ofPopMatterswas less impressed with the album. She praised songs "Be Calm" and "The Gambler", but criticized the lyrics and production of the album's early tracks. Hung concluded that whileAim and Igniteis "pretty original to say the least", it "fails to live up to the Format's last outing."Popdose's Ken Shane called the album "an interesting and unusual listen". Shane applauded the album's songwriting and said "many of the songs are really good," but he objected to the "cute" production, desiring to hear the band "in a more stripped-down form." He ended his review with: "I have a similar problem with Dr. Dog, a band that was recommended to me by a number of people. I think much of their recorded work is too fussed over, but when I saw them live and their sound was more stripped down out of necessity, emphasizing their powerful songwriting, I thought they were wonderful. Perhaps the same fate awaits me with Fun."In reviewing the album,The Washington Postcalled some of the arrangements "theatrical, much like those onPanic! at the Disco's2005 debut".The album reached number 26 on Sputnikmusic's top 50 albums of 2009. The album peaked at 71 on the U.S. album charts.

Fun began its first North American tour on November 8, 2008, opening forJack's Mannequinas well as opening for them again in February 2010, followed by their first U.K. appearances in March. In April 2010, Fun supportedParamore's headline tour.The band then embarked on a full U.K. tour in May. On August 4, 2010, Fun announced that they had signed with labelFueled by Ramen.In 2010, Fun's single "Walking the Dog" was used in a commercial for the travel siteExpedia.Will Noon(formerly ofStraylight Run) played drums with Fun on tour, according to Noon's Twitter page.To celebrate the Paramore U.K. tour and the band's new single "Walking the Dog", Hassle Records gave away a free download of an acoustic version of the track.

2011–2015:Some Nightsand hiatus

On May 17, 2011, the band released "C'mon" as a joint single withPanic! at the Disco,for whom they opened on their 2011Vices & Virtues Tour.On November 7, 2011, the band announced that their next album would be titledSome Nights.Its first single, called "We Are Young"featuring Janelle Monáe, has since been used in several other media, including television seriesGossip Girl,90210,Glee,andChuck;commercials forChevroletandApple;and in the trailer forJudd Apatow's filmThis Is 40.On December 12, 2011, the band's song "One Foot" was available for instant streaming and free download onNylon's website.

On February 13, 2012, the band released an album stream ofSome Nightson their website along with a note from Ruess thanking fans for their ongoing support.It was released on February 21, 2012, throughFueled by Ramen.The band kicked off the start of their North American tour in support ofSome Nightson February 29.

Fun performing in Las Vegas in 2012

On March 7, 2012, Fun's single "We Are Young" reached the No. 1 spot on theBillboardHot 100 chart. This makes Fun the first multi-member rock band to have a No. 1Billboarddebut on the Hot 100 sinceNickelback's "How You Remind Me".On April 11, 2012, Billboard announced that Fun's "We Are Young" also made Digital Sales history. As the song was at the No. 1 spot on theBillboardHot 100 for a sixth consecutive week, it has become the first, and at this time only, song that has ever gained 300,000+ downloads for seven weeks straight.The music video for the album's third single, "Carry On", was released in October 2012.The group performed "Some Nights" and "Carry On" onSaturday Night Liveon November 3,and then performed "We Are Young" on the2012 MTV Europe Music Awardson November 11.

The group performed at the55th Grammy Awards,held February 10, 2013.Entertainment Weeklypredicted that "We Are Young" would bring home the Grammy in the categoriesRecord of the YearandSong of the Year(writing, of the latter, "'We Are Young' is the kind of anthem this category is made for" ), and thatSome Nightswould win forBest Pop Vocal Album."We Are Young" won the Grammy for Song of the Year and was nominated for Record of the Year. Fun also won the Grammy forBest New Artist.Ruess, after winning for "We Are Young", jokingly said, "I don't know what I was thinking, writing the chorus for this song. If this is in HD, everybody can see our faces, and we are not very young."On February 26, 2013, Fun released the music video for "Why Am I the One".

In September 2013, the band joinedQueenfor a special version of Queen's hit "Somebody to Love"then as a duet with the more modern version of the band in the form ofQueen + Adam Lambertfor "Fat Bottomed Girls"at the iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas.In December 2013, Fun digitally releasedBefore Shane Went To Bangkok: Live in The USA,a live EP with songs from bothAim and IgniteandSome Nights,as well as a recording of "What the Fuck", previously unreleased by the band. A vinyl release of the EP was released in March 2014.On June 18, 2014, Fun performed the song "Harsh Light" onThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

On February 4, 2015, the band announced on its Facebook page and their official website that they were not splitting up, but were taking some time off to pursue other projects. Antonoff later became the lead singer of the indie pop bandBleachers.Dost is the lead singer of the band Metal Bubble Trio.

Band members

Band members	Years active	Instruments
Nate Ruess	2008–present	vocals,sampler
Jack Antonoff	2008–present	guitar, drums, percussion, piano, vocals
Andrew Dost	2008–present	piano, guitar, keyboards,flugelhorn,trumpet,glockenspiel,drums, bass guitar, vocals

Touring musicians	Years active	Instruments
Nate Harold	2009–2015	bass guitar
Emily Moore	2009–2015	guitar, vocals, keyboards, saxophone,maracas,violin
Will Noon	2011–2015	drums
Jonathan Goldstein	2008–2010	drums
Jessica Martins	2008	guitar, vocals, keyboards
David Lizmi	2008	bass
Maggie Malyn	2008	violin
Will Yates	2009	bass guitar
Am Wheeldon	2008	bass guitar
Ryan Mann Jr.	2009	bass guitar
Lee Wilkinson	2009	guitar
Alex Townley	2010–2011	guitar
Ian Hare	2010	bass guitar
Liam O'Keefe	2010	guitar
Mike Schey	2010	guitar
George Roth	2011	bass guitar

Discography

Main article:Fun discography

• Aim and Ignite(2009)
• Some Nights(2012)

Awards and nominations

Main article:List of awards and nominations received by Fun

Fun is the winner of twoGrammy Awards,twoTeen Choice Awards,and oneBillboard Music Award.

In 2010, they won Best Pop/Rock Song at the Independent Music Awards for "All the Pretty Girls".

External links

• Official website
• Alter the Press Interview
• March 18, 2012 NPR story and interview by Guy Raz