Nate Ruess

Inspired to perform thanks to his uncle, the Broadway star John Ruess, Nate Ruess was performing in punk bands all throughout high school, and decided on graduating that playing music professionally was the only thing that he really wanted to do with his life. At the age of 19, he formed his first proper band with his best friend, Sam Means, and their five-piece band, The Format, signed to Elektra Records barely a year after forming in 2001. After their first album “Interventions + Lullabies” was a huge independent success the band signed to Atlantic Records in 2005. Unfortunately the band were dropped from the label before they even released their second album, which would surface in 2006 under the name “Dog Problems”. The damage had been done though, and in February 2008, Ruess announced that the band had finally split up.

Ruess had a back up plan, though. While in The Format, he'd struck up a friendship with Jack Antonoff of Steel Train and Anathallo's Andrew Dost and once his band came to an end, he got in contact with both of them to put together a new band, who would later end up being called Fun. Within two years the band had released their first album, supported Jack's Mannequin along with Paramore and signed a record deal with Fueled By Ramen. They would become one of the biggest bands in America with their number one hit single “We Are Young” in 2012 and as a result, Ruess himself would go on to become an in-demand collaborator and co-writer, making hit records with P!nk (“Just Give Me A Reason”), and Eminem (“Headlights”).

After the all-conquering success of his band's album “Some Nights”, Fun. announced in 2015 that each member of the band would be pursuing different projects to the band for now, and Ruess himself was beginning a solo career in June 2015. With nearly a decade and a half's experience playing music all over the world, Ruess' solo career should prove to be something quite spectacular, and for that, he comes highly recommended.