Biography
Los Angeles serves as home base for the R&B quartet Free Nationals, whose sound blends silky textures with funk fluency. The four musicians supplied extensive studio and stage work for Anderson .Paak before issuing their self-titled debut album in 2019, a project that received a Grammy nomination for Best Progressive R&B Album. Subsequent collaborations have included Rae Khalil, Remi Wolf, and John Legend, while 2024 brought the release of the trippy single “Gangsta,” which features Paak alongside A$AP Rocky.
Keyboardist Ron Avant (aka T. Nava), drummer Matthew Marisola (aka Callum Connor), bassist Kelsey Gonzalez, and guitarist José Rios adopted the Free Nationals name once their association with Paak began. Avant and Rios had already accumulated session credits with Paak dating back to the late 2000s. The entire group played a central role in shaping Paak’s 2017 album Malibu, a breakthrough release nominated for a Grammy in the Best Urban Contemporary Album category. Sustained touring alongside Paak helped clarify the band’s own artistic profile. Following additional full-length projects with Paak—Oxnard and Ventura—plus a series of singles spotlighting outside vocalists, the quartet completed work on Free Nationals. The album surfaced digitally near the close of 2019, with physical copies appearing early the next year; guest contributors included Paak, Daniel Caesar, Syd, Kali Uchis, and Mac Miller. It entered Billboard’s Heatseekers chart at number three and earned a Grammy nomination for Best Progressive R&B Album.
Even after establishing their own catalog, Free Nationals maintained freelance activity between 2020 and 2023, appearing on Rae Khalil’s “Allstar” and John Legend’s “Strawberry Blush” while also supplying remixes for Remi Wolf’s “Photo ID” and Tash Sultana’s “Pretty Lady.” The group resurfaced in 2024 with “Gangsta,” again featuring Paak and A$AP Rocky.
Keyboardist Ron Avant (aka T. Nava), drummer Matthew Marisola (aka Callum Connor), bassist Kelsey Gonzalez, and guitarist José Rios adopted the Free Nationals name once their association with Paak began. Avant and Rios had already accumulated session credits with Paak dating back to the late 2000s. The entire group played a central role in shaping Paak’s 2017 album Malibu, a breakthrough release nominated for a Grammy in the Best Urban Contemporary Album category. Sustained touring alongside Paak helped clarify the band’s own artistic profile. Following additional full-length projects with Paak—Oxnard and Ventura—plus a series of singles spotlighting outside vocalists, the quartet completed work on Free Nationals. The album surfaced digitally near the close of 2019, with physical copies appearing early the next year; guest contributors included Paak, Daniel Caesar, Syd, Kali Uchis, and Mac Miller. It entered Billboard’s Heatseekers chart at number three and earned a Grammy nomination for Best Progressive R&B Album.
Even after establishing their own catalog, Free Nationals maintained freelance activity between 2020 and 2023, appearing on Rae Khalil’s “Allstar” and John Legend’s “Strawberry Blush” while also supplying remixes for Remi Wolf’s “Photo ID” and Tash Sultana’s “Pretty Lady.” The group resurfaced in 2024 with “Gangsta,” again featuring Paak and A$AP Rocky.
Albums
Singles
