Nate Ruess

Raised on a farm in rural Arizona, singer/songwriter Nate Ruess first broke through as a member of indie pop outfit the Format yet gained wider recognition as frontman of the Grammy Award-winning trio Fun.. Upon finishing high school he committed to music full-time, forming the Format in 2001 alongside his closest friend and multi-instrumentalist Sam Means. The group achieved modest commercial traction across two albums, the latter of which, Dog Problems (2007), earned widespread critical praise before the band dissolved in 2008. Unwilling to abandon his goals, Ruess immediately launched Fun. later that year. Although the project’s 2009 debut Aim and Ignite met with muted response, its follow-up Some Nights, issued three years afterward, propelled the band’s buoyant indie pop and richly harmonized melodies to mainstream success. Ruess supplied the group’s inventive spark and introspective songwriting, pairing lyrics that explored loneliness and self-worth with the exuberant, hook-driven arrangements that defined their style. That trajectory culminated in a 2013 Grammy for Best Song along with the Best New Artist honor. Beyond Fun. he co-wrote Ke$ha’s single “Warrior” and guested on P!nk’s hit single “Just Give Me a Reason.” In 2015 he issued his first solo effort, Grand Romantic, whose buoyant pop approach echoed his earlier work and featured production contributions from Jeff Bhasker (Kanye West, Bruno Mars) and Emile Haynie (Lana Del Rey, Kid Cudi) plus the singles “Nothing Without Love” and “AhHa.”