During his sophomore year of high school, in November 1998, he and several friends from elementary school formed apunk rock band called Outline.[10] They released a self-titled EP through Lifetime Records, a friend's record label, in January 2000, which was recorded by Jack's childhood friend,[12]Heath Miller of Excess dB Entertainment. Antonoff initially sang in the group until early 2000 when Eddie Wright took over on vocals.[13] With the addition of Wright, they recorded six songs which were later released[14] as6 Song Demo in the summer.[15] They released an album,A Boy Can Dream, in July 2001 throughTriple Crown Records.[14] When they were 15, Antonoff and his Outline bandmate used aDIY guide to book shows in numerous states, includingFlorida andTexas, and borrowed Antonoff's parents' minivan to travel in. During the tour, Outline played in venues such as anarchist bookstores, while the oldest member of the band drove because he was 18 years old. Antonoff explained in 2014: "Half the time no one would show up or the equipment would be too fucked up to play... but that's when I fell in love with touring." The band lasted until 2002, when Steel Train would sign to Drive-Thru Records.[6][10]
In summer of 2001, Antonoff and friendScott Irby-Ranniar formed the bandSteel Train, playing their first ever show at Club Krome in South Amboy, NJ on September 15,[16] along with future labelmates Allister and The Early November, who were about to sign to Drive-Thru Records. Antonoff was the lead singer,[17] and they recruited drummer Matthias Gruber. The band then convinced two of their friends from the band Random Task (at the time managed by Heath Miller,[18] promoter of Club Krome at Excess dB Entertainment[19]), Evan Winiker and Matthew Goldman, to drop out of college to join the new band.[10] Steel Train secured a recording deal withDrive-Thru Records.[10] The group was popular on the jamband festival circuit and Antonoff has said he has applied that grassroots mentality to his future projects.[20]
Antonoff in 2012
In 2008,Nate Ruess (formerly the frontman ofthe Format) asked Antonoff to join him andAndrew Dost (formerly ofAnathallo) in a new band, which becameFun.[21] Antonoff was already well acquainted with Ruess and Dost,[21] as their former bands had all toured together, meeting at a show at Club Krome on June 11, 2003.[22] The new band released its debut album,Aim and Ignite, in 2009.[23] Fun's second album,Some Nights (2012), produced the band's first number-one hit single, "We Are Young". The song was co-written by Antonoff with Ruess, Dost, andJeff Bhasker.[24] Fun. then played with their musical heroesQueen in September 2013 at theiHeartRadio Music Festival, which was held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena inLas Vegas. Antonoff playedBrian May's guitar during the rehearsal, which he described as the "most surreal experience ever."[25] The band then released a free six-song EP in December 2013, titledBefore Shane Went to Bangkok: Fun. Live in the USA.[23]
Antonoff performing as an "Artist to Watch" at theMTV Video Music Awards as Bleachers in August 2014Bleachers on set for their "Modern Girl" music video, August 2023
Antonoff announced a solo project calledBleachers in February 2014.[26] Antonoff stated in June 2014 that the project had been a consideration for around 10 years, and the name was inspired by the "disconnected, darker side" of suburban youth andJohn Hughes movies, which were "tied to a time when big songs were great songs." The songs for the debut Bleachers album were mostly written on Antonoff's laptop computer in hotel rooms during a Fun. world tour.[6]
The Huffington Post published a positive review of Bleachers' first single, "I Wanna Get Better"—released on February 18—calling it the "catchiest song of 2014,"[27] whileTime proclaimed, "[Bleachers] is more fun than Fun."[28] Antonoff revealed the intent behind the debut single in aRolling Stone interview:
I wanted to bridge the gap between Disclosure and Arcade Fire—something both streamlined and organic... The production and songwriting is extremely over-the-top, extremely epic and unapologetic. The record is all about finding a world where you can be kind to yourself in.[26]
Antonoff toldRolling Stone that while the song may sound joyous, "it's very desperate" and, like many of the other songs on the album is about loss.[26] Antonoff worked with producers John Hill andVince Clarke on the Bleachers studio album, as he sought to create "massive, beautiful pop songs that sound __ cool." The completed album,Strange Desire, was released in July 2014, and "I Wanna Get Better" peaked at number one on the U.S. Alternative charts during the same week. In regard toStrange Desire, Antonoff said:
It doesn't have to be one or the other... You don't have to [make] big pop songs that sound stupid and you don't have to make these fuckin' apologetic, tired droney songs that sound incredible. I really wanted both things to happen.[26]
"I Wanna Get Better" was eventually named number 18 inRolling Stone's 50 Best Songs of 2014, with the publication describing the song as "therapy rock" that is "as fun as it is cathartic".[29] Antonoff released Bleachers' second albumGone Now on June 2, 2017. Its lead single "Don't Take the Money" peaked at number 2 on Alternative Radio.[30] On July 30, 2021, he releasedTake The Sadness Out Of Saturday Night.[31][32] Bleachers'self-titled fourth studio album was released on March 8, 2024, being preceded by the release of four singles: "Modern Girl", "Alma Mater", "Tiny Moves", and "Me Before You".[33]
In 2013, Antonoff wrote and produced the song "Sweeter than Fiction" with American singer-songwriterTaylor Swift, for the filmOne Chance. The song was written in Antonoff's New York City apartment after he and Swift shared a love of a particularsnare drum sound from aFine Young Cannibals song. They brainstormed ideas by email before starting the songwriting process.[6][34]
Swift and Antonoff wrote and produced three songs together on Swift's fifth studio album,1989, including the single "Out of the Woods", as well as "I Wish You Would", and the bonus track "You Are in Love".1989 was released in October 2014 and became the biggest-selling album in the U.S. that year.[35] On the deluxe version of the album, Swift explains in a voice memo that the song "I Wish You Would" originated from a guitar track that Antonoff had recorded on his smartphone. After Swift first heard it, she asked Antonoff if she could develop the idea further, and it eventually became an album track.[36] The album won Antonoff twoGrammy Awards forAlbum of the Year andBest Pop Vocal Album in 2016.[37]
Taylor's the first person who let me produce a song. Before Taylor, everyone said: 'You're not a producer'. It took Taylor Swift to say: 'I like the way this sounds.'
In 2019, Swift and Antonoff wrote eight songs and produced eleven tracks together for Swift's seventh studio album,Lover, including the promotional single "The Archer", thetitle track, which served as the album's third single, and the number-one single "Cruel Summer".[43][44]
In 2020, Swift and Antonoff worked together on Swift's eighth studio album,Folklore. Along withAaron Dessner and Swift, Antonoff serves as one of the songwriters and producers for the record, with Antonoff helping to co-produce six songs and co-write four, including the third single, "Betty".[45] Antonoff continued to collaborate with Swift onFolklore's "sister record", which is Swift's ninth studio album,Evermore, in which he co-wrote the tracks "Gold Rush" and "Ivy", and co-produced the former.[46] Both projects earned a Grammy nomination forAlbum of the Year, withFolklore winning the award.
Antonoff co-produced all tracks from the standard edition of Swift's 2022 albumMidnights and co-wrote eleven of the thirteen standard tracks, including the number-one single "Anti-Hero" and "Bejeweled", in which he appeared in the music video for the track.[51][52] He co-wrote six songs and co-produced seven songs onTil Dawn Edition ofMidnights and co-wrote and co-produced "You're Losing Me".Midnights was a commercial success across all consumption metrics: streaming, digital sales, and physical sales. It was the biggest-selling album in the U.S. that year.[53] The album won Antonoff twoGrammy Awards forAlbum of the Year andBest Pop Vocal Album in 2024.[54]
Antonoff was one of the songwriters and producers on Swift's 2024 albumThe Tortured Poets Department, co-writing ten songs and co-producing sixteen songs across the album's standard and double album editions, including the number-one single "Fortnight".[55] The album broke numerous consumption records, leading publications to opine that it "cemented Swift as the biggest pop star this century by many metrics"[56] and became the longest-leading chart topper of her career.[57]
Antonoff, however, did not participate on Swift's 2025 albumThe Life of a Showgirl, a controversial move among fans.
In 2017, Antonoff co-wrote and producedLorde'sMelodrama which was released in June.USA Today described it as "the best pop album of 2017 so far".[58]Rolling Stone praised Antonoff's production specifically, noting his use of "empty space to spectacular effect, [as] the arrangements veer from stark clarity to delirium."[58] In support of the album, Antonoff appeared in the music video for its lead single, "Green Light".[59] He then performed "Liability" alongside Lorde onSaturday Night Live.[60] The album also received a nomination for the 2018Grammy Award for Album of the Year.[61][62] Beginning from 2018 until 2021, Antonoff co-wrote, produced, and performed on Lorde's third albumSolar Power.[63] However, Antonoff did not participate in Lorde's 2025 albumVirgin. In a Rolling Stone interview, she said she is “very vibes-based” and that she “just has to trust when my intuition says to keep moving.”[64]
In 2018, Antonoff produced the soundtrack for the20th Century Fox romantic comedy-drama filmLove, Simon. Bleachers also contributed four songs. On working on the ground-breaking film, the first major studio picture to focus on a gay teenager, Antonoff said "I believeLove, Simon is pivotal, a major step for a new generation" and added that he was "honored" that "genius" directorGreg Berlanti asked him to work on the soundtrack.[65] He also said he was "very lucky to be a part of [Love, Simon]" and "loved every moment of making this soundtrack"[66] after stating he was "beyond blown away" by the response to the film and soundtrack.[67]
On June 26, 2019, Antonoff previewed a new musical project withSam Dew andSounwave called Red Hearse. The project was teased with the release of two singles, "Red Hearse" and "Honey". On July 22, 2019, Red Hearse made their television debut onThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, performing "Half Love". Their debut self-titled studio album was released on August 16, 2019, viaRCA Records.[68]
Antonoff co-producedLana Del Rey's sixth studio albumNorman Fucking Rockwell!, which was released on August 30, 2019.[69] He also co-wrote a majority of the songs on the album including the singles "Mariners Apartment Complex" and "Venice Bitch". The album received critical praise withNME's Rhian Daly noting that the "bohemian folk" sound of the record was a departure from Antonoff's "brand of crystalline euphoria."[70] Other critics noted the album's 60s inspired,psychedelic rock sound.[71] The album was nominated for Grammy Album of the Year and won NME Album of the Year in 2020. Antonoff also produced Del Rey's subsequent albumsChemtrails Over the Country Club in 2021[72] andDid You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd in 2023, the latter including the duet "Margaret" which Del Rey wrote about Antonoff's wife.[73][74]
In 2015, Antonoff started his own music festival called Shadow of the City,[75] which raises funding for The Ally Coalition.[76] Antonoff told Rolling Stone he wanted to start the festival because, "I grew up in New Jersey and lived there for 28 years. New Jersey is part of who I am. I’ve always thought that it’s the perfect place for a festival."[77] In an interview published in the bookNew Jersey Fan Club, Antonoff says he wants to bring his audience closer to New Jersey as it really is.[78]
Antonoff co-wrote "Brave" withSara Bareilles after the two were introduced by Sara Quin of the bandTegan and Sara. Bareilles said toBillboard: "We met for breakfast one day, and I was just so enamored with him and his personality ... The first day we sat down together was the day we wrote 'Brave'." Antonoff wrote the song about a friend's struggle to speak openly about his sexuality.[81] The quickly written song was released on April 23, 2013 and by the end of June, "Brave" had sold 160,000 digital copies and peaked at number 61 on theBillboard Hot 100 chart.[82]
He founded The Ally Coalition circa 2014 with his sister,Rachel Antonoff. It hosts an annual benefits concert, called "The Talent Show," which has raised more than $2 million to supportLGBT issues.[83] In 2015, he created aGoogle Play docuseries titledThank You and Sorry, which combined scripted scenes and footage from Bleachers shows. It was released in six 15-minute episodes and included cameos fromLena Dunham,Rosie Perez,Olivia Wilde,Colin Quinn, andJason Mantzoukas.[84][85] Also in 2015, Antonoff portrayed the character Baby Goya in the comedy-drama filmHello, My Name Is Doris.[86]
In 2022, Antonoff produced eight tracks offFlorence and the Machine's fifth studio album,Dance Fever. His credits on the album include the singles "King" and "Free".[92][93] He also co-producedthe 1975's fifth studio album,Being Funny in a Foreign Language, and the soundtrack for the animated film,Minions: The Rise of Gru.[94][95] In 2023, he started his own record label in collaboration with Jamie Oborne.[96] The record label, called Shadow of the City, is animprint of Oborne's label, calledDirty Hit.[97] That year, he co-produced Rob Grant's debut studio album,Lost at Sea, including the single "Hollywood Bowl" which features Grant's daughter,Lana Del Rey.[98][99]
Antonoff dated classmateScarlett Johansson from 2001 to 2002.[127] When Antonoff first moved out of the family home near the end of 2012, he lived with his sisterRachel inNew York City. Afterward, he lived withLena Dunham, whom he was dating at the time.[6] The couple separated in December 2017.[8] As of December 2019, he lived in the same New York apartment he shared with Dunham where he had a home studio.[128]
In 2023, Antonoff married actressMargaret Qualley, after dating for a couple of years.[129]
Antonoff has spoken publicly about his struggles withdepression,anxiety andobsessive–compulsive disorder. He said that hearing of others' battles with depression made him feel "not better, but not alone" and "way less scared".[130] In June 2014, Antonoff said in an interview that he was seeing both a therapist and apsychopharmacologist, while also taking anti-anxiety medications. He hasgermophobia which was exacerbated by a bout ofpneumonia that he suffered in 2011 while recording a studio album for his bandFun. Hispulmonologist prescribed a daily run, but he explained that he hates it "more than anything" because it is "one of the most truly boring experiences on Earth."[6]
^abcdeLeichman, Joseph."More powerful than a locomotive..."Archived July 6, 2015, at theWayback Machine,Jewish Standard, November 26, 2010. Accessed January 2, 2013. "Jack Antonoff of New Milford and Daniel Silbert of Tenafly first crossed paths in elementary school at the Solomon Schechter Day School of Bergen County in New Milford, where they also met Evan Winiker, whose family moved to Teaneck in time for him to begin the sixth grade at Schechter. . ...
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