Nate Ruess | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Ruess performing in 2015 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Nathaniel Joseph Ruess[1] |
| Born | (1982-02-26)February 26, 1982 (age 43) Iowa City, Iowa, U.S. |
| Origin | Glendale, Arizona, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2000–present |
| Labels | Fueled by Ramen |
| Member of | |
| Website | nateruess |
| Signature | |
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Nathaniel Joseph Ruess (pronounced/ruːs/ROOSS;[2] born February 26, 1982)[3] is an American singer and songwriter. He formed theindie rock bandThe Format in 2002, and later went on to form the bandfun. in 2008.[4]
He emerged as a solo act with his guest performance onP!nk's 2013 single "Just Give Me a Reason", which earned two nominations at the56th Annual Grammy Awards and won theMTV Video Music Award for Best Collaboration.[5] His 2015 single, "Nothing Without Love", marked his first entry on theBillboard Hot 100 as a solo artist. It served as the lead single for his debut solo album,Grand Romantic (2015), which peaked at number seven on theBillboard 200 and saw positive critical response.
Ruess has also co-written a number of commercially successful singles, including "Die Young" byKesha, "Stay the Night" byZedd andHayley Williams, "Walk Me Home" by Pink and withKeith Urban,Maroon 5 andEllie Goulding. His songwriting work has earned him the Hal David Starlight Award at the 2015Songwriters Hall of Fame.[6]
Ruess was born the second child of Larry Ruess and Bess Zinger.[7][8] His uncle, John Ruess, was a performer on Broadway and served as an influence for Ruess's musical ventures.[9]
In 1986, his family moved to a farm inGlendale, Arizona, due to repeated bouts ofpneumonia Ruess faced as a child.[10] Ruess's pneumonia and the move are referenced in the lyrics of the song "The Gambler". Ruess remained in Arizona throughout his childhood and attendedDeer Valley High School, graduating in 2000.[11] During his time in school, Ruess played in punk bands and upon graduation chose to pursue music professionally. In an interview withAmerican Songwriter Ruess states, "I'm not one to take lessons, so I decided that the only way I was going to learn how to sing, if what they were saying was true, was to go in my car and put on any sort of music from a vocalist that might be really hard to mimic, turn it on as loud as possible and try to hit all those notes".[12] He took a job in a law firm as a way to support himself while he pursued his musical ambitions.[13]
In 2002, at the age of 19, he launched the bandthe Format with his longtime best friend,Sam Means. The Format was his first musical endeavor to gain widespread attention.
After forming in 2000,[14]the Format released a five-song EP, titledEP, which generated local interest and led to the band being signed toElektra Records in 2002. They released their first studio album,Interventions + Lullabies, on October 21, 2003, leading to more local mainstream success. The band's fanbase began to grow, and the Format released their second EP,Snails, withAtlantic Records in April 2005. However, while working on their second album,Dog Problems, they were dropped from Atlantic. They eventually created their own label, The Vanity Label, and released the album on July 10, 2006. On February 4, 2008, Ruess announced through the band's blog that the Format would not be making another album.[15]
Immediately after the split of the Format, Ruess contactedJack Antonoff ofSteel Train andAndrew Dost, formerly ofAnathallo, to form a new band calledfun. They released their first demo, "Benson Hedges", throughSpin's September 20, 2009, article.[16] Four months after releasing their first single, "At Least I'm Not as Sad (As I Used to Be)", through Myspace on April 6, 2009, Fun released their first studio album, entitledAim and Ignite. The album received generally positive reviews and peaked at 71 on theBillboard 200.
The band's first tour happened in 2008 supportingJack's Mannequin and gained exposure opening for them as well asParamore in 2010. On August 4, 2010, Fun announced that they had been signed to theFueled by Ramen label.
In 2011, in collaboration with the bandPanic! at the Disco, the band released the single, "C'mon" with limited vinyl release.[17]
Their second album,Some Nights, was released on February 21, 2012, and featured production byJeff Bhasker. The album's first single, "We Are Young", which features guest singerJanelle Monáe, was released September 20, 2011. The song was covered onGlee in December 2011, featured in aChevy Sonic commercial during the Super Bowl in February 2012, and reached number one on theBillboard Hot 100 on March 8, 2012. The album has become a success throughout the world, selling nearly three million copies. The album's title song, "Some Nights", reached number 3 on theBillboard Hot 100 and reached number 1 on the Alternative Songs chart.
On February 10, 2013, Fun won aGrammy for "We Are Young". Upon receiving the Grammy, Ruess commented, "I don't know what I was thinking writing the chorus for this song. If this is in HD, everyone can see our faces, and we are not very young. We've been doing this for 12 years, and I just got to say we could not do this without the help of all the fans that we've had keeping us afloat for the last 12 years."[18] Fun also won the Grammy for Best New Artist.[19]
Alongside Fun, Ruess had been a supporting vocalist for many different songs across genres. In 2012, he was featured on "Only Love" fromAnthony Green's second solo album,Beautiful Things, and in 2013 was featured onPink's album,The Truth About Love, in the song "Just Give Me a Reason". The song began as a simple songwriting session withPink. She decided the song needed another side to it and subsequently a male part was written. While at first reluctant, with Pink encouraging him, he decided to participate in the duet.[20] The song eventually topped the USBillboard Hot 100, becoming his first number-one single as a solo artist and his second overall. After the success of "Just Give Me a Reason", Ruess was featured onEminem's eighth studio albumThe Marshall Mathers LP 2 on the track "Headlights". Many of Ruess' lyrics were borrowed from a previously unreleased track, "Jumping the Shark", written during theAim and Ignite sessions.
In 2014, the band released the single "Sight of the Sun" for theHBO seriesGirls after being approached by show creatorLena Dunham.[21]
On June 18, 2014, Fun debuted a new song onThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon called "Harsh Lights". It would be the last new Fun song performed before Ruess' pursuing his career as a solo artist, however the band has made it clear that they are on hiatus, not splitting up.
On February 5, 2015, Fun posted on their official website their status stating "there was no new Fun album in the works"; instead stating all three members were pursuing their own projects.
Fun was founded by the three of us at a time when we were coming out of our own bands. One thing that has always been so special about Fun is that we exist as three individuals in music who come together to do something collaborative. We make Fun records when we are super inspired to do so. Currently Nate is working on his first solo album, Andrew is scoring films, and Jack is on tour and working on Bleachers music. The three of us have always followed inspiration wherever it leads us. Sometimes that inspiration leads to Fun music, sometimes it leads to musical endeavors outside of Fun. We see all of it as part of the ecosystem that makes Fun, fun.[22]
In an interview withRolling Stone, Ruess added, "You get a little selfish about the songs that you write, and it's really hard to do that in a group setting, where there are two other people, and you have to think about everybody else's feelings. I'm writing and singing these songs about myself. When you work with producers versus bandmates, that line becomes a lot less blurry."[5]
In addition to his solo album, Ruess was invited to perform onBrian Wilson's albumNo Pier Pressure. Wilson, who co-foundedthe Beach Boys, likened Ruess' voice to his deceased brother and former bandmateCarl Wilson.[23] Ruess then contributedguest vocals to the frequent collaboratorEmile Haynie's 2015 release,We Fall. Ruess' then released his first single from his debut album, titledNothing Without Love, which was sent to the alternative radio on February 23, 2015.[24]
On March 23, 2015, he made the first of multiple appearances, as a guest advisor onthe eighth season onThe Voice.[25] On April 6, 2015, Ruess announced his debut album would be calledGrand Romantic, and it was released on June 16, 2015.[26] On April 27, 2015, Ruess released the opening track from his debut album, titled "AhHa".[27]
In May 2015, he released another song, titled "Great Big Storm", in correlation with the announcement of his solo tour. The song "What The World is Coming To" features guest vocals from American singer-songwriter and musicianBeck. It was released as part of the countdown to his new solo album. On May 31, 2015, Ruess made his live debut as a solo artist with his newly formed backup band called the Band Romantic. He performed in Utrecht, Netherlands, at the intimate Tivoli/Vredenburg Cloud Nine location. The set list consisted of the 3 released tracks from "Grand Romantic", several then-unheard tracks from the same album, and songs from Fun such as "Some Nights", "We Are Young", and "Carry On". He also performed "Just Give Me a Reason". On June 1, 2015, Ruess released a new track from his solo album "Grand Romantic", titled "What This World Is Coming To".
On January 1, 2016, Ruess played during the 1st period intermission at theNHL Winter Classic inFoxboro, Massachusetts. On January 12, 2016, he released a music video for his song "Take It Back" starring actorPatrick Fischler[28] and also features a guitar solo fromJeff Tweedy of the bandWilco.[29]
In 2018, Ruess was credited as a composer and lyricist forKeith Urban on his releaseGraffiti U. He helped write Urban's track "Way Too Long". Additionally, Ruess has been working as a songwriter and producer. In 2019, he collaborated again with Pink for the track "Walk Me Home", which was released in February for her eighth studio album, calledHurts 2B Human. In 2020, Ruess had songwriting credits onHalsey'sManic andKesha'sHigh Road.
On February 3, 2020, Ruess and Sam Means performed a surprise acoustic set together in place of a promised live screening of the Format's 2007 concert filmLive at the Mayan Theatre, the first time the duo performed in almost six years. The band subsequently announced reunion shows in Chicago,Phoenix and New York City.[30] Due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, the tour was postponed multiple times before it was ultimately canceled.[31]Hayley Williams fromParamore believes that Nate secretly used a moniker Benjamin Eli Hanna to co-write the song "Stay the Night".[32]
In November 2021, he appeared onSaturday Night Live as part of musical guestYoung Thug's performance of "Love You More."[33] The same year Ruess launchedClayneCast, a podcast about theLethal Weapon TV series, with his accomplice Drew of the podcastGlobe Hell Warning, and his friend,ChapoFYM co-host Tom.[34] It can be found on Spotify,[35] Apple Podcasts,[36] Soundcloud[37] as well as bonus video content on Patreon.[38] As of 2023, the podcast has covered the entire three seasons of theLethal Weapon TV series, all 4Lethal Weapon movies, as well as all episodes of the crime-mystery showHoudini & Doyle. In 2024, the show started its fifth season. This season started out as a re-watch of theLethal Weapon TV series, but after 13 episodes was abandoned in favor of watching theMission: Impossible series of films.
In 2023, Ruess collaborated with the hosts of the podcastsEpisode One,Chapo Trap House, andPodcast About List to create the E1 exclusiveSodas, stylized as a 110-minute podcast audio-only film lampooning common tropes in children's animated media. Ruess provided vocals alongsideRaina Douris on the episode-exclusive track "All the Bubbles in the World", though he remained uncredited in the public-facing marketing of the episode. His involvement was confirmed by posts on theEpisode One Patreon page.[39][40] He also appeared in Episode One's scripted episode "The Ballad of Brewer Grouse" as Soap Weathers, a folk musician who makes music for infants and the nemesis of the title character. He wrote and performed an original song called "The Sun's Birthday" for the episode.[41]
From 2009 to 2013, Ruess dated fashion designerRachel Antonoff, the sister of Fun guitaristJack Antonoff.[42] Rachel and Ruess both provided backing vocals for the song "Dakota" from the 2007 albumTrampoline by Jack's bandSteel Train.[43] Later, Rachel sang on some Fun songs and appeared in the video for "We Are Young". Rachel and Ruess collaborated on The Ally Coalition, an activist project to raise awareness ofLGBTQ issues.[44][45][46]
Ruess began dating English fashion designerCharlotte Ronson in March 2014.[47] They had their first child, a son, in early 2017.[48] They had their second child, a daughter, in March 2019.[49] They adopted their third child, another daughter, in July 2023.[50]
Ruess has stated that Drew and Tom, his co-hosts onClayneCast, are his best friends.[51]
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [52] | US Alt [53] | US Rock [54] | CAN [55] | AUS [56] | ||
| Grand Romantic |
| 7 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 61 |
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [57] | US Adult Pop [58] | US Alt Airplay [59] | US Rock [60] | CAN [61] | |||||||||||||
| "Nothing Without Love" | 2015 | 77 | 14 | 24 | 6 | 90 | Grand Romantic | ||||||||||
| "AhHa"[62] | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| "Great Big Storm" | — | 30 | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| "What This World Is Coming To" (featuringBeck) | — | — | — | —[a] | — | ||||||||||||
| "—" denotes a single that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||||||||||||
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | AUS | AUT | CAN | GER | ITA | NZ | SWE | SWI | UK | ||||||||
| "It's for the Best" (Straylight Run featuring Nate Ruess) | 2004 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Straylight Run | |||||
| "Kill Monsters in the Rain" (Steel Train featuring Nate Ruess) | 2007 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Trampoline | |||||
| "Only Love"[64] (Anthony Green featuring Nate Ruess) | 2012 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Beautiful Things | |||||
| "Just Give Me a Reason" (Pink featuring Nate Ruess) | 2013 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | The Truth About Love | |||||
| "Headlights" (Eminem featuring Nate Ruess)[75] | 2014 | 45 | 21 | — | 54 | — | — | — | — | — | 63 | The Marshall Mathers LP 2 | |||||
| "Fool Me Too" (Emile Haynie featuring Nate Ruess) | 2015 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | We Fall | |||||
| "Saturday Night" (Brian Wilson featuring Nate Ruess) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | No Pier Pressure | ||||||
| "Hands" (with various artists) | 2016 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles | |||||
| "I Want to Know What Love Is" (re-release) (Foreigner featuring Nate Ruess) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles | ||||||
| "My Sacrifice" (The Hot Guy Band featuring Nate Ruess) | 2017 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Let's Do Coke in the Bathroom | |||||
| "—" denotes a single that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||||||||||||
| Title | Year | Other artist(s) | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Angel In The Snow"[78] | 2016 | Joyce Manor | Cody |
| "Love You More"[79] | 2021 | Young Thug,Gunna,Jeff Bhasker | Punk |
| "Global Access"[80] | 2023 | Young Thug | Business Is Business |
