Francis and the Lights
Francis and the Lights performing at the Galapagos Art Space in Brooklyn, New York on November 15, 2007
Francis and the Lights performing at the Galapagos Art Space in Brooklyn, New York on November 15, 2007
Background information
OriginOakland, California, U.S.
Genres
Years active2007–present
Labels
Members
Websitefrancisandthelights.com

Francis and the Lights is an American pop project of Francis Farewell Starlite.[1] The term "and the Lights" refers both to the lights on a stage and pixels on a computer screen.[2] Francis Farewell Starlite (born Abe Morre Katz-Milder; 14 June 1981) is an American musician, record producer, singer, songwriter, and dancer. He is primarily a vocalist and pianist, and is often credited by the Francis and the Lights name for his solo work. He is a frequent collaborator of multiple artists and producers, including Kanye West, Justin Vernon of Bon Iver, Benny Blanco, Cashmere Cat, Chance the Rapper, Nico Segal, Frank Ocean and Banks.

Starlite often uses the Francis and the Lights name when crediting his solo work and contributions. He has said, "There are no 'members' of Francis and the Lights. It is me and whomever else is involved. Including you."

Their music is characterized by a heavy use of electronically produced beats. During live performances, the vocals are backed by his pre-produced tracks with the assistance of a DJ, while Francis uses a synthesizer at times. Past performances have included a live band, as depicted in several of their earlier music videos. Francis and the Lights released their debut studio album, Farewell, Starlite!, on September 24, 2016.

Biography

Francis Farewell Starlite
Starlite performing with Francis and the Lights at Webster Hall in New York City on 12 October 2010
Starlite performing with Francis and the Lights at Webster Hall in New York City on 12 October 2010
Background information
Birth nameAbe Morre Katz-Milder
Also known as
  • Francis Starlite
  • Frank Starlite
Born (1981-06-14) 14 June 1981
Oakland, California, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Musician
  • record producer
  • singer
  • songwriter
  • dancer
Instrument(s)
  • Vocals
  • piano
  • keyboards
  • synthesizer
Years active1999–present

Early life and education

Starlite was born Abe Morre Katz-Milder[3] on 14 June 1981 in Oakland, California. He was raised in Berkeley, California, and attended Berkeley High School, where he befriended future collaborators and Francis and the Lights members Rene Solomon and Jake Schreier. In 1999, Starlite enrolled at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. Starlite befriended future Francis and the Lights collaborator Jake Rabinbach while a student at Wesleyan.[4] Starlite attended Wesleyan from 1999 before ultimately dropping out in 2002.[5] While there, Starlite and Rabinach were schoolmates of MGMT's members Andrew VanWyngarden and Benjamin Goldwasser, whom they have since toured with.[6]

Personal life

Starlite legally changed his name to Francis Farewell Starlite in 2004.[7] When asked in an interview with Entertainment Weekly why he had changed his name, he answered:[5]

Let me think about how I want to answer that question. Let me think for a moment. [One minute passes] It’s very difficult because I’m very proud of the fact that I changed my name. It has meaning to me. I believe that people change, and that you are what you make of yourself. And that that is true. That’s true … I don’t want to, I don’t want to … The problem is that I feel like when I start talking about these things, I start to say things that I wouldn’t necessarily want to read myself saying. They might be too easily misinterpreted. So I think I’ll just leave it at that. I’m proud of the fact that I changed my name. I am what I make of myself.

History

Starlite began traveling across the United States by train in an effort to find what direction he was going to take his life. While on a train traveling from Elkhart, Indiana to New Orleans, Starlite came to the decision that he was going to pursue his passion for music as a career path. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly in 2010, he said, "I had played music and loved it my entire life, but hadn’t fully committed to it. And there was a moment when I wrote down the different things I could do. And then I wrote down, 'I think I’ll give the band a go.'"[5] Shortly afterwards, Starlite returned to his birthplace of Oakland, California, where he lived and worked in a rehearsal space at Soundwave Studios and wrote songs for close to a year. He subsequently drove across the U.S. in a decommissioned postal truck to New York City, where he then formed Francis and the Lights. The band rehearsed for an entire year before starting to perform through a series of invitation-only shows at a white fabric-draped warehouse space.

In 2007, Francis and the Lights self-released their debut EP, Striking. Their second EP, A Modern Promise, came out in August 2008.

On 3 November 2008, Starlite incorporated Francis and the Lights, LLC, as a limited liability company, as an alternative to signing a record deal.[8] This was followed by an investment of $100,000 from the Normative Music Company, giving Francis and the Lights, LLC a valuation of $1 million.[9] Normative's president, Jake Lodwick, a friend of Starlite and a co-founder of Vimeo, said, "Francis Starlite is an uncompromising musician and a strong leader. I believe he will bring Francis and the Lights to international stardom. The spectacular live shows, beautiful recordings, and his relentless character back me up."[10] In late 2009, Normative Music Company shut down.[11] The duo have since collaborated on the music app Keezy.[12]

Francis and the Lights was credited as producing the song "Karaoke" for Canadian rapper Drake from his 2010 debut album Thank Me Later. In 2010, they toured with Drake, MGMT, Ke$ha, La Roux, and Mark Ronson.[13][14] On July 20, 2010, Francis and the Lights released their third EP, It'll Be Better, through Cantora Records. It was produced by Francis Farewell Starlite and Jake Schreier.[15] Schreier, once a supporting musician for Francis and the Lights, has directed most of their music videos, and they provided the score for his feature film debut, Robot & Frank (2012).[16] A fourth EP, Like a Dream, came out in 2013. Drake quoted the 2010 Francis and the Lights song "Get in the Car" on the track "Madonna" from his 2015 mixtape If You're Reading This It's Too Late. The phrase "Big as Madonna" was later used on a shirt that was worn by Madonna during her infamous appearance in Drake's 2015 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival headlining set.[17]

Starlite works closely with Muxtape founder Justin Ouellette, who has designed several websites and HTML5 music players for Francis and the Lights releases.[18] Ouellette previously worked as engineer for Vimeo alongside Lodwick. He also met Schreier through Starlite and served as a designer for Robot & Frank.[19]

In 2016, Francis and the Lights were featured on Chance the Rapper's "Summer Friends" from his third mixtape, Coloring Book. They served as the opening act on the North American tour dates of Chance the Rapper's Magnificent Coloring World Tour, which ran between September 2016 and October 2016.[20] On May 15, 2016, Starlite released a solo piano song entitled "Thank You", which was recorded on a phone in Justin Vernon's living room.[21][22][23] On July 7, 2016, Francis and the Lights released a music video for the new song "Friends" featuring Bon Iver and Kanye West.[24] On August 13, 2016, the band premiered their debut studio album Farewell, Starlite! during their performance at the Eaux Claires music festival.[25] It was released on September 24, 2016 after a performance of the album at Chance the Rapper's Magnificent Coloring Day festival. In 2016, Francis and the Lights performed a cover of "Dear Theodosia" as a duet with Chance the Rapper on The Hamilton Mixtape.[26] A remix of "May I Have This Dance" featuring Chance the Rapper was released alongside a music video on May 18, 2017. Just for Us, their sophomore album, was released in December 2017.

Francis and the Lights are credited as a producer on the 2018 Kanye West album ye for the tracks "I Thought About Killing You," "All Mine," and "Ghost Town." They appear uncredited on the song "I Thought About Killing You," co-written by Starlite, on a loop heard throughout the track. On Kids See Ghosts, a collaboration by West and Kid Cudi under the name Kids See Ghosts, they are also credited as a producer on "Feel the Love," which features rapper Pusha T.

Their third album, Same Night Different Dream, was originally announced for release as Take Me to the Light via a Tumblr post in August 2019.[27] It was subsequently renamed and scheduled for a November 1 release that was eventually delayed. "Take Me to the Light" featuring Bon Iver and Kanye West, was released as its first single on August 30, 2019.[28]

He is the inventor of a layered vocal effect he refers to as the 'Prismizer.' It features prominently on many of his productions, including "Close to You" by Frank Ocean and throughout Coloring Book by Chance the Rapper. Justin Vernon sought to create a real-time solution capable of implementing the effect without latency for use in live performance and on his Bon Iver album 22, A Million. The result was a combination of hardware and software nicknamed 'The Messina' after audio engineer Chris Messina.[29]

His recent production work is primarily through credits with other producers such as Benny Blanco, Cashmere Cat, Rostam Batmanglij, Ariel Rechtshaid, and Ryan Tedder.

Discography

Studio albums

EPs

  • Striking (2007)
  • A Modern Promise (2008)
  • It'll Be Better (2010)
  • Like a Dream (2013)

Soundtracks

Singles

  • "LIME/WYN" (2008)
  • "Eiffel Tower" / "The Things That I Would Do" (with inc.) (2011)
  • "Friends" (featuring Bon Iver and Kanye West) (2016)
  • "See Her Out (That's Just Life)" (2016)
  • "May I Have This Dance" (remix featuring Chance the Rapper) (2017) [US Billboard Alternative Songs Chart No. 36]
  • "Scream so Loud (Lammer Dance Mix)" (2018)
  • "Try Tho We Might To" (2018)
  • "The Video in the Pool" (2018)
  • "Do u Need Love?" (2019)
  • "Take Me to the Light" (featuring Bon Iver and Kanye West) (2019)[30]
  • "For Days (Sike)" (with Spencer Sike) (2021)

Compilation appearances

References

  1. ↑ Stuart, Tessa (12 May 2010). "Turning on Francis and the Lights". East Bay Express. Archived from the original on 18 August 2016. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
  2. ↑ Bellefleur, Rose (9 July 2010). "Francis and the Lights Interview". 12thDisciples Magazine. Archived from the original on 18 February 2011. Retrieved 1 Jan 2011.
  3. ↑ Ugwu, Reggie (12 March 2020). "Francis and the Lights, Pop Star Interrupted". The New York Times. The New York Times. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
  4. ↑ O'Donnell, Kevin (25 February 2009). "The Excess and Eccentricity of Francis and the Lights". villagevoice.com. Archived from the original on 18 August 2016. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
  5. 1 2 3 Wete, Brad (2010-04-26). "Drake tourmate Francis Farewell Starlite: A Music Mix Q&A". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 18 August 2016. Retrieved 2016-08-17.
  6. ↑ O'Donnell, Kevin (2010-08-05). "Artist of the Week: Francis and the Lights". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 31 August 2017. Retrieved 2016-08-17.
  7. ↑ Ugwu, Reggie (12 March 2020). "Francis and the Lights, Pop Star Interrupted". The New York Times. The New York Times. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
  8. ↑ Bychawski, Adam (2008-11-04). "Indie band turns itself into company instead of signing record deal". NME. Archived from the original on 28 August 2016. Retrieved 2016-08-21.
  9. ↑ Allen, Dustin (2008-11-04). "Indie Band Goes Venture Capitalist". American Songwriter. Archived from the original on 25 August 2016. Retrieved 2016-08-21.
  10. ↑ "Francis and the Lights Incorporates With $1 Million Valuation". The Normatist. Normative Music Company. 2008-11-03. Archived from the original on 6 December 2008. Retrieved 2016-08-21.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  11. ↑ Lodwick, Jake. "Entrepreneur Bio". Jake Lodwick. Archived from the original on 26 March 2017. Retrieved 21 August 2008.
  12. ↑ "Keezy Advanced Techniques feat. Francis and the Lights".
  13. ↑ "Francis & the Lights Gigography". Songkick. Archived from the original on 7 September 2016. Retrieved 1 Jan 2011.
  14. ↑ "Francis and the Lights live at Music Hall of Williamsburg". According2G. 12 Oct 2010. Archived from the original on 28 October 2016.
  15. ↑ "Francis And The Lights - It'll Be Better (CD, Album)". Discogs. Archived from the original on 13 October 2016. Retrieved 2016-08-20.
  16. ↑ "The Future According to Jake Schreier". Interview Magazine. 15 August 2012. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
  17. ↑ "This Is the Deal With Madonna's Drake Coachella Performance Tank Top". The Hollywood Reporter. 13 April 2015. Archived from the original on 12 October 2016. Retrieved 2019-06-09.
  18. ↑ "JSTN".
  19. ↑ "One on One: Justin Ouellette, Designer of Interfaces for 'Robot & Frank'". 13 July 2012.
  20. ↑ Kaye, Ben (2016-08-14). "Chance the Rapper recruits Francis and the Lights to open Magnificent Coloring Book Tour". Consequence of Sound. Archived from the original on 19 August 2016. Retrieved 2016-08-20.
  21. ↑ Price, Joe (16 May 2016). "Francis and the Lights Resurfaces with "Thank You"". Pigeons and Airplanes. Archived from the original on 25 August 2016. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
  22. ↑ "Listen: Francis and the Lights - Thank You". Hum Magazine. Archived from the original on 17 August 2016. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
  23. ↑ Kim, Michelle (15 May 2016). "Francis And The Lights Returns With New Track, "Thank You"". The Fader. Archived from the original on 9 August 2016. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
  24. ↑ Strauss, Matthew (2016-07-07). "Watch Kanye, Bon Iver, and Francis and the Lights Team Up for New Video "Friends"". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 19 August 2016. Retrieved 2016-08-17.
  25. ↑ Tanzer, Myles (2016-08-14). "Francis And The Lights Debuts New Album Farewell, Starlite! At Eaux Claires Festival". The Fader. Archived from the original on 17 August 2016. Retrieved 2016-08-20.
  26. ↑ "Stream 'The Hamilton' Mixtape Featuring Nas, Usher, Miguel, Wiz Khalifa & More". Vibe. 2 December 2016. Archived from the original on 3 December 2016. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
  27. ↑ "My next album is called "Take me to the Light"". Francis and the Lights. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
  28. ↑ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Take Me to the Light". YouTube.
  29. ↑ "The Sound Engineer Behind Bon Iver's "22, A Million" Clears up Any Confusion About Its Technical Creation".
  30. ↑ Rettig, James (September 3, 2019). "Francis And The Lights – "Take Me To The Light" (Feat. Bon Iver & Kanye West)". Stereogum. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
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