Steve Lacy (singer)
Steve Thomas Lacy-Moya (born May 23, 1998) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He gained recognition as the guitarist of the alternative R&B band the Internet.[4][5] In 2017, he released his self-produced debut EP, Steve Lacy's Demo.[6][7] Following this, Lacy was featured alongside Frank Ocean on the song "911 / Mr. Lonely" by Tyler, the Creator; and co-wrote songs for artists such as Solange Knowles,[8] Chloe x Halle,[9] and Kendrick Lamar, the latter of whom he worked with on the song "Pride".
Steve Lacy | |
|---|---|
Lacy in October 2019 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Steve Thomas Lacy-Moya |
| Born | May 23, 1998 Compton, California, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) |
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| Instruments |
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| Years active | 2013–present |
| Labels | |
| Member of | The Internet |
| Website | stevelacys |
His debut studio album, Apollo XXI (2019), earned him a nomination for Best Urban Contemporary Album at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards. That same year, he was featured on the single "Sunflower" by Vampire Weekend. He then collaborated with Calvin Harris (under the moniker Love Regenerator) on the song "Live Without Your Love", which earned him a chart entry in the United Kingdom.
His second studio album, Gemini Rights (2022), peaked within the top ten of the Billboard 200 chart. The album spawned the single "Bad Habit", which became Lacy's first song to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100 after going viral on TikTok, where a snippet of the song was used as the soundtrack for over 400,000 videos on the platform.[10][7][11][12][13][14] It earned him two Grammy Award nominations for Record of the Year and Song of the Year, with its parent album winning Best Progressive R&B Album.
Early life
Steve Thomas Lacy-Moya was born in Compton, California, on May 23, 1998,[5] the son of an African-American mother and Filipino father.[15] He was raised by his mother, with his father being largely absent from his life and usually only visiting on special occasions. When Lacy was 10 years old, his father passed away.[15][16][17] Lacy attended Washington Preparatory High School before moving onto a private school. Lacy has said that he grew up sheltered, a result of his mother wanting to shield him and his sisters from the environment at the time in Compton.[17]
Career
Lacy first gained an interest in the guitar at the age of seven through the video game Guitar Hero, but soon wanted to learn how to play on an actual guitar.[17] He met Jameel Bruner, his future bandmate in the Internet, while in the jazz band at high school.[6][15] He produced and performed his first songs on his iPhone, using a plug-in for his guitar called an iRig.[18][19][20] In 2013, he began a producing role on what would become the Internet's third studio album, Ego Death.[21] Contributing on the production of eight tracks, Ego Death was nominated at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards for Best Urban Contemporary Album.[4] Lacy appeared on Matt Martians' album The Drum Chord Theory and Syd's album Fin after it was announced that the Internet members would release solo projects.[22] He also began producing songs for Twenty88, Denzel Curry, Isaiah Rashad, J. Cole, GoldLink, and Kendrick Lamar, most notably producing the song "Pride" from Lamar's Grammy-winning album Damn,[23] and making two guest appearances on the Vampire Weekend album Father of the Bride.[4][24][25]
Steve Lacy's Demo was released on February 17, 2017, with Lacy once again creating most of the songs on his iPhone by producing the guitar and bass arrangements through it and singing his vocals directly into its built-in microphone.[26][27] He also programmed the drum patterns in Ableton Live.[28][29] That year, he also co-wrote and produced Ravyn Lenae's EP Crush, which was eventually released in February 2018.[30] He reunited with the Internet to work on their album Hive Mind, which was released in July 2018.[31][32] Lacy went on to produce for Solange,[33][34] Kali Uchis on her debut album Isolation,[35][36][37][38] Mac Miller on his album Swimming,[39] and was featured on Dev Hynes' album Negro Swan.[40][41][42][43]
In 2018, Lacy said that he had produced for rapper YG, and that he had begun using devices other than his phone to produce music.[16] In March 2019, he was credited for producing on two tracks on Solange's album When I Get Home.[44][45][46] He was also featured on the Vampire Weekend song "Sunflower" and appeared its video that same month.[47] In April, he released the single "N Side" from his debut album Apollo XXI.[48][49][50] He announced the release date of Apollo XXI to be on May 24, 2019.[17][51][52] In the week of his album debut, he released two more singles, "Playground" and "Hate CD".[53][54][55] The album was nominated for Best Urban Contemporary Album at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards, Lacy's first Grammy nomination as a solo artist.[56]
On December 4, 2020, Lacy released a compilation album of his early work titled The Lo-Fis.[57][58] His single "Mercury" was released with a music video on June 16, 2022.[59] The video featured on YouTube is about half as long as the version published on Spotify, which spans 4:58 minutes compared to the 2:30 minutes of the video.[60] His second studio album, Gemini Rights, was released on July 15, 2022.[10] On November 5, 2022, he performed "Bad Habit" and "Helmet" on Saturday Night Live.[61]
On January 31, 2023, AEG (Anschutz Entertainment Group) Presents announced that Lacy would be one of three headline acts at the inaugural Re:SET Concert Series.[62]
Artistry
In an interview with The Fader, Lacy cited Thundercat, Erykah Badu, Black Moth Super Rainbow, Pharrell Williams and the Neptunes as some of his biggest influences, also mentioning Prince as his dream collaborator.[4] Lacy has also listed Weezer, Paramore, and Jimi Hendrix as major influences on his sound.[63] Makeda Sandford of Saint Heron described his sound as "an electrifying yet smooth... playful depiction of beachy funk, rock 'n roll-sprinkled soul."[18] Jonah Bromwich of Pitchfork said he "sparkles with classic Southern California funk and soul."[6] He has also stated that one of his biggest influences, in regard to production, is Mac DeMarco.[64] Lacy has said that he is most comfortable writing about topics regarding love and dating, and describes his musical sound to be like the tartan fabric 'plaid'.[15][65]
Personal life
In 2017, Lacy came out as bisexual.[66][67]
On February 16th, 2023, Lacy appeared on popular artist interviewer's show, Nardwuar the Human Serviette.[68]
Discography
Albums
- Apollo XXI (2019)
- Gemini Rights (2022)[69]
Compilation albums
- The Lo-Fis (2020)
Extended plays
- Steve Lacy's Demo (2017)
With the Internet
Awards and nominations
| Organization | Year | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grammy Awards | 2016 | Best Urban Contemporary Album | Ego Death | Nominated | [70] |
| 2020 | Apollo XXI | Nominated | |||
| 2023 | Record of the Year | "Bad Habit" | Nominated | [71] | |
| Song of the Year | Nominated | ||||
| Best Pop Solo Performance | Nominated | ||||
| Best Progressive R&B Album | Gemini Rights | Won | |||
| iHeartRadio Music Awards | 2023 | Best New Pop Artist | Himself | Pending | [72] |
| TikTok Bop of the Year | "Bad Habit" | Pending | |||
| Best New R&B Artist | Himself | Pending | |||
| American Music Awards | 2022 | New Artist of the Year | Nominated | [73] | |
| Favorite Male R&B Artist | Nominated | ||||
| MTV Video Music Awards | 2022 | Song of Summer | "Bad Habit" | Nominated | [74] |
| Soul Train Music Awards | 2022 | Best New Artist | Himself | Nominated | [75] |
| Song of the Year | "Bad Habit" | Nominated | |||
| Video of the Year | Nominated | ||||
| The Ashford & Simpson Songwriter's Award | Nominated | ||||
| UK Music Video Awards | 2022 | Best R&B/Soul Video - International | "Sunshine" | Nominated |
References
- ^ Breihan, Tom (June 29, 2022). "Steve Lacy - "Bad Habit"". Stereogum. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
- ^ "Steve Lacy Shares New Track "Mercury" Today".
- ^ "Steve Lacy & 3QTR Join AWAL".
- ^ a b c d Musoni, Malcolm. "Steve Lacy Produced A Grammy Nominated Album, Now He's Ready To Graduate High School". The FADER. Retrieved February 26, 2017.
- ^ a b Monaé, Ashley. "Meet All Six Members of the Internet (Video)". Vibe. Retrieved March 4, 2017.
- ^ a b c Bromwich, Jonah (March 10, 2017). "Steve Lacy: Steve Lacy's Demo Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
- ^ a b Bundy, Will (February 23, 2017). "Steve Lacy's Solo Debut, Steve Lacy's Demo, Is Here". The FADER. Retrieved February 26, 2017.
- ^ Arcand, Rob (March 1, 2019). "Solange's When I Get Home Credits Earl Sweatshirt, Panda Bear, Pharrell, More". SPIN. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
- ^ "chloe and halle on Twitter: ""so i follow the bassline x sing away al…". September 24, 2017. Archived from the original on September 24, 2017.
- ^ a b Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (July 8, 2022). "'I'm just weird!' Meet Steve Lacy, the sexed-up heir to Stevie Wonder and Prince". The Guardian. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
- ^ "How Steve Lacy Scored the No. 1 Song in the Country With "Bad Habit"". GQ. October 7, 2022. Retrieved November 2, 2022.
..."Bad Habits" got a boost from TikTok. A clip of the hook has soundtracked half a million videos on the platform...
- ^ Dellatto, Marisa. "TikTok Spurs Steve Lacy's 'Bad Habit' Toward No. 1 Spot On Billboard Charts—But Can He Top Harry Styles?". Forbes. Retrieved November 2, 2022.
- ^ Brown, August (October 10, 2022). "Led by a surprise No. 1 hit, Steve Lacy redefines the rock star for Gen Z". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 2, 2022.
..."Bad Habit," his bummed-out yet deliriously horny TikTok viral hit turned Billboard Hot 100 smash...
- ^ Geraghty, Hollie (October 4, 2022). "Steve Lacy lands first Number One with 'Bad Habit'". NME. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
- ^ a b c d Frank, Alex. "Men: Steve Lacy — FANTASTIC MAN". Fantastic Man. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
- ^ a b Andrews-Duve, Myles (November 15, 2018). "Steve Lacy: Predicting The Future". Carhartt WIP. Retrieved November 27, 2018.
- ^ a b c d White, Ryan (May 2, 2019). "Steve Lacy discusses his debut album, life and love – i-D". iD. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
- ^ a b Sandford, Makeda. "INTERVIEW: STEVE LACY IS THE WUNDERKIND CHALLENGING MUSICAL NORMS". Saint Heron. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
- ^ Leswing, Kif (April 14, 2017). "One of Kendrick Lamar's producers makes beats on his iPhone – but he has a problem with the iPhone 7". Business Insider. Retrieved April 15, 2017.
- ^ Pierce, David (April 14, 2017). "The Hot New Hip-Hop Producer Who Does Everything on His iPhone". WIRED. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
- ^ "EP 91: Steve Lacy Interview" (audio). Apple Music. Retrieved April 16, 2017.
- ^ Strauss, Matthew (October 4, 2016). "The Internet's Syd and Matt Martians Announce Solo Albums | Pitchfork". Pitchfork.
- ^ Pierce, David (April 14, 2017). "The Guy Who Produced Kendrick Lamar's Best New Track Did It All on His iPhone". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
- ^ Renshaw, David (October 3, 2017). "Vampire Weekend are working with Steve Lacy on their new album". FADER.
- ^ Renshaw, David (June 18, 2018). "Watch Vampire Weekend debut a new song featuring Steve Lacy". FADER.
- ^ "Steve Lacy: Steve Lacy's Demo Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 13, 2017.
- ^ Roberts, Randall (March 10, 2017). "California Sounds: Chuck Prophet honors Bobby Fuller; Steve Lacy goes "Dark Red"; Ty Segall sings a trippy ballad". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 16, 2017.
- ^ Webster, McKenzii (February 24, 2017). "Steve Lacy's song series 'Steve Lacy's Demo' gives short but sweet vibes". Earmilk. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
- ^ Williams, Rhiannon (February 24, 2017). "Musician Steve Lacy releases EP recorded entirely on an iPhone". iNews. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
- ^ Rindner, Grant. "Ravyn Lenae's Steve Lacy-Produced EP 'Crush' Is Here". Pigeons and Planes.
- ^ Daramola, Israel (May 30, 2018). "The Internet Detail New Album Hive Mind, Release "Come Over"". Spin. Retrieved June 2, 2018.
- ^ Kaye, Ben (May 31, 2018). "The Internet announce new album, Hive Mind, share "Come Over": Stream". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved June 2, 2018.
- ^ St. Félix, Doreen (March 1, 2018). "Solange on New Music & Why She's 'Not Interested in Entertainment at This Moment'". Billboard. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
- ^ Douze, Khalila. "Steve Lacy's Yellow Brick Road | SSENSE". SSENSE.com. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
- ^ Hussein, Wandera (April 6, 2018). "Here are the full album credits for Kali Uchis's Isolation". FADER. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
- ^ Darville, Jordan (October 29, 2018). "Kali Uchis shares 'Just A Stranger' video featuring Steve Lacy". The FADER. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
- ^ Johnson, Zoe (October 31, 2018). "Kali Uchis' "Just A Stranger" Video: Watch Now". VIBE. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
- ^ Isolation (CD liner notes). Kali Uchis. Virgin Records. 2018.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "Mac Miller – Swimming Album Credits and Stream". iStandard Producers. Retrieved August 4, 2018.
- ^ "Blood Orange on Instagram: 'Negro Swan Tracklist. August 24th.'". August 11, 2018. Archived from the original on August 11, 2018.
- ^ "Pigeons and Planes on Twitter: "The new Blood Orange album will feature ASAP Rocky, Steve Lacy, Puff Daddy, and more 👀". Twitter. Retrieved August 11, 2018.
- ^ Bulut, Selim (August 10, 2018). "Puff Daddy, A$AP Rocky and more feature on Blood Orange's new album". Dazed. Retrieved August 11, 2018.
- ^ Torres, Eric (August 23, 2018). "Blood Orange's Dev Hynes Breaks Down Every Song on His New Album, Negro Swan". Pitchfork. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
- ^ "When I Get Home / Solange". Tidal. March 1, 2019. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
- ^ Minsker, Evan (March 1, 2019). "Solange's New Album When I Get Home Full Credits: Panda Bear, Earl, Tyler, Gucci Mane, More". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
- ^ Arcand, Rob (March 1, 2019). "Solange's When I Get Home Credits Earl Sweatshirt, Panda Bear, Pharrell, More". Spin. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
- ^ Schatz, Lake (March 6, 2019). "Vampire Weekend set release date for Father of the Bride, premiere two new songs: Stream". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
- ^ "Steve Lacy – N Side -Single". iTunes Store. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
- ^ Pierre, Alphonse (April 8, 2019). "The Internet's Steve Lacy Shares New Song 'N Side': Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
- ^ Gore, Sydney (May 15, 2019). "Steve Lacy Officially Reveals the Title of His Debut Solo Album". High Snobiety. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
- ^ Aubrey, Elizabeth (May 5, 2019). "The Internet's Steve Lacy shares details of a new solo album". NME. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
- ^ Renshaw, David (May 2, 2019). "Steve Lacy confirms upcoming solo album in i-D interview". The FADER. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
- ^ Zidel, Alex (May 21, 2019). "Steve Lacy Hits The 'Playground' For Another New Song". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
- ^ Darville, Jordan (May 21, 2019). "Steve Lacy enters his 'Prince phase' in new song 'Playground'". FADER. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
- ^ Rettig, James (May 23, 2019). "Steve Lacy – "Hate CD"". Stereogum. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
- ^ "2020 GRAMMY Awards: Complete Winners List". Grammy.com. November 20, 2019. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
- ^ "The Lo-Fis by Steve Lacy on Apple Music". December 4, 2020. Retrieved December 4, 2020 – via Apple Music.
- ^ Murray, Robin (November 16, 2020). "Steve Lacy Teases New Demo Compilation". Clash. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
- ^ "Steve Lacy - Mercury (Official Video)". Spotify.
- ^ "Single: Mercury by Steve Lacy". YouTube.
- ^ "'SNL': Amy Schumer to Host With Steve Lacy Debuting as Musical Guest". Variety.
- ^ Ruiz, Matthew. "Boygenius, LCD Soundsystem, and Steve Lacy to Headline New Re:Set Concert Series". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 7, 2023.
- ^ "Steve Lacy's Music Influences Include Paramore And 'Guitar Hero'". UPROXX. December 23, 2022. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
- ^ "The Internet: Favorite Producers of All Time [S2 Ep. 4] – Beats1 (Apple Music)". Retrieved August 11, 2018 – via YouTube.
- ^ Dwyer, Vincent (February 7, 2018). "There's a reason everybody loves Steve Lacy – Acclaim Magazine". Acclaim. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
- ^ "Hip-Hop Artist Steve Lacy Says He's Bisexual But Would Never Date A Black Guy". www.logotv.com. October 3, 2017. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
- ^ "The Internet guitarist Steve Lacy confirms he's bisexual - but says he won't date black guys". Attitude.co.uk. October 4, 2017. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
- ^ Nardwuar vs. Steve Lacy, retrieved February 21, 2023
- ^ Strauss, Matthew (June 16, 2022). "Steve Lacy Announces New Album Gemini Rights, Shares New Song 'Mercury'". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 19, 2022.
- ^ "Steve Lacy | Artist". Grammy Awards. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
- ^ Lee, Taila (November 15, 2022). "2023 GRAMMY Nominations: See The Complete Nominees List". The Recording Academy. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
- ^ Fields, Taylor (January 11, 2023). "2023 iHeartRadio Music Awards: See The Full List Of Nominees". iHeartRadio. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
- ^ "MTV VMAs 2022 Nominees Announced: See the Full List Here". Pitchfork. July 26, 2022. Retrieved July 26, 2022.
- ^ Grein, Paul (August 19, 2022). "Will BTS Make It Four in a Row as Group of the Year at 2022 MTV VMAs?". Billboard. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
- ^ Seemayer, Zach (October 20, 2022). "BET Soul Train Awards 2022 Nominations: See the Full List | Entertainment Tonight". ET Online. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
- ^ "UK Music Video Awards 2022: all the nominations for this year's UKMVAs". Promonews. September 28, 2022. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
External links
- Steve Lacy on SoundCloud