RAS (musician)
| RAS | |
|---|---|
| File:RAS Playing Steinway Model B.jpg | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Nicholas Furlong |
| Born | September 16, 1986 |
| Origin | Carson City, Nevada United States |
| Genres | Rock, pop, dance, electronica, dance-pop, electro house |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, musician, songwriter, producer, remixer |
| Years active | 2008–present |
| Labels | AttaBoy Music |
| Associated acts | Avicii, 5 Seconds of Summer, All Time Low, Steve Aoki, Good Charlotte, WALK THE MOON, Krewella |
Nicholas Furlong (born September 16, 1986), professionally known as RAS, is an American singer, musician, songwriter, and record producer.[1][2] Furlong's work is noted to cross many musical genres, ranging from pop, rock, and hip hop, to electro house and dance music. He has had many chart successes both in America and internationally. He is best known for his work with Avicii, 5 Seconds of Summer, Steve Aoki, All Time Low, Diplo, Good Charlotte, and Waka Flocka Flame.
Contents
Early life
Furlong was raised in Carson City, Nevada. A self-taught musician, he began writing music at the age of twelve. As a teenager, he started recording his own songs and sharing them on various music sites. While still a junior in high school, his music was discovered by a music director at Midway Games, who offered him an opportunity to write songs for video games. Furlong contributed to various game soundtracks between the years of 2004-2005. At the age of twenty he moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career as a songwriter and producer. Through networking and word of mouth, he met and began working with various other songwriters and producers.[3]
Career
2010-2013: Career breakthrough
Furlong had his first commercial success in 2010 as a co-writer of the Big Time Rush and Jordin Sparks' duet, "Count On You". The song was featured on the band's debut album BTR, which debuted at number three on the Billboard 200. Shortly after, Furlong caught the ear of OneRepublic's Ryan Tedder, who signed him to a publishing deal. Alongside Tedder, Furlong worked with many artists including Colbie Caillat, Jordin Sparks, Leona Lewis, and The Wanted.[4] Furlong worked with Big Time Rush again in 2011, co-writing "Time of Our Life" on their sophomore album Elevate. A music video for the song was filmed live during the 2012 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards and was premiered at the end of the show.[5]
Furlong began transitioning into electronic music in 2012 upon collaborating with Diplo on his Express Yourself EP. "I'd always been an avid fan of dance music, but after working with Diplo I felt immediately drawn to the genre," he stated.[6] Furlong taught himself to DJ over the next several months, and later that year began working with Steve Aoki, co-writing the single "Singularity", which was featured on the It's The End of The World As We Know It EP. They would collaborate again in 2013, when Furlong wrote and featured as a vocalist on the single "Bring You To Life (Transcend)", which peaked at number forty-four on the Billboard Dance/Electronic Songs chart.[7]
2014-2015: Commercial recognition
In 2014, Furlong began working with pop punk band 5 Seconds of Summer for their debut self-titled album. Furlong co-wrote "Everything I Didn't Say" on the full-length album, "Social Casualty" on the Deluxe edition, and "Independence Day" on the Target exclusive version. "Everything I Didn't Say" was released as a promotional single where it peaked at number twenty-four on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was also featured on the band's live album LiveSOS. Later that year, Furlong worked with post-hardcore band Sleeping With Sirens for their fourth studio album Madness. The band released the album's first single "Kick Me," co-written with Furlong, on November 10, 2014. The single peaked at number twenty-three on the Billboard Hot Rock Songs chart. "Kick Me" won an award for song of the year at the 2015 Alternative Press Music Awards.
In 2015, Furlong worked with All Time Low for their sixth studio album, Future Hearts, co-writing "Runaways" and "Don't You Go." Despite it being the best selling album of its opening week, Future Hearts debuted at #1 in the UK and #2 on Billboard, still making it the band's highest debut ever. Furlong worked once again with Steve Aoki, contributing a song with Weezer's Rivers Cuomo to Aoki's third studio album Neon Future II. Later that year, Furlong co-wrote and co-produced "Game On," a single by Waka Flocka Flame featuring Good Charlotte, which served as the theme song of the Adam Sandler film, Pixels. Pixels was released in 2D, 3D, and IMAX 3D on July 24, 2015. Though uncredited, Furlong was noted to have co-written the song "Open Your Eyes" for Disturbed's sixth studio album, and first album since a four year hiatus, Immortalized. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard Top 200, making it Furlong's sixth number one album in his career, and fourth within one year. Furlong ended his year co-writing the Good Charlotte single, "Makeshift Love," which debuted at number nine on the Billboard Rock Charts. Variance Magazine claimed that 2015 was a "pivotal year" for the songwriter and producer.[8]
Avicii single: "The Nights"
In addition to co-writing, Furlong was also the vocalist of Avicii's single "The Nights". The single premiered on the soundtrack of FIFA 15 on September 23, 2014. It was released on December 1, 2014 on The Days / Nights EP, alongside Avicii's prior single "The Days", and as a single in the UK on January 11, 2015. "The Nights" peaked at number one on the UK Dance Chart, number six on the UK Singles Chart, and number ten on the Billboard Dance/Electronic Songs chart.[9] It has accumulated more than two-hundred million streams on Spotify and has achieved certified sales in numerous countries. Furlong is also said to have introduced the idea of using his friend Rory Kramer's footage for the official music video, which has since surpassed one-hundred and seventy million views on YouTube.[10]
2016: Current projects
In 2016, RAS announced via Twitter he was working with All Time Low again on new music. He is also reportedly credited on future releases by WALK THE MOON, DED, Miyavi, Krewella, and a solo project from Logan Henderson. Krewella teased their collaboration with RAS, titled "Marching On," in a video recapping a New Year's Eve performance in Las Vegas that was posted on Instagram.[11] RAS and Steve Aoki confirmed via social media that they'd collaborated again on a song with WALK THE MOON titled "Back 2 U." The single is reportedly due out in May of 2016. After six years with ASCAP, RAS decided to change his publishing to BMI. RAS is also rumored to be one of the few outside songwriters to collaborate with blink-182 on new music. In April of 2016, Papa Roach also shared a photo of the band working on new material with RAS.
Discography
Main article: Nicholas Furlong discography
Awards and nominations
Alternative Press Music Awards
| Year | Song | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | "Kick Me" | Song of the Year | Won |
References
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- ↑ List of UK Dance Chart number-one singles of 2015
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