Jordan Mark Witzigreuter (born November 14, 1989), known professionally as The Ready Set, is an American singer-songwriter from

Fort Wayne, Indiana Fort Wayne is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Indiana, United States. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is west of the Ohio border and south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 as of the 2020 Censu ...

, United States. He is the lead vocalist and sole member of the act, using a backup band while on tour. He has released five studio albums, ''Syntax and Bright Lights'', ''Tantrum Castle'', ''

I'm Alive, I'm Dreaming ''I'm Alive, I'm Dreaming'' is the third studio album by American electropop singer-songwriter The Ready Set. It was released on June 9, 2010 through Sire Records, Decaydance, and Beluga Heights. The album debuted at #3 on the ''Billboard'' Top Hea ...

'', ''

The Bad & the Better ''The Bad & the Better'' is the fourth studio album by American electropop singer-songwriter The Ready Set. The album title was announced on March 18, 2014 along with the track listing. It was released on May 27, 2014 by Razor & Tie Records. The a ...

'', and ''

I Will Be Nothing Without Your Love ''I Will Be Nothing Without Your Love'' is the fifth studio album by American electropop singer-songwriter The Ready Set. It was released on April 8, 2016 by Hopeless Records. Background Witzigreuter signed with Hopeless Records prior to the relea ...

,'' eight extended plays and fourteen singles. He is best known for the commercially successful single "

Love Like Woe "Love Like Woe" is the debut single by American electropop singer-songwriter Jordan Witzigreuter, also known as The Ready Set, from his major label debut album, ''I'm Alive, I'm Dreaming''. It was written by Witzigreuter and J.R. Rotem, who also p ...

" from his major label debut, ''I'm Alive, I'm Dreaming''. From 2019 to 2022, Witzigreuter briefly released music under the name Onlychild. He has released twelve singles and a four-track EP, ''Solstice'' under this name. Witzigreuter is also a part of the

synthpop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s a ...

band

Nekokat Nekokat was an American synthpop band and supergroup that originated in Los Angeles, California. The band formed in 2015 and is composed of Jordan Witzigreuter of The Ready Set, Cameron Walker of Twin XL, and Jess Bowen of The Summer Set. His ...

, alongside Cameron Walker, and Jess Bowen of

the Summer Set The Summer Set is an American rock band from Scottsdale, Arizona, United States. The band consists of lead vocalist Brian Logan Dales, guitarist John Gomez, bass guitarist Stephen Gomez, and drummer Jess Bowen. The Summer Set was signed to The M ...

. In 2021, in collaboration with Walker, Witzigreuter created the

music label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produc ...

''Swim Team Records''. The company has featured a multitude of artists such as Future Coyote, TALKBAK, and Casey Abrams. The label's music has been featured in promotion for things such as the

PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized in all capital letters as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in the United States and North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also k ...

Early life

Witzigreuter was born and raised in

, a location he frequently mentions in his music. At the age of 11, his mother signed him up for drum lessons. This led to him playing the drums in bands throughout middle school and high school. After becoming acquainted with other instruments, he began touring with bands at the age of 16. As a seventeen-year-old, Witzigreuter participated in various bands playing drums for the ska band Take Sides and the hardcore band Saints Never Surrender. Witzigreuter was credited on Saints Never Surrender's sophomore album, ''Brutus'', which was released in 2008. He was also in the acoustic band brideandgroom.

Career

2007–09: ''Syntax and Bright Lights'' and ''Tantrum Castle''

In 2007, Witzigreuter began making music independently under the name the Ready Set. His first two albums ''Syntax and Bright Lights'' and ''Tantrum Castle'' were recorded in the basement of his childhood home. Initially uploading his music to the once popular Myspace, Witzigreuter then began performing his music live. His first performances took place at The Mocha Lounge in

, a coffee shop where he worked. His performances evolved to that of a live band, and he began performing for music festivals. These included

The Bamboozle The Bamboozle is an annual three-day music festival which was held in New Jersey from 2003 to 2012, and is scheduled for a 2023 revival by its founder. Every year, new bands competed for spots during the two days. The event evolved out of the ...

and

Bamboozle Left The Bamboozle Left was an annual two-day music festival held in California from 2006 to 2009, based on The Bamboozle festival on the Atlantic coast. 2006 The 2006 festival was held at the Cal Poly Pomona Athletic Field in Pomona, CA, on October 15 ...

, the Bamboozle Roadshow, and the MTV VMA Tour. He also opened for bands like

Boys Like Girls Boys Like Girls is an American rock band from Boston, Massachusetts. Formed in 2005, the group gained mainstream recognition when it released its self-titled debut album which went on to sell over 700,000 albums in the United States earning a ...

and

Never Shout Never Never Shout Never (originally typeset as nevershoutnever! and NeverShoutNever!) is an American rock band formed in Joplin, Missouri in 2007. Vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Christofer Drew began the band as a solo project before expanding it t ...

. The Ready Set has also made performances on

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

on multiple occasions, including an appearance on MTV's ''TJ Search Live Finale'' and being the "One to Watch" on MTV's 10 on Top. Witzigreuter has also been featured twice on MTV's ''Buzzworthy''.

2010–11: ''I’m Alive, I’m Dreaming''

Pete Wentz Peter Lewis Kingston Wentz III (born June 5, 1979) is an American musician best known as the bassist and lyricist for the rock band Fall Out Boy since 2001. Before Fall Out Boy, Wentz was a fixture of the Chicago hardcore scene and was the lea ...

signed Witzigreuter to his label

Decaydance Records DCD2 Records, formerly known as Decaydance Records, is an independent record label owned by Patrick Stump and Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy and partners, based in New York City. It was founded as an imprint of Fueled by Ramen. The first band Wentz s ...

in 2009. His first single, "Love Like Woe" peaked at number 27 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The song lasted 21 weeks on chart and is certified platinum by

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

. It also peaked at number 30 on the

Canada CHR/Top 40 The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in ''Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, pr ...

chart. His second single, "More Than Alive" was released on May 25, 2010. He released his first labelled album, ''

'' on June 9, 2010. The album peaked at number 3 on the

Top Heatseekers Top Heatseekers are "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The Heatseekers Albums and the Heatseekers Songs charts were introduced by ''Billboard'' in 1991 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new an ...

albums chart lasting 23 weeks and peaked at number 172 on the ''Billboard'' Current Album Sales chart. On November 2010, his single, "Love Like Woe" was one of the recipients for the BDS Spin Awards after receiving 50,000 spins. On November 26, 2010, he released a Christmas EP, ''Regifted'' and the song "Wishlist" peaked at number 32 on the ''Billboard'' Holiday Digital Song Sales chart. In 2011, he embarked on his first headlining tour called, "The Glamour Kills Tour". His third EP, '' Feel Good Now'' was released on October 7, 2011 and peaked at number 179 on the ''Billboard'' 200. The lead single, "

Young Forever "Young Forever" is a song by American rapper Jay-Z, released in early 2010 as the fifth single from his 2009 album ''The Blueprint 3'' on the Roc Nation label. The song was produced by Kanye West. It is a rework of Alphaville's 1984 song " Fo ...

" peaked at number 39 on the US Mainstream Top 40 chart and at number 5 on the

Bubbling Under Hot 100 Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (also known as Bubbling Under the Hot 100) is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The chart lists the top songs that have not yet charted on the main ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Chart ...

chart. The release of the song was followed by two more single releases, "Hollywood Dream" and "Killer". In 2012, Witzigreuter was featured in an episode of Disney Channel's ''

So Random! ''So Random!'' is an American Disney Channel sketch comedy series that premiered on June 5, 2011. It was announced as an independent series after Demi Lovato left the parent series, ''Sonny with a Chance''. The series features the actors who a ...

''.

2012–15: ''The Bad & The Better''

After leaving Decaydance following his third album, he subsequently signed with the label Razor & Tie, releasing ''

The Bad & The Better ''The Bad & the Better'' is the fourth studio album by American electropop singer-songwriter The Ready Set. The album title was announced on March 18, 2014 along with the track listing. It was released on May 27, 2014 by Razor & Tie Records. The a ...

'' which peaked at number 75 on the ''Billboard'' 200. He released his first single from the album "

Give Me Your Hand (Best Song Ever) "Give Me Your Hand (Best Song Ever)" is the lead single by the Ready Set off of his album, ''The Bad & The Better''. It was released digitally and to mainstream radio on May 18, 2012. The song was used in the soundtrack for the film ''Escape from ...

" in 2012 which peaked at number 30 on the US Mainstream Top 40 and number 33 on the New Zealand Top 40. "Higher", "Freakin Me Out", and "Fangz" were other singles released from the album. He served as an act on

Warped Tour The Warped Tour was a traveling rock tour that toured the United States plus three or four stops in Canada annually each summer from 1995 until 2019. It was the largest traveling music festival in the United States and the longest-running touring ...

in 2014. He headlined a tour with

Metro Station A metro station or subway station is a station for a rapid transit system, which as a whole is usually called a "metro" or "subway". A station provides a means for passengers to purchase Train ticket, tickets, board trains, and Emergency eva ...

called, "The Outsiders Tour" with supporting acts,

the Downtown Fiction The Downtown Fiction was an American rock band from Fairfax, Virginia. The band consisted of guitarist and lead vocalist Cameron Leahy, bassist and backing vocalist David Pavluk, guitarist and backing vocalist Wes Dimond, and drummer Kyle Rodger ...

and Against the Current. In 2015, Witzigreuter started a side project band

with artist

Cameron Walker-Wright Cameron Alexander Francis Walker-Wright (born April 24, 1989) professionally known as Cameron Walker, is a singer, songwriter, producer, and artist from Southport, Connecticut. He is currently in the band Twin XL along with John Gomez and Stephe ...

and drummer Jess Bowen from

The Summer Set The Summer Set is an American rock band from Scottsdale, Arizona, United States. The band consists of lead vocalist Brian Logan Dales, guitarist John Gomez, bass guitarist Stephen Gomez, and drummer Jess Bowen. The Summer Set was signed to The M ...

2016–18: ''I Will Be Nothing Without Your Love'' and ''V1 & V2''

In 2016, Witzigreuter signed with

Hopeless Records Hopeless Records is an American independent record label in Van Nuys, California. History Hopeless Records was founded in 1993 by Louis Posen. The label's artists are generally considered to fall under the genres of punk rock, pop punk, post-ha ...

and released ''

'' that same year. The album peaked at number 24 on the

Independent Albums Chart The Independent Albums chart (previously titled Top Independent Albums) ranks the highest-selling independent music albums and extended plays (EPs) in the United States, as compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published weekly by '' Billboard'' mag ...

. He released two singles from the album, " Good Enough" and "Disappearing Act". He collaborated with Haitian DJ

Michael Brun Michael Brun (born 19 May 1992) is a Haitian DJ and record producer based in New York, known for blending electronic music with traditional Haitian styles such as kompa and rara. He released his debut EP ''Gravity'' in 2013 and founded the recor ...

and made a remix to the song "Good Enough". The remix peaked at number 40 on the Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart. Witzigreuter stated in a 2016 interview with the

Alternative Press Alternative press may refer to: Individual publications * ''Alternative Press'' (magazine), an American music magazine Alternative journalism * Alternative media ** Alternative media (U.S. political left) ** Alternative media (U.S. political ri ...

that he almost ended the Ready Set following the release of his album, ''The Bad & The Better''. He started to release music independently in 2018 again with two extended plays: ''V1'' and ''V2''. "Life In Pink" was released on February 15, 2018. He released another single, "Stitch" on July 27, 2018. V3 was originally supposed to be released in October 2018 but the EP was never released. During that time the Ready Set collaborated with multiple other artists.

2019–2022: Onlychild

In mid-2019, Witzigreuter adopted a new name, Onlychild. He released his first EP ''Solstice'' under that name on July 27, 2019. In 2020, he released a non-album single "Chardonnay and Tangerine" in May. On October 23, 2020, Witzigreuter released another single "Thank Me Later". On April 16, 2021, he released his new single "Sad Fantasy" which featured

Panic! at the Disco Panic! at the Disco is the solo project of American musician Brendon Urie. It was originally a pop rock band from Las Vegas, Nevada, formed in 2004 by childhood friends Urie, Ryan Ross, Spencer Smith, and Brent Wilson. They recorded their firs ...

guitarist, Mike Naran. In 2021, Witzigreuter and Nekokat collaborator Cameron Walker contributed writing credits to the single "Rock with You" on South Korean band

Seventeen Seventeen or 17 may refer to: *17 (number), the natural number following 16 and preceding 18 * one of the years 17 BC, AD 17, 1917, 2017 Literature Magazines * ''Seventeen'' (American magazine), an American magazine * ''Seventeen'' (Japanese m ...

's mini-album ''

Attacca A variety of musical terms are likely to be encountered in printed scores, music reviews, and program notes. Most of the terms are Italian, in accordance with the Italian origins of many European musical conventions. Sometimes, the special mus ...

''. Witzigreuter performed under the name the Ready Set again in 2022 at the So What Music Festival and will perform under that name at the 2022 When We Were Young Festival.

Touring members

The Ready Set

;Final touring members * Cameron Walker – guitar, backing vocals * Travis Rountree – drums, percussion * Matthew Shaughn – bass guitar ;Former touring members * Mike Naran – guitar, backing vocals * Deryck Stanek – guitar, backing vocals * Keegan Weckler – guitar * Andy Snyder – bass guitar

Onlychild

;Current touring members * Mike Naran – guitar, backing vocals * Jess Bowen – drums, percussion

Personal life

Witzigreuter married his longtime girlfriend Katelyn Gentry in late 2017. Witzigreuter has a brother who is also a musician.

Discography

The Ready Set

* ''Syntax & Bright Lights'' (2008) * ''Tantrum Castle'' (2009) * ''

'' (2010) * ''

'' (2014) * ''

'' (2016)

Nekokat

Onlychild

* ''Solstice EP'' (2019)

Awards and nominations

BDS Spin Awards

PETA's Libby Awards

Filmography

Tours

Headlining * Glamour Kills Tour (2011) * Blast From the Past Tour (2017) Co-headlining * Blackout Forever Tour (2012) * The Ready Set/Outasight Tour (2013) * The Outsiders Tour (2014) Opening act *Fight For Something Tour (2016) Festivals *

(2011), (2014), (2015) *Rose Rock Tour (2017) *Fall Fest Tour (2017) *So What Music Festival (2022) *When We Were Young Festival (2022)

References

External links

The Ready Set
– official website {{DEFAULTSORT:Ready Set, The American electronic musicians Living people 1989 births Musicians from Fort Wayne, Indiana Decaydance Records artists Sire Records artists Hopeless Records artists Razor & Tie artists Reprise Records artists Warner Records artists