They (stylised THEY.) is an American R&B duo from

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, consisting of Dante Jones and Andrew "Drew Love" Neely. The duo started their career in 2015, releasing the debut extended play ''Nü Religion'', which received critical acclaim. That year, they released the commercially successful single "Working for It" in collaboration with Zhu and

Skrillex Sonny John Moore (born January 15, 1988), known professionally as Skrillex, is an American DJ and music producer. Growing up in Northeast Los Angeles and Northern California, he joined the post-hardcore band From First to Last as the lead sing ...

. In 2016, they began touring with singer

Bryson Tiller Bryson Djuan Tiller (born January 2, 1993) is an American singer and rapper. Born in Louisville, Kentucky, he began his career in 2011 with a mixtape entitled ''Killer Instinct Vol. 1''. Tiller initially gained mainstream success in 2015 follow ...

. The following year, the duo released their debut studio album, ''Nü Religion: Hyena''. In 2020, They signed to Avant Garden Records under Island Records and released their second studio album, ''The Amanda Tape'', on October 23, 2020.

Career

2015: Formation and ''Nü Religion''

Dante Jones was born in

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

, while Andrew Neely was born in

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The duo was formed in

in 2015. On October 13, 2015, the duo released their debut extended play, ''Nü Religion'', through Mind of a Genius Records and

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...

. The project, which includes three songs in its track listing, received favorable reviews from

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...

. Additionally, the duo began gaining support from record producer

Timbaland Timothy Zachery Mosley (born March 10, 1972), known professionally as Timbaland, is an American record producer, rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. He has received widespread acclaim for his innovative production work and distinc ...

. While talking about the project in an interview with ''

The Fader ''The Fader'' (stylized as ''FADER'') is a magazine based in New York City that was launched in 1999 by Rob Stone and Jon Cohen. The magazine covers music, style and culture. It was the first print publication to be released on iTunes. It is o ...

'' magazine, Drew said; "''Nü Religion'' is a new way of thinking. As individuals the way we have approached life and the art of music has always been left of center; even from youth. It's been all about finding a way to incorporate that into a cohesive musical project that we are proud of and that people enjoy. We think we've done that." On October 22, 2015, "Working for It", a collaboration single by They, Zhu and

, was released. The song peaked at number 30 in Australia and number 71 in the United Kingdom. The song appeared in Zhu's EP, ''Genesis Series'' and debut studio album, ''

Generationwhy ''Generationwhy'' is the debut studio album by American electronic music producer Zhu (musician), Zhu, released on July 29, 2016 by Columbia Records. The album features works and vocals from the likes of Maya Angelou, Jaymes Young, Nylo, Mitch B ...

''.

2016–2018: ''Nü Religion: Hyena''

In early 2016, the duo joined singer

as opening act for his Trapsoul Tour. In summer 2016, the duo released the singles, "Say When" and "Deep End", both of which managed to enter the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' Twitter Emerging Artists chart. On August 8, 2016, THEY. was named "New band of the week" by ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' newspaper. In October 2016, the duo was included in ''

Complex Complex commonly refers to: * Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe ** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...

'' magazine's "Best New Musicians in 2016 Across America" list. On February 24, 2017, the duo released their debut studio album, ''Nü Religion: Hyena''. Following the release of their album, They solidified their breakthrough year by performing at the

Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (commonly called the Coachella Festival or simply Coachella) is an annual music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valley in the Colorado Desert. ...

2018–2019: ''Fireside EP''

In 2018, the duo also joined Grammy-nominated artist

6LACK Ricardo Archibald Valentine Jr. (born June 24, 1992), known professionally as 6lack (stylized as 6LACK, pronounced "black"), is an American singer and rapper. He initially gained notable recognition following the release of his single, "Prblms" ...

as an opening act for his From East Atlanta with Love tour. They also released their collaborative EP ''Fireside'' in 2018, which features

Wiz Khalifa Cameron Jibril Thomaz (born September 8, 1987), better known by his stage name Wiz Khalifa, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor. He released his debut album, ''Show and Prove'', in 2006 and signed to Warner Bros. Records in 200 ...

, Jessie Reyez,

Jeremih Jeremy Phillip Felton (born July 17, 1987), known professionally as Jeremih ( ), is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. In 2009, he signed a record deal with Def Jam Recordings. Jeremih's commercial debut single, "Birthday Sex", ...

Vic Mensa Vic (; es, Vic or Pancracio Celdrán (2004). Diccionario de topónimos españoles y sus gentilicios (5ª edición). Madrid: Espasa Calpe. p. 843. ISBN 978-84-670-3054-9. «Vic o Vich (viquense, vigitano, vigatán, ausense, ausetano, ausonense): ...

Ty Dolla Sign Tyrone William Griffin Jr. (born April 13, 1982), known professionally as Ty Dolla Sign (stylized as Ty Dolla $ign or Ty$), is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. He first gained major recognition in 2010 for his feature on Ameri ...

, and Gallant. This project was influenced by 90s R&B,

soul music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African American community throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It has its roots in African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues. Soul music became po ...

trap music Trap is a subgenre of hip hop music that originated in the Southern United States during the 1990s. The genre gets its name from the Atlanta slang word "trap", a house used exclusively to sell drugs. Trap music uses synthesized drums and is ch ...

, and a recent genre of hip hop known as

emo rap Emo rap is a fusion genre of hip hop and emo music. Originating in the SoundCloud rap scene in the mid-2010s, the genre fuses characteristics of hip hop music, such as beats and rapping, with the lyrical themes, instrumentals, and vocals commo ...

, in which the instrumental is guitar-driven.

2020–present: ''The Amanda Tape''

They signed to Avant Garden Records and in June 2020, the duo returned for the release of their new single "Count Me In" from their forthcoming album, ''The Amanda Tape'', marking their first official release of 2020. They and

Tinashe Tinashe Jorgensen Kachingwe ( ; born February 6, 1993), known mononymously as Tinashe, is an American singer, dancer, and actress. Born in Lexington, Kentucky, Tinashe moved to Pasadena as a child to pursue a career in entertainment. Her notab ...

linked up in July for the throwback R&B jam "Play Fight" as the second single from ''The Amanda Tape''.

Influences

The duo is influenced by artists like

Taking Back Sunday Taking Back Sunday is an American rock band from Long Island, New York. The band was formed by guitarist Eddie Reyes and bassist Jesse Lacey in 1999. The band's members currently are Adam Lazzara (lead vocals), John Nolan (lead guitar, keybo ...

New Edition New Edition is an American R&B/Pop group from the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1978 by Bobby Brown. Their name is taken to mean a 'new edition' of the Jackson 5. The group reached its height of popularity in the 198 ...

Babyface Babyface or Baby Face can refer to: Nicknames * Lester Joseph Gillis a.k.a. Baby Face Nelson, an infamous 1930s bank robber * Roosevelt "Baby Face" Willette (1933–1971), an American hard bop and soul-jazz musician * "Baby Face", Jimmy McLarnin ...

and

Kurt Cobain Kurt Donald Cobain (February 20, 1967 – April 5, 1994) was an American musician who served as the lead vocalist, guitarist and primary songwriter of the rock band Nirvana. Through his angst-fueled songwriting and anti-establishment persona ...

. Their 2018 EP ''Fireside'', which features

, Jessie Reyez,

, and Gallant has been influenced by 90s R&B,

, and a recent genre of hip hop known as

, in which the instrumental is guitar-driven.

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

Singles

Guest appearances

References

External links

* * {{Authority control African-American musical groups American hip hop groups American contemporary R&B musical groups American musical duos Hip hop duos Contemporary R&B duos Musical groups from Los Angeles