Wallpaper.
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Wallpaper (stylized as Wallpaper.) is an American hip hop and
pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former describe ...
project, fronted by producer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter Eric Frederic (better known as
Ricky Reed Eric Burton Frederic (born July 23, 1982), known professionally as Ricky Reed, is an American artist, music producer, singer, songwriter, and founder of Nice Life Recording Company. From 2005 to 2014, Reed was also known as Wallpaper. Early w ...
) based in
Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...
. Wallpaper is signed to Boardwalk Records/
Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America Sony Corporation of America (SONAM, also known as SCA), is the American arm of the Japanese conglomerate Sony Group ...
and has played at
SXSW South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Te ...
. The band is known for their lyrics, which Frederic has characterized as satire of pop music and consumer culture, as well as for their early use of exaggerated
auto-tune Auto-Tune (or autotune) is an audio processor introduced in 1996 by American company Antares Audio Technologies. Auto-Tune uses a proprietary device to measure and alter pitch in vocal and instrumental music recording and performances. Auto-Tu ...
.


History

In 2005, Eric Frederic began experimenting with music that emphasized the effects of
auto-tune Auto-Tune (or autotune) is an audio processor introduced in 1996 by American company Antares Audio Technologies. Auto-Tune uses a proprietary device to measure and alter pitch in vocal and instrumental music recording and performances. Auto-Tu ...
, an approach which was, at the time, still relatively uncommon. Frederic named this solo project Wallpaper, and developed the alter-ego of Ricky Reed as Wallpaper's lead singer; Reed was described as rude, reckless, and irresponsible, and was intended to personify everything Frederic disliked about the contemporary pop music industry. As exaggerated auto-tune became more prevalent in the mainstream, Wallpaper's songs gained popularity, and their debut album ''DooDoo Face'' was released in 2009 through
Eenie Meenie Records Eenie Meenie Records (stylized as eenie meenie records) is a Los Angeles–based independent record label. Information Eenie Meenie Records was founded in 1999 by Reiko Kondo and specializes in signing indie pop, indie rock and electronica arti ...
. By 2010, Wallpaper had begun to transition away from the focus on auto-tune, and added drummer Arjun Singh as an official member of the band. In December, the duo released the EP ''#STUPiDFACEDD'', co-distributed by MTV's Hype Music and Boardwalk Records, followed by a music video for the single of the same name, described as "a brash, stupid party anthem to mock all brash, stupid party anthems." In 2011, Wallpaper toured with
K.Flay Kristine Meredith Flaherty (born June 30, 1985), better known as K.Flay, is an American singer, musician, songwriter, and rapper. Her debut album ''Life as a Dog'' was released in 2014, peaking on ''Billboard''s Heatseekers Albums chart at No. 2 ...
and Too Short, and appeared at the
MTV Video Music Awards The MTV Video Music Awards (commonly abbreviated as the VMAs) is an award show presented by the cable channel MTV to honour the best in the music video medium. Originally conceived as an alternative to the Grammy Awards (in the video category) ...
. Later that year, the band toured with
Awolnation Awolnation (stylized in all caps) is an American rock band from Los Angeles, formed and fronted by Aaron Bruno, formerly of Under the Influence of Giants, Home Town Hero, and Insurgence. The band is signed to Better Noise Music, formerly being s ...
, then with
Gym Class Heroes Gym Class Heroes was an American rap rock band from Geneva, New York. The group formed in 1997 when Travie McCoy met drummer Matt McGinley during their high school gym class. The band's music displays a wide variety of influences, including hip h ...
and Dirty Heads, closing the tour at The Grove in Anaheim, California. By this time, Frederic had fully adopted the name Ricky Reed in a professional capacity, and was no longer referred to by his real name in interviews and press releases. Despite this, he had long since abandoned the idea of staying "in character" as Reed outside of Wallpaper's lyrics. Wallpaper signed to
Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America Sony Corporation of America (SONAM, also known as SCA), is the American arm of the Japanese conglomerate Sony Group ...
in 2012 and expanded their lineup once more, this time to include vocalist Novena Carmel and percussionists Derek Taylor and Tom Peyton. Their performance at Coachella in April received acclaim, with critics comparing it favorably to " boa constrictor-era"
Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the " Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After appearing in stage productio ...
. Following an appearance at
South by Southwest South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in m ...
, Wallpaper appeared on ''
Jimmy Kimmel Live! ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC. The nightly hour-long show debuted on January 26, 2003, at Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywood, Los ...
'' and ''Last Call with Carson Daly Tonight'' to perform "#STUPiDFACEDD," as well as the single " uckingBest Song Everrr". In 2013, Wallpaper released their second full-length album, entitled ''
Ricky Reed Is Real ''Ricky Reed Is Real'' is the second studio album and debut major-label release by American hip hop and pop music project Wallpaper. The album was released on July 23, 2013 to stores and digital retailers through Boardwalk Records and Epic Re ...
'', to mostly positive reviews from fans and critics. The following year, the band covered the theme song to the television series ''
21 Jump Street ''21 Jump Street'' is an American police procedural television series that aired on the Fox network and in first run syndication from April 12, 1987, to April 27, 1991, with a total of 103 episodes. The series focuses on a squad of youthful-loo ...
'' for the film adaptation of the same name. Throughout Wallpaper's career, Frederic occasionally produced music for other artists (such as "
Anyway Anyway may refer to: * ''Anyway'' (album) or the title song, by Family, 1970 * Anyway Records, an American record label * "Anyway" (CeeLo Green song), 2011 * "Anyway" (Chris Brown song), 2015 * "Anyway" (Duck Sauce song), 2009 * "Anyway" (Ge ...
" by Cee-Lo Green) and Wallpaper collectively shares a producer credit on Far East Movement's single "
The Illest "The Illest" is a song by American hip hop group Far East Movement. The song was co-written and produced by Norwegian music producer and songwriter Axident and Wallpaper. aka Ricky Reed, and features a guest appearance from American rapper Riff R ...
". As of 2021, all social media accounts for Wallpaper have been removed or deleted excluding their YouTube account, which has not received an update since 2014. Frederic appears to be focusing his efforts on producing for other artists and his progressive indie rock band,
Facing New York Facing New York is a three-piece progressive indie rock band from the Bay Area, California, formed in January 2004.Mason, StewartFacing New York Biography", Allmusic. Retrieved October 25, 2018 The band is signed to Nice Life Recording Company a ...
.


Discography


Albums


Extended plays


Singles


Promotional singles


References

{{Authority control Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American record producers Musicians from Oakland, California Singer-songwriters from California