Francis and the Lights
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Francis and the Lights is an American pop project led by
Francis Farewell Starlite Francis Farewell Starlite (born Abe Morre Katz-Milder; 14 June 1981) is an American musician, record producer, singer, songwriter, and dancer. He is best known as the founder and lead vocalist of the pop band Francis and the Lights. He is pri ...
. The term "and the Lights" refers both to the lights on a stage and pixels on a computer screen. Starlite often uses the Francis and the Lights name when crediting his solo work and contributions. He has said, "There are no 'members' of Francis and the Lights. It is me and whomever else is involved. Including you." Their music is characterized by a heavy use of electronically produced beats. During live performances, the vocals are backed by his pre-produced tracks with the assistance of a DJ, while Francis uses a synthesizer at times. Past performances have included a live band, as depicted in several of their earlier music videos. Francis and the Lights released their debut studio album, ''
Farewell, Starlite! ''Farewell, Starlite!'' is the debut studio album by American pop project Francis and the Lights, self-released on September 24, 2016, as a free stream. It is a follow-up to the 2013 EP, ''Like a Dream''. Music videos were created for "See Her ...
,'' on September 24, 2016.


History

In 2007, Francis and the Lights
self-released Self-publishing is the publication of media by its author at their own cost, without the involvement of a publisher. The term usually refers to written media, such as books and magazines, either as an ebook or as a physical copy using POD (pr ...
their debut EP, ''Striking''. Their second EP, ''A Modern Promise'', came out in August 2008. Francis and the Lights was credited as producing the song "Karaoke" for Canadian rapper
Drake Drake may refer to: Animals * A male duck People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name * Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * ...
from his 2010 debut album ''
Thank Me Later ''Thank Me Later'' is the debut studio album by Canadian rapper and singer Drake. It was released on June 15, 2010, by Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records, and Universal Motown Records. Production for the album took place at various re ...
''. In 2010, they toured with
Drake Drake may refer to: Animals * A male duck People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name * Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * ...
, MGMT,
Ke$ha Kesha Rose Sebert (; born March 1, 1987), formerly stylized as Ke$ha, is an American singer and songwriter. In 2005, at age 18, Kesha was signed to Kemosabe Records. Her first major success came in early 2009 after she was featured on America ...
,
La Roux La Roux ( ) is an English synthpop act formed in 2008 by singer Elly Jackson and record producer Ben Langmaid. The act's debut album '' La Roux'' (2009) was a critical and commercial success, winning a Grammy Award and producing hit singles su ...
, and
Mark Ronson Mark Daniel Ronson (born 4 September 1975) is a British-American DJ, songwriter, record producer, and record executive. He is best known for his collaborations with artists such as Duran Duran, Amy Winehouse, Adele, Lady Gaga, Lily Allen, R ...
. On July 20, 2010, Francis and the Lights released their third EP, ''It'll Be Better'', through Cantora Records. It was produced by Francis Farewell Starlite and
Jake Schreier Jacob Stacey Schreier (born September 29, 1981) is an American commercial, music video and film director. He was a founding member of Waverly Films, a Brooklyn-based filmmaking collective, and joined Park Pictures in 2006, releasing his first f ...
. Schreier, once a supporting musician for Francis and the Lights, has directed most of their music videos, and they provided the score for his feature film debut, ''
Robot & Frank ''Robot & Frank'' is a 2012 American science fiction comedy-drama film directed by Jake Schreier from a screenplay by Christopher Ford. The film stars Frank Langella, Susan Sarandon, Peter Sarsgaard, James Marsden, and Liv Tyler. ''Robot & F ...
'' (2012). A fourth EP, ''Like a Dream'', came out in 2013. Drake quoted the 2010 Francis and the Lights song "Get in the Car" on the track "Madonna" from his 2015 mixtape ''
If You're Reading This It's Too Late ''If You're Reading This It's Too Late'' is a commercial mixtape by Canadian rapper Drake. It was released on February 13, 2015, without prior announcement, by OVO Sound, Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records and Republic Records. The ...
.'' The phrase "Big as Madonna" was later used on a shirt that was worn by Madonna during her infamous appearance in Drake's 2015 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival headlining set. In 2016, Francis and the Lights were featured on Chance the Rapper's "Summer Friends" from his third mixtape, ''
Coloring Book A coloring book (British English: colouring-in book, colouring book, or colouring page) is a type of book containing line art to which people are intended to add color using crayons, colored pencils, marker pens, paint or other artistic media ...
.'' They served as the opening act on the North American tour dates of Chance the Rapper's
Magnificent Coloring World Tour Magnificent Coloring World Tour was a headlining concert tour by American recording artist, Chance the Rapper, starting at the CalCoast Credit Union Open Air Theatre in San Diego on September 15, 2016, and ending on November 26, 2016, in Manches ...
, which ran between September 2016 and October 2016. On May 15, 2016, Starlite released a solo piano song entitled "Thank You", which was recorded on a phone in
Justin Vernon Justin DeYarmond Edison Vernon (born April 30, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist. He is best known as the primary songwriter and frontman of indie folk band Bon Iver. Known for his distinct falsetto voic ...
's living room. On July 7, 2016, Francis and the Lights released a music video for the new song " Friends" featuring
Bon Iver Bon Iver ( ) is an American indie folk band founded in 2006 by singer-songwriter Justin Vernon. Vernon released Bon Iver's debut album, ''For Emma, Forever Ago,'' independently in July 2007. The majority of the album was recorded while Vernon ...
and
Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...
. On August 13, 2016, the band premiered their debut studio album ''
Farewell, Starlite! ''Farewell, Starlite!'' is the debut studio album by American pop project Francis and the Lights, self-released on September 24, 2016, as a free stream. It is a follow-up to the 2013 EP, ''Like a Dream''. Music videos were created for "See Her ...
'' during their performance at the
Eaux Claires Eaux Claires, also known as the Eaux Claires Music & Arts Festival, is a two-day music and arts festival that took place for four years in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. The festival took a year-long hiatus in 2019 but was expected to return in 2020, be ...
music festival. It was released on September 24, 2016 after a performance of the album at Chance the Rapper's Magnificent Coloring Day festival. In 2016, Francis and the Lights performed a cover of "
Dear Theodosia "Dear Theodosia" is a 3-minute song from Act 1 of the musical ''Hamilton'', based on the life of Alexander Hamilton, which premiered on Broadway in 2015. Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote both the music and lyrics to the song. The song is sung by the char ...
" as a duet with Chance the Rapper on '' The Hamilton Mixtape''. A remix of "May I Have This Dance" featuring Chance the Rapper was released alongside a music video on May 18, 2017. '' Just for Us'', their sophomore album, was released in December 2017. Francis and the Lights are credited as a producer on the 2018
Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...
album '' ye'' for the tracks "
I Thought About Killing You "I Thought About Killing You" is a song by American rapper Kanye West, released as the opening track on his eighth studio album, '' Ye'' (2018). The song was produced by West, Francis and the Lights, and Benny Blanco, with additional production f ...
," " All Mine," and "
Ghost Town Ghost Town(s) or Ghosttown may refer to: * Ghost town, a town that has been abandoned Film and television * ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser * ''Ghost Town'' (1956 film), an American Western film by All ...
." They appear uncredited on the song "I Thought About Killing You," co-written by Starlite, on a loop heard throughout the track. On ''
Kids See Ghosts Kids See Ghosts (stylized in all-caps) was an American hip hop duo composed of musicians Kanye West and Kid Cudi. Formed in 2018 during West’s Wyoming sessions, the duo released their eponymous debut album in June of that year, through ...
'', a collaboration by West and Kid Cudi under the name
Kids See Ghosts Kids See Ghosts (stylized in all-caps) was an American hip hop duo composed of musicians Kanye West and Kid Cudi. Formed in 2018 during West’s Wyoming sessions, the duo released their eponymous debut album in June of that year, through ...
, they are also credited as a producer on " Feel the Love," which features rapper
Pusha T Terrence LeVarr Thornton (born May 13, 1977), better known by his stage name Pusha T, is an American rapper, songwriter and record executive. He rose to prominence as one-half of the hip hop duo Clipse, which was mainly active from 1994 to 201 ...
. Their third album, '' Same Night Different Dream,'' was originally announced for release as ''Take Me to the Light'' via a Tumblr post in August 2019. It was subsequently renamed and scheduled for a November 1 release that was eventually delayed. " Take Me to the Light" featuring
Bon Iver Bon Iver ( ) is an American indie folk band founded in 2006 by singer-songwriter Justin Vernon. Vernon released Bon Iver's debut album, ''For Emma, Forever Ago,'' independently in July 2007. The majority of the album was recorded while Vernon ...
and
Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...
, was released as its first single on August 30, 2019.Archived a
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Discography


Studio albums

*''
Farewell, Starlite! ''Farewell, Starlite!'' is the debut studio album by American pop project Francis and the Lights, self-released on September 24, 2016, as a free stream. It is a follow-up to the 2013 EP, ''Like a Dream''. Music videos were created for "See Her ...
'' (2016) *'' Just for Us'' (2017)


EPs

*''Striking'' (2007) *''A Modern Promise'' (2008) *''It'll Be Better'' (2010) *''Like a Dream'' (2013)


Soundtracks

*''
Robot & Frank ''Robot & Frank'' is a 2012 American science fiction comedy-drama film directed by Jake Schreier from a screenplay by Christopher Ford. The film stars Frank Langella, Susan Sarandon, Peter Sarsgaard, James Marsden, and Liv Tyler. ''Robot & F ...
'' (2012) * Always Be My Maybe (2019)


Singles

*"LIME/WYN" (2008) *"Eiffel Tower" / "The Things That I Would Do" (with inc.) (2011) *" Friends" (featuring
Bon Iver Bon Iver ( ) is an American indie folk band founded in 2006 by singer-songwriter Justin Vernon. Vernon released Bon Iver's debut album, ''For Emma, Forever Ago,'' independently in July 2007. The majority of the album was recorded while Vernon ...
and
Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...
) (2016) *"See Her Out (That's Just Life)" (2016) *"May I Have This Dance" (remix featuring Chance the Rapper) (2017) S_''Billboard''_Alternative_Songs_Chart_No._36.html" ;"title="Alternative_Songs.html" ;"title="S ''Billboard'' Alternative Songs">S ''Billboard'' Alternative Songs Chart No. 36">Alternative_Songs.html" ;"title="S ''Billboard'' Alternative Songs">S ''Billboard'' Alternative Songs Chart No. 36*"Scream so Loud (Lammer Dance Mix)" (2018) *"Try Tho We Might To" (2018) *"The Video in the Pool" (2018) *"Do u Need Love?" (2019) *" Take Me to the Light" (featuring Bon Iver and Kanye West) (2019) *"For Days (Sike)" (with Spencer Sike) (2021)


Compilation appearances

*"Can't Tell Me Nothing" (cover of
Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...
's "Can't Tell Me Nothing"), ''Guilt by Association Vol. 2'' (2008) *"
Dear Theodosia "Dear Theodosia" is a 3-minute song from Act 1 of the musical ''Hamilton'', based on the life of Alexander Hamilton, which premiered on Broadway in 2015. Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote both the music and lyrics to the song. The song is sung by the char ...
" (with Chance the Rapper, '' The Hamilton Mixtape'') (2016)


Featured appearances

*"Karaoke" (
Drake Drake may refer to: Animals * A male duck People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name * Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * ...
, ''
Thank Me Later ''Thank Me Later'' is the debut studio album by Canadian rapper and singer Drake. It was released on June 15, 2010, by Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records, and Universal Motown Records. Production for the album took place at various re ...
'') (2010) *"Something Better" (
Lyrics Born Tsutomu "Tom" Shimura (born September 2, 1972), better known by his stage name Lyrics Born (formerly Asia Born), is a Japanese-American rapper, singer, and producer. He is one half of the duo Latyrx with Lateef the Truthspeaker. Early life Shim ...
, '' As U Were'') (2010) *"Celebration" (
Das Racist Das Racist was an American alternative hip hop group based in Brooklyn, composed of MCs Heems and Kool A.D. and hype man Ashok Kondabolu (a.k.a. Dapwell or Dap). Known for their use of humor, academic references, foreign allusions, and unconven ...
, ''
Relax Relax may refer to: Aviation * Roland Z-120 Relax, a German ultralight aircraft design for the 120 kg class Music Albums * ''Relax'' (Blank & Jones album), 2003 * ''Relax'' (Das Racist album), 2011 Songs * "Relax" (song), a 1983 song by Fran ...
'') (2011) * "Chameleon/Comedian" (
Kathleen Edwards Kathleen Edwards (born July 11, 1978
) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and musician. Her 2002 debut album, ''
Voyageur The voyageurs (; ) were 18th and 19th century French Canadians who engaged in the transporting of furs via canoe during the peak of the North American fur trade. The emblematic meaning of the term applies to places (New France, including the ...
'') (2012) *"Wonderful Everyday: Arthur" ( Chance the Rapper with The Social Experiment) (2014) *'' Surf'' ( Nico Segal & The Social Experiment) (2015) *" Summer Friends" ( Chance the Rapper featuring
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", ...
) (2016) *" Wild Love" (
Cashmere Cat Magnus August Høiberg (born 29 November 1987), known professionally as Cashmere Cat, is a Norwegian DJ, record producer, songwriter and musician. He is best known for producing songs for artists including Kanye West, The Kid Laroi, Selena Gomez ...
featuring
The Weeknd Abel Makkonen Tesfaye (born February 16, 1990), known professionally as the Weeknd, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor. Known for his sonic versatility and dark lyricism, his music explores escapism, romance, and ...
, '' 9'') (2016) *"IT'S ALRITE 2 CRY" ( Kool A.D. featuring
Francis Farewell Starlite Francis Farewell Starlite (born Abe Morre Katz-Milder; 14 June 1981) is an American musician, record producer, singer, songwriter, and dancer. He is best known as the founder and lead vocalist of the pop band Francis and the Lights. He is pri ...
, ''HAVE A NICE DREAM'') (2016) *''
Merry Christmas Lil' Mama ''Merry Christmas Lil' Mama'' is a collaborative Christmas mixtape by singer Jeremih and rapper Chance the Rapper. It is the fourth mixtape by Jeremih, and the fifth mixtape by Chance the Rapper. The mixtape was self-released via SoundCloud on D ...
'' (
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", ...
and Chance the Rapper) (2016) *'' ye'' (
Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...
) (2018) *" Feel the Love" (
Kids See Ghosts Kids See Ghosts (stylized in all-caps) was an American hip hop duo composed of musicians Kanye West and Kid Cudi. Formed in 2018 during West’s Wyoming sessions, the duo released their eponymous debut album in June of that year, through ...
featuring
Pusha T Terrence LeVarr Thornton (born May 13, 1977), better known by his stage name Pusha T, is an American rapper, songwriter and record executive. He rose to prominence as one-half of the hip hop duo Clipse, which was mainly active from 1994 to 201 ...
, ''
Kids See Ghosts Kids See Ghosts (stylized in all-caps) was an American hip hop duo composed of musicians Kanye West and Kid Cudi. Formed in 2018 during West’s Wyoming sessions, the duo released their eponymous debut album in June of that year, through ...
'') (2018) *" Just for Us, Pt. 2" (
Benny Blanco Benjamin Joseph Levin (born March 8, 1988), known professionally as Benny Blanco (stylized in all lowercase), is an American record producer. He is the recipient of the 2013 Hal David Starlight Award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He is als ...
, ''
Friends Keep Secrets ''Friends Keep Secrets'' (stylized in all caps) is the debut studio album by American record producer Benny Blanco, released on December 7, 2018. It shares its name with Blanco's imprint of Interscope Records, which it was released through. It was ...
'') (2018) *"Forgiven" (
2 Chainz Tauheed K. Epps (born September 12, 1977), known professionally as 2 Chainz (or Tity Boi), is an American rapper. Born and raised in College Park, Georgia, he initially gained recognition as one-half of the Southern hip hop duo Playaz Circle, a ...
featuring
Marsha Ambrosius Marsha Ambrosius-Billups (born 8 August 1977) is an English singer and songwriter from Liverpool, England. She embarked on her musical career as a member of Floetry. Ambrosius released her debut solo album '' Late Nights & Early Mornings'' in M ...
, '' Rap or Go to the League'') (2019) *''Intellexual'' ( Intellexual) (2019) *"
Look What You're Doing to Me "Look What You're Doing to Me" is a song by American singer and songwriter Banks from her third studio album, '' III'' (2019). It was released as the album's second single on June 11, 2019, and features American pop project Francis and the Ligh ...
" (
Banks A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets. Becaus ...
, '' III'') (2019) *"To Someone Else" (
Kacy Hill Kacy Anne Hill (born May 1, 1994) is an American singer-songwriter, producer, and former model. She was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona and had previously worked as a model for American Apparel. She released "Experience", her first non-album ...
) (2019) *'' The Big Day'' ( Chance the Rapper) (2019) *"I CRY 3" ( 93PUNX, ''93PUNX'') (2019) *"For Your Eyes Only" (
Cashmere Cat Magnus August Høiberg (born 29 November 1987), known professionally as Cashmere Cat, is a Norwegian DJ, record producer, songwriter and musician. He is best known for producing songs for artists including Kanye West, The Kid Laroi, Selena Gomez ...
, ''Princess Catgirl'') (2019) *"Selah" (Kanye West, ''
Jesus Is King ''Jesus Is King'' is the ninth studio album by American rapper Kanye West. It was released on October 25, 2019, through GOOD Music and distributed by Def Jam Recordings. The album follows a Christian theme, different from his usual work. Wes ...
'') (2019) *"I Believe in You" (Kacy Hill, ''
Is It Selfish If We Talk About Me Again ''Is it Selfish If We Talk About Me Again'' is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Kacy Hill. It was released on July 10, 2020 independently, following her departure from Kanye West's label GOOD Music. Much of the album's art was ...
'') (2020)


References


External links


Francis and the Lights official website
{{Authority control Musical groups from Oakland, California Musical groups established in 2007