ASTR is the solo project of American electronic R&B vocalist Zoe Silverman, originally formed with producer Adam Pallin. Their debut EP, ''Varsity'', was named the twentieth best album of 2014 by ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...

''. Their second EP, ''Homecoming'', was released in 2015.

History

ASTR formed in 2013 after meeting at a yoga class. Producer Adam Pallin was previously one half of Little Jackie alongside Imani Coppola, who had a top-twenty hit with "

The World Should Revolve Around Me "The World Should Revolve Around Me" is the debut single by American pop/R&B duo Little Jackie. The song became a top 20 hit on the UK Singles Chart, also peaking within the top 40 on the Irish Singles Chart. Upon its release, the song was met wi ...

" in the UK Singles Chart in 2008. Zoe Silverman is the daughter of Tom Silverman, the founder of

Tommy Boy Records Tommy Boy Entertainment is an American independent record label and multimedia brand founded in 1981 by Tom Silverman. The label is credited with helping and launching the music careers of Queen Latifah, Afrika Bambaataa, Stetsasonic, Digital U ...

. In their earliest press coverage, ASTR were described as "mysterious" and left unnamed, and then briefly referred to only as Zoe ASTR and Adam ASTR. A 2013 interview with '' The Village Voice'' revealed their identities, explaining that the duo had not wanted to disclose their real names in order to "distance themselves" from their backgrounds. Their debut single "Operate" was released through Tommy Boy Records in May 2013, followed by a second single "Razor". The duo also played several sets at CMJ Music Marathon in the autumn. ASTR later released a cover of Drake's " Hold On, We're Going Home", which was a breakthrough hit on

Hype Machine Hype Machine is a music blog aggregator created by Anthony Volodkin. History Hype Machine was originally a music database created in 2005 by Anthony Volodkin, then a sophomore computer science major at Hunter College.Heilemann, JohCapturing the ...

and compared favourably to the original. In 2014 ASTR released their debut six-track EP, ''Varsity'', on 21 January via Neon Gold Records.

later named it their twentieth best album of 2014. ASTR performed 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 ...

for the first time in March 2014, and were praised as an "aural threat" by '' USA Today'' in May. ASTR also created a new song, "Hold On Me", exclusively for DJ

Annie Mac Annie Mac (born 18 July 1978), is an Irish DJ, broadcaster and writer. She hosted a variety of shows on BBC Radio 1, including BBC Switch and ''Future Sounds''. She also DJed in various locations, including hosting her AMP (Annie Mac Presents) ...

's blog, and released a remix of Charli XCX's "

Boom Clap "Boom Clap" is a song by English singer and songwriter Charli XCX, released as the first single from the soundtrack album of ''The Fault in Our Stars'' (2014) and is also featured on XCX's second studio album, ''Sucker''. There are two existing ...

" in the summer. ASTR were the first act to sign for the new independent record label

300 Entertainment Theory Entertainment LLC, doing business as 300 Entertainment, is an American record label founded by Lyor Cohen, Kevin Liles, Todd Moscowitz, and Roger Gold. The label's roster includes acts across multiple genres such as hip hop, rock, pop, ele ...

. ASTR released their second EP, ''Homecoming'', on November 6, 2015. The track "Activate Me" was produced by Darkchild. Silverman described ''Homecoming'' as "nostalgia pop" with lyrical themes around "industry sexism". ASTR toured nationally in the month of the release. A remix of

Carly Rae Jepsen Carly Rae Jepsen (born November 21, 1985) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. After studying musical theatre for most of her school life and while in university, Jepsen garnered mainstream attention after placing third on the fifth season of ...

's "Run Away With Me" was released in the summer of 2015, and a standalone single featuring Mick Jenkins titled "It's Over" was premiered by ''

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 ...

'' in September. ASTR also performed at Governors Ball in June 2015. ASTR released a new single, "Bleeding Love", in March 2016.

References

{{Authority control Musical groups from New York City Musical groups established in 2013 2013 establishments in New York City