Major Lazer is an American electronic dance music and DJ trio, which includes record producer
Diplo, and DJs
Walshy Fire and
Ape Drums
Eric Alberto-Lopez (born June 28, 1990), known professionally as Ape Drums, is a Mexican-American DJ and record producer. Ape Drums is known for fusing electronic dance music with Caribbean sounds, described by Vice Media, ''Thump'' as "modern da ...
. They were founded in 2008 by
Diplo and
Switch
In electrical engineering, a switch is an electrical component that can disconnect or connect the conducting path in an electrical circuit, interrupting the electric current or diverting it from one conductor to another. The most common type o ...
, with Switch leaving after three years in 2011. He was then replaced by both
Jillionaire and Walshy Fire. In June 2019, Jillionaire left the group and was replaced by Ape Drums.
Their music spans numerous
genres, mixing
reggae
Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...
with
dancehall
Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots reggae, roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2 ...
, ReggaeEDM,
reggaeton
Reggaeton (, ) is a modern style of popular music, popular and electronic music that originated in Panamanian reggaetón, Panama during the late 1980s, and which rose to prominence in the late 1990s and early 2000s through a plethora of Puert ...
,
soca,
house
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...
and
moombahton.
Major Lazer has released four full-length albums: ''
Guns Don't Kill People... Lazers Do'' in 2009, ''
Free the Universe'' in 2013, ''
Peace Is the Mission'' in 2015, and ''
Music Is the Weapon'' in 2020. They have also released six EPs, including ''Apocalypse Soon'' in March 2014, which featured vocal contributions from
Pharrell Williams
Pharrell Lanscilo Williams (; born April 5, 1973), also known mononymously as Pharrell, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, and fashion designer. He first became known as one half of the music production duo ...
and
Sean Paul
Sean Paul Ryan Francis Henriques (born 9 January 1973) is a Jamaican dancehall musician. Paul's first album, ''Stage One'', was released in 2000. He gained international fame with his second album, ''Dutty Rock'', in 2002. Its single "Get Busy ...
, and ''
Know No Better'' in 2017, which featured appearances from
Camila Cabello
Karla Camila Cabello Estrabao (; ; born March 3, 1997) is an American singer and songwriter. She rose to prominence as a member of the Pop music, pop girl group Fifth Harmony, one of the List of best-selling girl groups, best-selling girl gro ...
,
Quavo,
Travis Scott, and
J Balvin
José Álvaro Osorio Balvín (born 7 May 1985), known professionally as J Balvin, is a Colombian singer. He is one of the best-selling Latin artists, with 35 million records sold worldwide. Balvin was born in Medellín. At age 17, he moved to th ...
, among others. Major Lazer has also notably produced ''
Reincarnated'', the debut reggae album by
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. ( ; born October 20, 1971), better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg), is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Rooted in West Coast hip-hop, he is widely regarded as one of t ...
under his "Snoop Lion" persona. In March 2018, ''
Billboard'' ranked Major Lazer at number five on their 2018 ''Billboard'' Dance 100 ranking of dance musicians.
History
2009–11: ''Guns Don't Kill People... Lazers Do'' and ''Lazers Never Die'' EP
Originally made up of DJs
Diplo and
Switch
In electrical engineering, a switch is an electrical component that can disconnect or connect the conducting path in an electrical circuit, interrupting the electric current or diverting it from one conductor to another. The most common type o ...
, the two were introduced while working with
M.I.A. The duo's first album ''
Guns Don't Kill People... Lazers Do'' was released on June 16, 2009, on
Downtown Records. It was recorded in
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...
at
Tuff Gong Studios. Vocalists such as
Santigold,
Vybz Kartel,
Ward 21,
Busy Signal,
Nina Sky,
Amanda Blank,
Mr. Vegas,
Turbulence
In fluid dynamics, turbulence or turbulent flow is fluid motion characterized by chaotic changes in pressure and flow velocity. It is in contrast to laminar flow, which occurs when a fluid flows in parallel layers with no disruption between ...
,
Mapei,
T.O.K, Prince Zimboo, Leftside, and M.I.A., with others contributing guest vocals to the album, as well as additional production from
Afrojack
Nick Leonardus van de Wall (; born 9 September 1987), known professionally as Afrojack (stylized in all caps), is a Dutch DJ, record producer and remixer. In 2007, he founded the record label Wall Recordings; his debut album ''Forget the World ( ...
, Nebat Drums and
Crookers. This is the first release to come out of the label partnership between Downtown Records and Diplo's label
Mad Decent. Major Lazer ended a US tour summer of 2009.
The album's first single was "Hold the Line", the video for which, directed by
Eric Wareheim, was nominated for a
MTV Video Award in the
Breakthrough Video category. It was also featured in the video game ''
FIFA 10
''FIFA 10'' (titled ''FIFA Soccer 10'' in North America) is a Association football, football Simulation video game, simulation video game developed by EA Canada and published by Electronic Arts worldwide under the EA Sports label. It was releas ...
''. The track "Zumbie" has a music video that features comedian
Andy Milonakis. Music videos for the songs "
Pon de Floor", "Keep It Going Louder", and "
Bubble Butt" were directed by
Eric Wareheim. In June 2009, Major Lazer were featured for the first time on the cover of the publication ''
The Fader
''The Fader'' is a magazine established in 1999 as an outlet for Cornerstone Agency, a marketing and public relations firm established by Rob Stone and Jon Cohen. The magazine covers music, style and culture.
History and work
It is owned by T ...
'', in its 62nd issue.
Major Lazer performed at the Falls Music & Arts Festival (Lorne, Victoria, Australia) on December 30, 2009, and the
Coachella Music Festival in April 2010. They also performed at the
Pitchfork Music Festival
Pitchfork Music Festival was an annual music festival in Union Park (Chicago), Union Park in Chicago, Illinois, organized by the online magazine ''Pitchfork (website), Pitchfork.'' Starting in 2011, the festival announced a branch staged in Paris ...
in July 2010 and the
Sasquatch Music Festival on Monday May 30, 2011 and at the 2011
Outside Lands
Outside Lands was the name used in the 19th century for the present-day Richmond District and Sunset District on the West Side of San Francisco. With few roads and no public transportation, the area was covered by sand dunes and was conside ...
festival in San Francisco.
A mixtape with
La Roux titled "Lazerproof" was made available for free download on May 26. It used the instrumental tracks from the self-titled debut album and "brazenly mashes them up with beats and rhymes that are almost wholly up-to-the-minute hip, encompassing rap, R&B, dancehall, and dubstep". On June 20, 2010, the group released an EP titled ''
Lazers Never Die''. It contained two new songs and three remixes, by
Thom Yorke and others. Switch provided production for
Beyoncé
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most Cultural impact of Beyoncé, ...
's "
Run the World (Girls)", which sampled "Pon de Floor". Major Lazer also features in the track, "Look at Where We Are", from the extended version of Hot Chip's album ''
In Our Heads'', released June 2011.
2012–15: ''Free the Universe'', ''Apocalypse Soon'' EP, and ''Peace Is the Mission''
Major Lazer's live shows previously included
hype man
A hype man, typically in hip hop music, is a backing vocalist who supports the primary performer with exclamations, interjections, or ad-libs in an attempt to increase an audience's excitement or engagement.
Origins
Early hype men included Keef C ...
Skerrit Bwoy, although he left the group in 2012 to pursue religion. In 2012, Major Lazer began working with
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. ( ; born October 20, 1971), better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg), is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Rooted in West Coast hip-hop, he is widely regarded as one of t ...
to produce some tracks that were to be included on his new reggae project. Along with the project came his new alter ego persona known as "Snoop Lion".
In 2012, Switch left the collaborative effort due to "creative differences" as claimed by Diplo. He departed in late 2011 and was replaced with both Jillionaire and Walshy Fire while
Boaz van de Beatz and
Jr. Blender featured as an additional producers.
In September 2012, Major Lazer announced that its upcoming album, ''
Free the Universe'', would be released on March 12, 2013, on Mad Decent. They also announced Fall 2012 tour dates.
Major Lazer co-produced UK singer
Rita Ora's debut album, ''
Ora'' and with
No Doubt for their sixth studio album, ''
Push and Shove''. The album's
title track features producers Major Lazer and Jamaican reggae artist
Busy Signal, and was released as a promotional single in August 2012 reaching no. 22 at Alternative Song Chart Sales.
In February 2013, Major Lazer signed with indie record label
Secretly Canadian. At the same time, they announced the new release date, April 16, for their album ''
Free the Universe''. They also announced the Free the Universe 2013 World Tour, which ran through the spring of 2013 with support by
Dragonette
Dragonette is the stage name of Canadian singer-songwriter Martina Sorbara. Originally an electronic music band from Toronto, Ontario, formed in 2005, the band consisted of Sorbara with her then husband Dan Kurtz as bassist and producer (also i ...
,
Angel Haze, and
Lunice.
In early March 2015, Diplo confirmed the release of a third Major Lazer album. The first single, "
Lean On", was a collaboration with French producer
DJ Snake and featured vocals from Danish recording artist
MØ. It was released March 2, 2015. The song was first offered to
Rihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, businesswoman, and actress. One of the List of music artists by net worth, wealthiest musicians in the world, List of awards and nominations received by Rihanna, her vario ...
and then
Nicki Minaj
Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian rapper, singer, and songwriter. Regarded as the "Queen of Rap" and one of the most influential rappers of all time, she is noted for her ...
, who both turned it down; however Diplo later mentioned that no one could have done a better job than MØ in the recording. The song reached number 4 on the
US Billboard's Hot 100 chart and number 2 in the UK charts. It also became Spotify's most streamed song of all time, receiving universally positive reviews while reaching over 2 billion views on YouTube, making it the twelfth most viewed video on the site.
Four promotional singles were released; "Roll the Bass" March 23, 2015, "Night Riders", a collaboration with
Travi$ Scott,
2 Chainz
Tauheed K. Epps (born September 12, 1977), known professionally as 2 Chainz (formerly Tity Boi), is an American rapper and actor. Born and raised in College Park, Georgia, he gained recognition as one-half of the Southern hip-hop duo Playaz Ci ...
,
Pusha T and
Mad Cobra, released April 20, 2015, and "Too Original", a collaboration with
Elliphant and Jovi Rockwell, released on May 11, 2015. On June 2, 2015, a lyric video was released for "
Be Together", a collaboration with
Wild Belle, making it the fourth promotional single.
The second single from the album, titled "
Powerful", featured English singer-songwriter
Ellie Goulding and Jamaican singer
Tarrus Riley. It was released simultaneously with the album, and was added to
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...
's playlist on June 21, 2015. It reached the Top 10 in Australia and Poland.
In an interview with ''
inthemix'' on May 22, 2015, Walshy Fire announced that Major Lazer's fourth studio album would be titled ''Music Is the Weapon'' and that it would be released late 2015 or early 2016.
The album never arrived in 2015 or 2016, though Diplo did reveal on April 27, 2015, during an interview with Belgian radio station
Studio Brussel that Major Lazer was working on a new track with Belgian singer
Selah Sue, and that it might appear on their next album. Selah Sue herself had confirmed this during an earlier interview with the same radio station on May 4, 2015.
''
Peace Is The Mission'' was released on June 1, 2015. It featured artists such as
Machel Montano,
Wild Belle,
Pusha T,
Ellie Goulding, and
Ariana Grande. It peaked at number 12 on the
''Billboard'' 200 chart and received general critical success.
On November 27, 2015, Major Lazer released a re-issue of their third studio album ''Peace is the Mission'', re-titled as ''Peace is the Mission: Extended''. It featured five additional songs, including a collaboration with Dutch electro house DJ
MOTi (featuring
Ty Dolla $ign,
Wizkid, and
Kranium), a remix of their previous track "Light It Up" featuring Nyla and Fuse ODG, and a cover of
Frank Ocean
Frank Ocean (born Christopher Edwin Breaux; October 28, 1987) is an American singer and songwriter. He has been credited by several music journalism, music critics as a pioneer of the alternative R&B genre. Ocean has won two Grammy Awards and a B ...
's "Lost" featuring previous collaborator and Danish recording artist MØ.
On November 5, 2015, Major Lazer featured on
Katy B's single '' Who Am I'' alongside
Craig David.
Exactly one year after ''Peace is the Mission'' was released, Major Lazer announced a new remix album titled ''Peace Is the Mission: Remixes''. It featured remixes of selected tracks from their third studio album, including "Lean On", "Powerful", "Be Together", "Night Riders", and "Roll the Bass". Major Lazer had over 27 million tags in music identification service
Shazam in 2015. This, along with
Diplo's other collaboration
Jack Ü, gave Diplo the greatest number of Shazams in 2015.
2016–19: ''Know No Better'' EP, ''Essentials'' and ''Africa Is the Future'' EP
On July 22, 2016, a new track titled "
Cold Water", featuring vocals from
MØ and
Justin Bieber
Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Regarded as a pop icon, he is recognized for his multi-genre musical performances. He was discovered by record executive Scooter Braun in 2008 and subsequently brought to the U ...
, was released by Major Lazer. It debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, and number 1 in several other countries including on the
UK Official Charts, making it their most popular single yet. On September 30, 2016, "
Believer", a collaboration with Dutch production duo
Showtek
Showtek is a Dutch electronic dance music duo consisting of two brothers from Eindhoven, Wouter Janssen (; born 20 August 1982). and Sjoerd Janssen (; born 6 April 1984). The duo regularly manages to reach the top of multiple music charts and wor ...
, was released as the second single from Major Lazer's upcoming fourth album. The album's title, ''Music Is the Weapon'', had been announced in May 2015, and was set to have "a few more club songs, a few more festival songs" than ''Peace is the Mission'', but to be "in the same spectrum."
On December 6, 2016, Major Lazer released a promotional single for ''Music Is the Weapon'', titled "My Number". The song is a collaboration with
Bad Royale that samples "
54-46 That's My Number", which Pitchfork describes as "a genre-defining classic from legendary ska/reggae group
Toots and the Maytals." The song contains newly recorded vocals from frontman
Toots Hibbert specifically designed for Major Lazer, changing the original lyrics to incorporate the group into the song while keeping the original melody.
Following the success of singles "
Cold Water" and "Believer", Major Lazer released their third single titled "
Run Up" January 26, 2017. The song features Canadian musician
PartyNextDoor and rapper
Nicki Minaj
Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian rapper, singer, and songwriter. Regarded as the "Queen of Rap" and one of the most influential rappers of all time, she is noted for her ...
, serving as a follow-up to the tropical, laid-back sound of "Cold Water". ''Music Is the Weapon'', however, still failed to arrive, prompting rumors that Major Lazer would not be releasing an album after all. However, in 2018, Diplo stated that the album will be released in 2019 and that it will be their last.
On June 1, 2017, Major Lazer released a six-song extended play titled
''Know No Better'', with the title track featuring
Camila Cabello
Karla Camila Cabello Estrabao (; ; born March 3, 1997) is an American singer and songwriter. She rose to prominence as a member of the Pop music, pop girl group Fifth Harmony, one of the List of best-selling girl groups, best-selling girl gro ...
,
Travis Scott, and
Quavo. The EP's second single, "
Sua Cara", features Brazilian musicians
Anitta and
Pabllo Vittar. Several remixes of the EP's title track have since been released.
On October 19, 2018, Major Lazer released a compilation album titled ''
Major Lazer Essentials'', a 10-year anniversary record that includes all of Major Lazer's greatest hits, and new songs including "
Blow That Smoke", featuring
Tove Lo, which was released October 17, 2018.
On March 20, 2019, Major Lazer released an extended play titled ''Africa Is the Future''.
2019–present: Jillionaire's departure and ''Music Is the Weapon''
On May 10, 2019, Major Lazer released the song "Can't Take It from Me", featuring
Skip Marley, as the new lead single for their fourth studio album. In June 2019,
Jillionaire left the group to focus on solo projects, and was replaced by American DJ and record producer
Ape Drums
Eric Alberto-Lopez (born June 28, 1990), known professionally as Ape Drums, is a Mexican-American DJ and record producer. Ape Drums is known for fusing electronic dance music with Caribbean sounds, described by Vice Media, ''Thump'' as "modern da ...
.
The album's second single, "
Que Calor", featuring
J Balvin
José Álvaro Osorio Balvín (born 7 May 1985), known professionally as J Balvin, is a Colombian singer. He is one of the best-selling Latin artists, with 35 million records sold worldwide. Balvin was born in Medellín. At age 17, he moved to th ...
and
El Alfa, was released September 11, 2019. The album's fifth single, "
Lay Your Head on Me", featuring
Marcus Mumford of the band
Mumford & Sons, was released on March 26, 2020.
In a 2019 interview with ''
Complex Magazine'', Diplo revealed that the album would be titled ''Lazerism'', but the name was later changed back to the original title, ''
Music Is the Weapon'', and was released on October 23, 2020.
Band members
This is a list of the members of Major Lazer.
Current members
*
Diplo – production (2008–present)
*
Walshy Fire – production (2011–present)
*
Ape Drums
Eric Alberto-Lopez (born June 28, 1990), known professionally as Ape Drums, is a Mexican-American DJ and record producer. Ape Drums is known for fusing electronic dance music with Caribbean sounds, described by Vice Media, ''Thump'' as "modern da ...
– production (2019–present)
Former members
*
Switch
In electrical engineering, a switch is an electrical component that can disconnect or connect the conducting path in an electrical circuit, interrupting the electric current or diverting it from one conductor to another. The most common type o ...
– production (2008–2011)
*
Jillionaire – production (2011–2019)
Discography
* ''
Guns Don't Kill People... Lazers Do'' (2009)
* ''
Free the Universe'' (2013)
* ''
Peace Is the Mission'' (2015)
* ''
Music Is the Weapon'' (2020)
Television series
A Major Lazer
animated series
An animated series, or a cartoon series, is a set of Animation, animated films with a common title, usually related to one another. These episodes typically share the same main heroes, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series ...
premiered April 16, 2015, on
FXX. Diplo serves as co-creator and executive producer of the show.
Awards and nominations
References
External links
*
*
Major Lazerin VK
{{Authority control
2008 establishments in Jamaica
American dance music groups
American electronic dance music groups
American electronic music groups
American hip-hop groups
American pop music groups
American reggae musical groups
American reggaeton musicians
Because Music artists
Columbia Records artists
Dance-pop groups
Dancehall groups
Diplo
Downtown Records artists
Electro house musicians
Interscope Records artists
Mad Decent artists
Musical groups established in 2008
Ragga musicians
Record production trios
Rocksteady musicians
American soca musicians
Secretly Canadian artists
EDM trap musicians