Nicholas Furlong (born September 16, 1986) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. His work crosses several musical genres, ranging from dance, rock, and pop, to rap and hip-hop. He is best known for writing and singing vocals on "
The Nights
"The Nights" is a song by Swedish DJ and record producer Avicii, featuring vocals from singer/songwriter Nicholas Furlong. On 1 December 2014, it was released as a digital download by PRMD Music and Universal Island on Avicii's ''The Days / N ...
" by
Avicii
Tim Bergling (; 8 September 1989 – 20 April 2018), known professionally as Avicii (, ), was a Swedish DJ, remixer and music producer. At the age of 16, Bergling began posting his remixes on electronic music forums, which led to his first rec ...
.
Furlong was initially mentored by songwriter and producer
Ryan Tedder
Ryan Tedder (born June 26, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. As well as being the lead vocalist of the pop rock band OneRepublic, he has an independent career as a songwriter and producer for various artists since th ...
, while signed to his publishing company Patriot Games Publishing during the years of 2010–2011. Since 2012, he has gone on to work with a wide range of musicians from different genres, including
Kygo
Kyrre Gørvell-Dahll (born 11 September 1991), known professionally as Kygo (), is a Norwegian DJ and music producer. He garnered international attention with his December 2013 remix of the track " I See Fire" by Ed Sheeran and his December 20 ...
,
Steve Aoki
Steven Hiroyuki Aoki (, ; born November 30, 1977), best known as Steve Aoki, is an American DJ, record producer, music programmer, and record executive. ,
5 Seconds of Summer,
Big Time Rush
''Big Time Rush'' is an American musical sitcom television series created by Scott Fellows that originally aired on Nickelodeon from November 28, 2009, to July 25, 2013 and is currently available in Paramount+. It focuses on the Hollywood mis ...
,
WALK THE MOON
Walk the Moon (stylized as WALK THE MOON) is an American rock band based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Lead singer Nicholas Petricca started the band in 2006, while a student at Kenyon College, deriving the band's name from the song " Walking on the ...
,
All Time Low
All Time Low is an American rock band from Towson, Maryland, formed in 2003. Consisting of lead vocalist/rhythm guitarist Alex Gaskarth, lead guitarist Jack Barakat, bassist/backing vocalist Zack Merrick, and drummer Rian Dawson, the band to ...
,
blink-182
Blink-182 (stylized as blink-182) is an American rock band formed in Poway, California in 1992. Their current lineup consists of bassist/vocalist Mark Hoppus, guitarist/vocalist Tom DeLonge, and drummer Travis Barker. Though their sound has ...
,
Travis Barker
Travis Landon Barker (born November 14, 1975) is an American musician who serves as the drummer for the rock band Blink-182. He has also performed as a frequent collaborator with hip hop artists, is a member of the rap rock group Tran ...
,
Papa Roach
Papa Roach is an American rock band from Vacaville, California, formed in 1993. The original lineup consisted of lead vocalist Jacoby Shaddix, guitarist Jerry Horton, drummer Dave Buckner, bassist Will James, and trombonist Ben Luther.
Aft ...
,
The Used
The Used is an American rock band from Orem, Utah, that formed in 2001. The group consists of vocalist Bert McCracken, bassist Jeph Howard, drummer Dan Whitesides, and guitarist Joey Bradford. Former members include Quinn Allman, Branden Ste ...
,
Sleeping With Sirens, and
Fever 333
Fever 333 (or the Fever 333) is an American rock band formed in Inglewood, California, United States, in July 2017. The three-piece band was founded by former Letlive vocalist Jason Aalon Butler, former the Chariot guitarist Stephen Harrison ...
.
Early life
Furlong was born in
Sacramento, California
)
, image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg
, mapsize = 250x200px
, map_caption = Location within Sacramento C ...
to Jennifer and Michael Furlong and raised in
Carson City
Carson City is an independent city and the capital of the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2020 census, the population was 58,639, making it the sixth largest city in Nevada. The majority of the city's population lives in Eagle Valley, on t ...
,
Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...
. He is of English and Irish descent. A self-taught musician, he began writing and producing music at the age of 16. While still a junior in high school, he began recording his own songs and sharing them on various music sites, before being discovered by a music director at
Midway Games
Midway Games Inc., known previously as Midway Manufacturing and Bally Midway, and commonly known as simply Midway, was an American video game developer and publisher. Midway's franchises included '' Mortal Kombat'', ''Rampage'', '' Spy Hunter'' ...
and offered an opportunity to write music for video games. Furlong contributed to various game soundtracks in 2004–2005. At the age of 21, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career as a songwriter and producer.
Career
2010–2013: Career breakthrough
Furlong had his first commercial success in 2010 as a co-writer of the ''
Big Time Rush
''Big Time Rush'' is an American musical sitcom television series created by Scott Fellows that originally aired on Nickelodeon from November 28, 2009, to July 25, 2013 and is currently available in Paramount+. It focuses on the Hollywood mis ...
'' and
Jordin Sparks
Jordin Sparks-Thomas (born December 22, 1989) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame in 2007 after winning the sixth season of ''American Idol'' at age 17, becoming the youngest winner in the series' history. Her self-titled debu ...
' duet, "Count on You". The song was featured on the band's debut album ''
BTR'', which debuted at number three on the
Billboard 200
The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artist ...
. Shortly after, Furlong signed a publishing deal with Ryan Tedder, where he worked with artists like
Colbie Caillat
Colbie Marie Caillat (; born May 28, 1985) is an American singer-songwriter. She rose to fame through social networking website Myspace. At that time, she was the number one unsigned artist of her genre.
After signing with Universal Republic ...
,
Jordin Sparks
Jordin Sparks-Thomas (born December 22, 1989) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame in 2007 after winning the sixth season of ''American Idol'' at age 17, becoming the youngest winner in the series' history. Her self-titled debu ...
,
Leona Lewis
Leona Louise Lewis (born 3 April 1985) is a British singer, songwriter, actress and activist. Born and raised in the London Borough of Islington, she attended the BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology in Croydon. Lewis achieved nationa ...
, and
The Wanted
The Wanted are a British-Irish boy band consisting of group members Max George, Siva Kaneswaran, Jay McGuiness and Nathan Sykes and, until his death in 2022, Tom Parker. The group was formed in 2009 and signed a worldwide contract to ...
. Furlong worked again with Big Time Rush in 2011, when he co-wrote "Time of Our Life" for their second album ''
Elevate''. The band shot a live music video for the song during the 2012
Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards
The Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards (also known as the KCAs or Kids' Choice) is an annual American children's awards ceremony show that is produced by Nickelodeon. Usually held on a Saturday night in late March or early April, the show honors ...
, which premiered after the show.
In 2012, Furlong began transitioning into electronic music, after co-writing a song for Diplo's ''Express Yourself EP''. "I'd always been a fan of dance music in general, but working on Diplo's project gave me a completely different perspective of the genre as a whole." Later that year, Furlong began collaborating with
Steve Aoki
Steven Hiroyuki Aoki (, ; born November 30, 1977), best known as Steve Aoki, is an American DJ, record producer, music programmer, and record executive. , co-writing the single "Singularity". They would collaborate again in 2013, when Furlong wrote and featured as a vocalist on the single "Bring You To Life (Transcend)", which peaked at number 44 on the Billboard
Dance/Electronic Songs
The Dance/Electronic Songs chart has been published weekly by '' Billboard'' since January 2013. It is the first chart to be published that ranks the most popular dance and electronic songs according to audience impressions, digital downloads ...
chart. Furlong performed the song alongside Aoki at his 2013 concert in Los Angeles at the
Shrine Exposition Hall, during which two
Guinness World Records
''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
were set for "the longest scream by a crowd" and "most people simultaneously lighting glow sticks".
2014–2015: Commercial recognition
Furlong worked with
5 Seconds of Summer in 2014 for their debut self-titled album, co-writing "Everything I Didn't Say", "Social Casualty", and "Independence Day". Despite not being released as a single, "Everything I Didn't Say" debuted at number 24 on the
Billboard Hot 100
The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...
. The song was also featured on the band's live album ''
LiveSOS
''LiveSOS'' is the first live album by Australian pop-rock band 5 Seconds of Summer, which was released on 15 December 2014. The album consists of 14 live tracks from the band's debut album '' 5 Seconds of Summer,'' and EP ''She Looks So Perfec ...
''. Later that year, Furlong worked with
post-hardcore
Post-hardcore is a punk rock music genre that maintains the aggression and intensity of hardcore punk but emphasizes a greater degree of creative expression. It was initially inspired by post-punk and noise rock. Like post-punk, the term has bee ...
band
Sleeping with Sirens co-writing "Kick Me", the first single off of their fourth studio album, ''
Madness.'' The single peaked at number 23 on the Billboard
Hot Rock Songs
Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (formerly known as Rock Songs and Hot Rock Songs) is a record chart published by ''Billboard'' magazine. From its debut on June 20, 2009, through October 13, 2012, the chart ranked the airplay of songs across alternat ...
chart. "Kick Me" won an award for song of the year at the 2015
Alternative Press Music Awards
The Alternative Press Music Awards was an annual music awards show in the United States, founded by the music magazine ''Alternative Press''.
History
On April 24, 2014, ''Alternative Press'' announced they were organizing an award show to be h ...
.
In 2015, Furlong began working with
All Time Low
All Time Low is an American rock band from Towson, Maryland, formed in 2003. Consisting of lead vocalist/rhythm guitarist Alex Gaskarth, lead guitarist Jack Barakat, bassist/backing vocalist Zack Merrick, and drummer Rian Dawson, the band to ...
on their sixth studio album, ''
Future Hearts
''Future Hearts'' is the sixth studio album by American rock band All Time Low, released April 3, 2015[Waka Flocka Flame
Juaquin James Malphurs (born May 31, 1986), known professionally as Waka Flocka Flame, is an American rapper. Signing to 1017 Brick Squad and Warner Bros. Records in 2009, he became a mainstream artist with the release of his singles " O Let ...](_blank)
featuring
Good Charlotte
Good Charlotte is an American rock band from Waldorf, Maryland that formed in 1996. Since 2005, the band's lineup has consisted of twin brothers Joel Madden (lead vocals) and Benji Madden (guitar and vocals), Paul Thomas (bass), Billy Martin ...
, which served as the theme song of the
Adam Sandler film ''
Pixels
In digital imaging, a pixel (abbreviated px), pel, or picture element is the smallest addressable element in a raster image, or the smallest point in an all points addressable display device.
In most digital display devices, pixels are the ...
''. ''Pixels'' was released in
2D,
3D, and
IMAX
IMAX is a proprietary system of high-resolution cameras, film formats, film projectors, and theaters known for having very large screens with a tall aspect ratio (approximately either 1.43:1 or 1.90:1) and steep stadium seating.
Graem ...
3D on July 24, 2015. Furlong was also a co-writer on the Good Charlotte single, "Makeshift Love", which debuted at number nine on the Billboard Rock Charts. ''Variance Magazine'' claimed that 2015 was a "pivotal year" for the songwriter and producer.
Avicii single: "The Nights"
In addition to co-writing the lyrics, Furlong was also the vocalist of
Avicii
Tim Bergling (; 8 September 1989 – 20 April 2018), known professionally as Avicii (, ), was a Swedish DJ, remixer and music producer. At the age of 16, Bergling began posting his remixes on electronic music forums, which led to his first rec ...
's single "
The Nights
"The Nights" is a song by Swedish DJ and record producer Avicii, featuring vocals from singer/songwriter Nicholas Furlong. On 1 December 2014, it was released as a digital download by PRMD Music and Universal Island on Avicii's ''The Days / N ...
". The single premiered on the soundtrack of ''
FIFA 15
''FIFA 15'' is a football simulation video game developed by EA Canada and published by Electronic Arts under the EA Sports label. It was released on 23 September 2014 in North America, 25 September in Europe and 26 September in the United Kin ...
'' on September 23, 2014. It was released on December 1, 2014, on ''
The Days / Nights EP'', alongside Avicii's prior single "
The Days
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
", and as a single in the UK on January 11, 2015. "The Nights" peaked at number one on the
UK Dance Chart
The UK Dance Singles Chart and the UK Dance Albums Chart are music charts compiled in the United Kingdom by the Official Charts Company from sales of songs in the dance music genre (e.g. house, trance, drum and bass, garage, synthpop) in record ...
, number six on the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
, and number ten on the Billboard Dance/Electronic Songs chart. As of March 2022, the single has accumulated more than one billion streams on
Spotify
Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...
. Furlong reportedly was also responsible for reaching out to director
Rory Kramer
Rory Kramer is an American photographer and filmmaker best known for directing music videos and his MTV show ''Dare to Live''.
Early life
Kramer was raised in Tell City, Indiana. His family owns a home in Clear Lake, Indiana.
Career
When he was ...
to use footage from Kramer's YouTube channel for the official music video, which has since surpassed eight-hundred million views.
2016–present: AttaBoy Music

In 2016, Furlong was brought on as executive producer, co-producer, and a songwriter for
Papa Roach
Papa Roach is an American rock band from Vacaville, California, formed in 1993. The original lineup consisted of lead vocalist Jacoby Shaddix, guitarist Jerry Horton, drummer Dave Buckner, bassist Will James, and trombonist Ben Luther.
Aft ...
's ninth studio album, ''
Crooked Teeth''. The first single, titled "Help", was released February 17, 2017, and spent six consecutive weeks at number one on Billboard's
Mainstream Rock Singles chart, making it the band's third number one Rock single in their career. The album's second single "American Dreams" reached number three on the charts. Furlong simultaneously co-produced and co-wrote several songs with
All Time Low
All Time Low is an American rock band from Towson, Maryland, formed in 2003. Consisting of lead vocalist/rhythm guitarist Alex Gaskarth, lead guitarist Jack Barakat, bassist/backing vocalist Zack Merrick, and drummer Rian Dawson, the band to ...
for their album ''
Last Young Renegade
''Last Young Renegade'' is the seventh studio album by American pop-punk band All Time Low. It was released on June 2, 2017, and is their first release with Fueled by Ramen. The lead single, "Dirty Laundry", premiered on BBC Radio 1 on February 1 ...
'', including the album's first single "Dirty Laundry", which reached No. 1 on the UK Rock Singles chart. Furlong is also credited as a co-writer on "Good Old Days" for
blink-182
Blink-182 (stylized as blink-182) is an American rock band formed in Poway, California in 1992. Their current lineup consists of bassist/vocalist Mark Hoppus, guitarist/vocalist Tom DeLonge, and drummer Travis Barker. Though their sound has ...
's deluxe edition of their album ''
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...
''. On October 13, 2017,
The Front Bottoms released ''Going Grey'', produced and executive produced by Furlong.
Furlong worked with the politically charged rap-rock trio
The Fever 333 in 2018, writing singles "
Made an America
''Made an America'' is the debut EP by the American rapcore supergroup Fever 333. It was released on March 23, 2018, along with the announcement that the group signed to Roadrunner Records. The title track “Made an America” was nominated fo ...
", which was nominated for a
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...
for best rock performance, and "Burn It", which won the best song at the 2019
Kerrang! Awards
The Kerrang! Awards are an annual music awards show in the United Kingdom, founded by the music magazine ''Kerrang!'' and focusing primarily on rock music. The annual awards features performances by prominent artists, and some of the awards of mo ...
. He also contributed as a songwriter to Logan Henderson's single "Pull Me Deep", which was the artist's first single to debut on the
Billboard Top 40
The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in ''Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, pr ...
chart. In 2019 Furlong was credited as a co-writer on several songs from
311 311 may refer to:
* 311 (number), a natural number
* AD 311, a year of the Julian calendar, in the fourth century AD
* 311 BC, a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar
* 311 (band), an American band
** ''311'' (album), band 311's self-titled album ...
's album ''
Voyager''. He also launched his own joint venture publishing company AttaBoy Music with Reach Global Publishing.
In 2020, Furlong worked as a producer and co-writer on the songs "Someday", a collaboration between
Kygo
Kyrre Gørvell-Dahll (born 11 September 1991), known professionally as Kygo (), is a Norwegian DJ and music producer. He garnered international attention with his December 2013 remix of the track " I See Fire" by Ed Sheeran and his December 20 ...
and country artist
Zac Brown
Zachry Alexander Brown (born July 31, 1978) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and co-founder and lead singer of the country–rock Zac Brown Band, as well as electronic dance music group Sir Rosevelt. In 2019, Brown released a pop ...
, and "Supremacy" by The Fever 333, which was co-produced with
John Feldmann
John Feldmann (born June 29, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He serves as the lead singer/guitarist of the band Goldfinger.
Early life
Feldmann grew up in Saratoga, California. He started writing song ...
and
Travis Barker
Travis Landon Barker (born November 14, 1975) is an American musician who serves as the drummer for the rock band Blink-182. He has also performed as a frequent collaborator with hip hop artists, is a member of the rap rock group Tran ...
and interpolates the song "
Rapture
The rapture is an eschatological position held by some Christians, particularly those of American evangelicalism, consisting of an end-time event when all Christian believers who are alive, along with resurrected believers, will rise "in the c ...
" by
Blondie, listing
Debbie Harry
Deborah Ann Harry (born Angela Trimble; July 1, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter and actress, best known as the lead vocalist of the band Blondie. Four of her songs with the band reached on the US charts between 1979 and 1981.
Born in ...
and
Chris Stein
Christopher Stein (born January 5, 1950) is an American musician known as the co-founder and guitarist of the new wave band Blondie. He is also a producer and performer for the classic soundtrack of the hip hop film ''Wild Style'', and writer ...
as co-writers.
In addition, he also co-wrote and produced "Hanging with Ghosts" by Yung Pinch featuring
Good Charlotte
Good Charlotte is an American rock band from Waldorf, Maryland that formed in 1996. Since 2005, the band's lineup has consisted of twin brothers Joel Madden (lead vocals) and Benji Madden (guitar and vocals), Paul Thomas (bass), Billy Martin ...
and
Goody Grace
Goody Grace (born Branson Gudmundson; June 19, 1997) is a Canadian musician, singer, songwriter and producer from Selkirk, Manitoba. He has released one full length album and two EPs, as well as having co-written songs for musicians such as Machi ...
.
Furlong revealed his own project, The Dirty Rich, on September 14, 2020. The first single, titled "Hot American Summer", was released on September 28, 2020, via Furlong's independent record label AttaBoy Music.
Discography
Singles
As The Dirty Rich
As featured vocalist
Production and songwriting credits
Awards and nominations
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Furlong, Nicholas
Living people
1986 births
American male singer-songwriters
American male rappers
People from Nevada
Rappers from Nevada
Pop rappers
American rock singers
Rap rock musicians
American dance musicians
American hip hop singers
American hip hop musicians
American male pop singers
Singer-songwriters from Nevada