Steve Lacy Artistfacts

May 23, 1998
Steve Lacy is a neo-soul singer who hails from Compton, California. He was raised by a single mother who shielded him from the rougher parts of the neighborhood, but he takes pride in his old stomping ground, which, he insists, isn't nearly as bad as famous films like Boyz In The Hood portray it to be. He even has the word Compton tattooed on his chest as a tribute to the "hood suburb."
His mom forced him to join his high school jazz band in ninth grade when they were in need of a bass player, which is how he met Jameel Bruner, a senior student who was the keyboardist for the alternative R&B group the Internet. After Bruner graduated, he recruited Lacy as the band's new guitarist and occasional singer. Lacy was also an executive producer on their 2013 breakthrough release, Ego Death, which earned a Grammy nomination for Best Urban Contemporary Album.
Lacy created his debut solo EP, Steve Lacy's Demo, with an iPhone, recording his vocals with the built-in microphone and using the music app GarageBand to put together the guitar and bass parts. He also used the music software Ableton to program some of the drum beats.
While carving out his solo career, Lacy produced records for a number of high-profile acts, including Kendrick Lamar ("PRIDE." from Damn), Solange (When I Get Home), and Mac Miller (Swimming). He also made guest appearances on Vampire Weekend's 2019 album, Father Of The Bride, on "Flower Moon" and "Sunflower."
He won his first Grammy Award when Gemini Rights was named Best Progressive R&B Album at the 2023 ceremony, where the single "Bad Habit" also earned nominations for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Solo Performance.
"Bad Habit" became Lacy's first #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 after it went viral on TikTok, soundtracking over 400,000 videos on the social media platform.
When Lacy was 10 years old, his stepfather noticed his preoccupation with the popular videogame Guitar Hero and bought him a Squier Stratocaster.
Lacy topped Rolling Stone's 2023 list of the most stylish musicians. He often wore monochrome outfits with a Superman-like "S" on his chest while promoting his Gemini Rights album, but he also made bold statements in spray-painted pants and kilts.
Lacy recorded his full-length debut album, Apollo XXI, at Paramore Palace, a DIY studio space that used to be his sister's bedroom before she left for college.
When he's making music, he tends to borrow pieces from his musical heroes like Prince and Jimi Hendrix, but with a twist. "I'll take certain melodic approaches from Prince, but I'll play it as if someone else was mimicking Prince, like if Jimi Hendrix tried to be Prince," he told The Guardian. "But I like to mix different approaches together. It happens naturally. I'm never doing it all purposely. It's just inside of me."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

More Songfacts:

OnlineBrad Paisley

The video for Brad Paisley's "Online" is a mini-Seinfeld reunion, featuring Jason Alexander, Estelle Harris, and Patrick Warburton.

The Memory RemainsMetallica

An unexpected guest vocal: Marianne Faithfull on the Metallica song "The Memory Remains." A star in the '60s, this collaboration helped revive her career.

We Belong TogetherMariah Carey

Mariah Carey's "We Belong Together" was the best-selling song of the 2000s in the US.

Love BitesDef Leppard

At the end of "Love Bites" by Def Leppard, there are some vocals that are hard to understand. It was rumored that they were: "Jesus of Nazareth, Go to Hell." It is actually producer Mutt Lange saying "Yes it does, Bloody Hell," with a thick British accent.