Star profile

Star Profile: fun.

Fun (stylised as fun.) consists of 3 members; Nate Ruess, Andrew Dost and Jack Antonoff.

They are an American indie rock band based in New York City and have released 2 albums, Aim and Ignite(2009) and Some Nights (2012). They gained a lot of fame with their single 'We Are Young' featuring Janelle Monáe, which reached number one on the US Billboard Top 100 and UK Top 40. They have also received 2 Grammy awards and were also nominated for 4 other Grammys.

The band formed in 2007 and during their early days, especially their first album Aim and Ignite, they were much more indie. However now, for their newest album, Some Nights, their style is still indie but more mainstream pop.

In their early videos fun. were a very hipster band who had a very niche sound. Their music videos, for example Walking The Dog, aren't a typical pop video. It was just of the three band members painted different colours, using different effects. This makes them seem different and unique. However, this meant that they didn't appeal to the mainstream audience. They did create a loyal fan base, however which allowed them to become more popular.

In their later videos, for example We Are Young, they aren't playing any characters showing that they are just being themselves. This relates directly to their music because they sing about being yourself. Also, they are shown to be playing instruments. This could be because that is who they are and being in fun is a fundamental part of them.

They look much more sophisticated in their videos for Some Nights compared to their Walking The Dog video. This shows that they have grown-up more and know what they are doing. They are also more confident that the band they were when they first formed.

Throughout all of their music video’s there are many close-up’s on each of the band members. However, in the later video’s there is more focus on Nate Ruess, the lead singer, and this could be because the record label want to sell his image to the audience to make them more attracted. There are also many close up’s on Jack on the guitar and Andrew on the keyboard which shows that Nate isn’t the only man in the band. The record label sell fun. by their image. In their early days, they didn’t have much of an image whereas now, they have more of a ‘don’t care’ image, but in their music they do care. It shows that they have more to offer and this is a very effective method of promoting them.

Fun. are popular because they are different, not only their music, but their attitudes and their clothing and this is shown throughout their music videos. For example, in their ‘Some Nights Intro’ video, they are all seen to be wearing suits and looking very posh which draws an audience in because usually in music video’s now, there are half-naked girls dancing to attract a male population or shirtless men for a female audience. In the fun. video, it shows that they don’t care about being ‘mainstream’ but they still appeal to a wide audience, including a mainstream audience.