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Major Lazer

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For the FXX animated television series, see Major Lazer (TV series).

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Major Lazer
Major Lazer In Park 2016
Major Lazer In Park 2016
Background information
Genres
Years active2009–present
Labels
  • Secretly Canadian
  • Downtown
  • Mad Decent
Associated acts
Members
  • Diplo
  • Jillionaire
  • Walshy Fire
Past members
  • Switch
  • Skerrit Bwoy

Major Lazer is an electronic music trio composed of record producer Diplo, and DJs Jillionaire and Walshy Fire. It was founded by Diplo and Switch, but Switch left in 2011. Its music spans numerous genres, mixing reggae with dancehall, reggaeton, soca,[1] house and moombahton.[2][3][4][5]

Major Lazer has released three full-length albums: Guns Don't Kill People... Lazers Do in 2009, Free the Universe in 2013, and Peace is the Mission in 2015. They also released an EP entitled Apocalypse Soon in March 2014, which featured vocal contributions from Pharrell Williams and Sean Paul. Major Lazer has also produced Reincarnated, the debut Reggae album by Snoop Dogg under his "Snoop Lion" persona.[6]

Background[]

2009–11: Guns Don't Kill People... Lazers Do and Lazers Never Die EP[]

File:MAJOR LAZER - COACHELLA 2010.jpg

At Coachella Festival, 2010.

Originally made up of DJs Diplo and Switch, the two were introduced while working with M.I.A..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 16 June 2009, on Downtown Records. It was recorded in Jamaica at Tuff Gong Studios.[7] Vocalists such as Santigold, Vybz Kartel, Ward 21, Busy Signal, Nina Sky, Amanda Blank, Mr. Vegas, Turbulence, Mapei, T.O.K, Prince Zimboo, Leftside and others contribute guest vocals to the album, as well as additional production from Afrojack and Crookers.[8] This is the first release to come out of the label partnership between Downtown Records and Diplo's label Mad Decent.[9] Major Lazer ended a US tour last summer.[10]

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. "Hold the Line" was also featured in the video game FIFA 10. The track "Zumbie" has a music video that features comedian Andy Milonakis.[11] 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, in its 62nd issue.[12] Major Lazer performed at the Falls Music & Arts Festival (Lorne, Victoria, Australia) on 30 December 2009 and the Coachella Music Festival in April 2010. They also performed at the Pitchfork Music Festival in July 2010 and the Sasquatch Music Festival on Monday 30 May 2011. Live visuals were created by Pomp&Clout. Major Lazer performed at the 2011 Outside Lands festival in San Francisco.[13]

A mixtape with La Roux entitled "Lazerproof" was made available for free download on 26 May.[14] Diplo posted cover art on his Twitpic. It is the character Major Lazer in War Machine's silver suit, Elly Jackson of La Roux in the signature Iron Man suit, and Whiplash, the villain in the Iron Man 2 movie. On 20 June 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'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.

2012–13: Free the Universe and Apocalypse Soon EP[]

File:Major Lazer 2013.jpg

Diplo and Jillionaire performing at the Congress Theater, Chicago, in 2013.

Major Lazer's live shows previously included hype man Skerrit Bwoy,[15] although he left the group in 2012 to pursue religion. In 2012, Major Lazer began working with Snoop Dogg 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". Switch left the collaborative effort due to "creative differences" as claimed by Diplo. He departed in late 2011 and was replaced with DJ/Producers Jillionaire and Walshy Fire. Also, Boaz van de Beatz, artist from Mad Decent (record label of Diplo), has collaborated with most of the group albums and is considered a member of the group.[citation needed] In September 2012, Major Lazer announced that its upcoming album, Free the Universe, would be released on 12 March 2013 on Mad Decent. They also announced Fall 2012 tour dates.[16]

Major Lazer partly produced UK singer Rita Ora's debut album, Ora. Major Lazer worked 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. Major Lazer launched their Fall Tour 2012 in October, with shows in Oakland, Washington, D.C., Boston, and New York City, amongst others.

In February 2013, Major Lazer signed with indie record label Secretly Canadian. At the same time, they announced the new release date, 16 April, for their album Free the Universe. They also announced the Free the Universe 2013 World Tour, which ran through the spring of 2013.

2015-16: Peace is the Mission and Extended[]

File:Walshy Fire of Major Lazer @ Flow 2015.jpg

Walshy Fire of Major Lazer performing at Flow Festival in Helsinki, Finland, August 2015

On February 8, 2015, during the Grammy Award ceremony, Diplo revealed details of the third Major Lazer album. He confirmed that the album would incorporate artists such as Ariana Grande, Ellie Goulding and Pusha T, and would be titled Peace is the Mission.

The first single, "Lean On", was a collaboration with French producer DJ Snake and featured vocals from Danish recording artist MØ. It was released on March 2, 2015. The song was first offered to Rihanna and then Nicki Minaj, who both turned it down; however Major Lazer later expressed that no one could have done a better job than MØ in the recording.[17] 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,[18] receiving universally positive reviews while reaching over 2 billion views on YouTube, making it the ninth most viewed video on the site.[19]

Four promotional singles were released; "Roll the Bass" on March 23, 2015, "Night Riders", a collaboration with Travi$ Scott, 2 Chainz, Pusha T and Mad Cobra, released on 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's playlist on June 21, 2015. It reached the Top 10 in Australia and Poland.

The album was released on June 1, 2015.[20] 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.

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.[21] 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.[22] Selah Sue herself had confirmed this during an earlier interview with the same radio station on May 4, 2015.

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's "Lost" featuring previous collaborator and Danish recording artist MØ.[23]

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.[24]

In July 2016, a new track titled "Cold Water," featuring vocals from MØ and Justin Bieber, was released. It debuted at number 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.[25] On September 30, 2016, "Believer", a collaboration with Dutch production duo Showtek, was released as the second single from Major Lazer's upcoming album Music is the Weapon.

On November 29, 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."[26] 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.[27][28]

2017: Know No Better EP[]

Following the success of singles "Cold Water" and "Believer," Major Lazer released their third single titled "Run Up". It features Canadian musician PartyNextDoor, and rapper Nicki Minaj, serving as a follow-up to the tropical, laid-back sound of "Cold Water". On June 1, 2017, Major Lazer released a six-song extended play titled "Know No Better" along with the title track as a single which features Camila Cabello, Travis Scott & Quavo and the second single "Sua Cara" which features Anitta and Pabllo Vittar.

Discography[]

Main article: Major Lazer discography

Studio albums[]

  • Guns Don't Kill People... Lazers Do (2009)
  • Free the Universe (2013)
  • Peace is the Mission (2015)
  • Music is the Weapon (2018)

Television series[]

Main article: Major Lazer (TV series)

A Major Lazer animated series premiered on April 16, 2015 on FXX. Diplo serves as co-creator and executive producer of the show.[29]

Awards and nominations[]

Year Awards Category Nominee/Work Outcome Ref
2016 NRJ Music Awards Best Live Performance Major Lazer Nominated [30]
Best Single Dance/Electro "Light It Up" Nominated
Best Collaboration of the Year Major Lazer Won
Billboard Music Awards Top Dance/Electronic Song Lean On Won [31]
American Music Awards Favorite Artist – Electronic Dance Music Major Lazer Nominated [32]
2017 iHeartRadio Music Awards Dance Artist of the Year Nominated [33]
Dance Song of the Year "Cold Water" Nominated
Kids' Choice Awards Favorite DJ/EDM Artist Major Lazer Nominated [34]
Billboard Music Awards Top Dance/Electronic Artist Major Lazer Nominated [35]
Top Dance/Electronic Song "Cold Water" Nominated
Teen Choice Awards Choice Electronic/Dance Artist Major Lazer Nominated [36]
MTV Video Music Awards Best Dance Video "Cold Water" Nominated [37]
Electronic Music Awards Single of the Year Pending [38]
Remix of the Year "Shape of You" (Major Lazer Remix) Pending

References[]

  1. ↑ "Listen to Major Lazer's Jillionaire Join Forces With Soca Star Bunji Garlin on 'Television' (Exclusive)". Billboard. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  2. ↑ "Interview – EDM Band Interview – Major Lazer (USA)". indoclubbing.com.
  3. ↑ Jeffries, David. Peace Is the Mission at AllMusic. Retrieved July 19, 2015.
  4. ↑ Dolan, Jon (2 June 2015). "Major Lazer's New Album: Peace Is the Mission". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
  5. ↑ Ma-less. "Diplo & Major Lazer – Meet the People Keeping Moombahton Alive – Complex CA". Complex CA.
  6. ↑ Blistein, Jon. "Snoop Lion and Major Lazer Host Raucous Bash in Austin". Rollingstone.com. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
  7. ↑ Dacks, David (6 May 2012). "Major Lazer Shoots To Thrill • Interviews •". Exclaim.ca. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
  8. ↑ "Major Lazer (Diplo + Switch) to Release "Digital Reggae" LP | News". Pitchfork. 13 March 2009. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
  9. ↑ "Diplo takes Mad Decent Downtown". SoundBleed. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
  10. ↑ Deluca, Dan "The songs of summer", Philadelphia Inquirer
  11. ↑ "Major Lazer, Zumbie Video", Filter magazine
  12. ↑ FADER, The (16 June 2009). "We Part (and Make Magazines)". The FADER. Retrieved 13 November 2013.
  13. ↑ "Outside Lands 2011 lineup". brooklynvegan.com. Retrieved 20 October 2016.
  14. ↑ "Major Lazer, La Roux Team for Mixtape | News". Pitchfork. 24 May 2010. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
  15. ↑ "Major Lazer Bio". Top40-charts.com. Retrieved 20 October 2016.
  16. ↑ "UPDATE: Major Lazer's Free The Universe Release". Nymn.com. 11 September 2012. Retrieved 23 September 2012.
  17. ↑ "Diplo wanted Rihanna or Nicki Minaj to sing on Lean On". Retrieved 4 August 2016.
  18. ↑ "Major Lazer & DJ Snake's 'Lean On' Becomes Spotify's Most-Streamed Song of All Time". Retrieved 4 August 2016.
  19. ↑ majorlazer (22 March 2015), Major Lazer & DJ Snake – Lean On (feat. MØ) (Official Music Video), retrieved 4 August 2016
  20. ↑ "Diplo's Major Lazer Announce New Album Peace Is The Mission Featuring Collaborations with Pusha T, Ellie Goulding, 2 Chainz, Ariana Grande, More". Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  21. ↑ "Major Lazer are "almost sure" they'll be in Australia this summer". Retrieved 27 May 2015.
  22. ↑ "Major Lazer neemt nummer op met Selah Sue". Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  23. ↑ "Major Lazer Announce Expanded Edition of Peace Is the Mission". Pitchfork.
  24. ↑ "Diplo is the most Shazamed artist of 2015". Retrieved 9 December 2015.
  25. ↑ "Major Lazer, Justin Bieber & MØ Throw 'Cold Water' On Drake, Top Charts In Australia & More". Retrieved 4 August 2016.
  26. ↑ "Major Lazer Sample Toots and the Maytals on New Song "My Number": Listen - Pitchfork". pitchfork.com. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
  27. ↑ "Major Lazer & Bad Royale - My Number". Youtube.com. 5 December 2016. Retrieved 12 August 2017 – via YouTube.
  28. ↑ ""My Number - Single" by Major Lazer on iTunes". iTunes.apple.com. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
  29. ↑ "Major Lazer cartoon series to premiere on FXX next month". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  30. ↑ "Palmares NRJ DJ AWARDS 2016 - Meilleurs DJs". NRJ.fr (in French). Retrieved 14 November 2016.
  31. ↑ "Billboard Music Awards 2016: See the Finalists". Billboard. Retrieved 12 March 2017.
  32. ↑ "AMAs 2016: See the Full List of Winners". Billboard. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
  33. ↑ "Here's The Complete List Of #iHeartAwards Winners | iHeartRadio Music Awards | iHeartRadio". iHeartRadio. Retrieved 12 March 2017.
  34. ↑ "Kids' Choice Awards 2017: Full Nominees and Winners List". Us Weekly. Retrieved 12 March 2017.
  35. ↑ "Drake, The Chainsmokers Lead Nominees for the 2017 Billboard Music Awards". Billboard. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
  36. ↑ Ceron, Ella. "The Pretty Little Liars Were ALL Nominated for the Same EXACT Award". Teen Vogue. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  37. ↑ "MTV Video Music Awards 2017 nominations". BBC News. 25 July 2017. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
  38. ↑ Rishty, David (8 August 2017). "The Chainsmokers, Justice, Eric Prydz & More Nominated for 2017 Electronic Music Awards". Billboard. Retrieved 1 September 2017. Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)

External links[]

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  • Major Lazer discography at Discogs
  • Major Lazer in VK

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