THEY.

THEY. is an American R&B duo consisting of Dante Jones and Andrew "Drew Love" Neely from Los Angeles, California signed to Avant Garden/Island Records. The duo started their career in 2015, releasing debut extended play, Nü Religion, which received critical acclaim. In the same year THEY. released the commercially successful single "Working for It" in collaboration with Zhu and Skrillex. In 2016, the duo started touring with singer Bryson Tiller. In February 2017, the duo released their debut studio album, Nü Religion: Hyena. In 2020, THEY. signed to Avant Garden Records under Island Records and are set to release their second full length, The Amanda Tape, this fall.[3]

THEY.
THEY. In 2020
Background information
OriginLos Angeles, California, US
Genres
Years active2015–present
Labels
Associated actsBryson Tiller, partynextdoor, 6LACK, The Weeknd
Websiteunofficialthey.com
Members
  • Dante Jones
  • Andrew "Drew Love" Neely

Career

2015: Formation and Nü Religion

Dante Jones was born in Denver, Colorado, while Andrew Neely was born in Washington, D.C..[4] The duo was formed in Los Angeles, California in 2015.[5] On October 13, 2015, the duo released their debut extended play, Nü Religion, through Mind of a Genius Records and Warner Bros. Records.[6] The project, which includes three songs in its track listing, received favorable reviews from music critics.[7][2][8] Additionally, the duo began gaining support from record producer Timbaland.[9] While talking about the project in an interview with The Fader magazine, Drew said; "Nü Religion is a new way of thinking. As individuals the way we have approached life and the art of music has always been left of center; even from youth. It's been all about finding a way to incorporate that into a cohesive musical project that we are proud of and that people enjoy. We think we've done that."[10] On October 22, 2015, "Working for It", a collaboration single by THEY., Zhu and Skrillex, was released.[11] The song peaked at number 30 in Australia and number 71 in the United Kingdom.[12][13] The song appeared in Zhu's EP, Genesis Series and debut studio album, Generationwhy.[14][15]

2016–2018: Nü Religion: Hyena

In early 2016, the duo joined singer Bryson Tiller as opening act for his Trapsoul Tour.[16] In summer 2016, the duo released the singles, "Say When" and "Deep End",[17][18] both of which managed to enter the Billboard Twitter Emerging Artists chart.[19] On August 8, 2016, THEY. was named "New band of the week" by The Guardian newspaper.[20] In October 2016, the duo was included in Complex magazine's "Best New Musicians in 2016 Across America" list.[21] On February 24, 2017, the duo released their debut studio album, Nü Religion: Hyena.[22] Following the release of their album THEY. solidified their breakthrough year[23] by performing at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.

2018–2019: Fireside EP

In 2018, the duo also joined Grammy-nominated artist 6LACK as an opening act for his From East Atlanta with Love tour. THEY. also released their collaborative EP Fireside[24] in 2018, which features Wiz Khalifa, Jessie Reyez, Jeremih, Vic Mensa, Ty Dolla Sign, and Gallant. This project was influenced by 90s R&B, soul music, trap music, and a recent genre of hip hop known as emo rap, in which the instrumental is guitar-driven.

2020–present: The Amanda Tape

THEY. signed to Avant Garden Records[25] and in June 2020, the duo returned for the release of their new single "Count Me In" from their forthcoming album, The Amanda Tape, marking their first official release of 2020.[26] THEY. and Tinashe linked up in July for the throwback R&B jam "Play Fight" as the second single from The Amanda Tape.[27]

Influences

The duo is influenced by artists like Taking Back Sunday, New Edition, Babyface and Kurt Cobain.[10]

Their 2018 EP Fireside, which features Wiz Khalifa, Jessie Reyez, Jeremih, Vic Mensa, Ty Dolla Sign, and Gallant has been influenced by 90s R&B, soul music, trap music, and a recent genre of hip hop known as emo rap, in which the instrumental is guitar-driven.[28][29]

Discography

Studio albums
List of studio albums, with selected details
Title Details
Nü Religion: Hyena
The Amanda Tape
  • To be released: 2020[30]
  • Label: Avant Garden, Island
  • Format: TBA

Extended plays
List of extended plays, with selected details
Title Details
Nü Religion
  • Released: October 13, 2015[6]
  • Label: Mind of a Genius, Warner Bros.
  • Format: Digital download
Fireside
  • Released: November 9, 2018[31]
  • Label: Mind of a Genius
  • Format: Digital download

Singles
List of singles, with selected chart positions, showing year released and album name
Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album
AUS
[12]		 FRA
[32]		 UK
[13]
"Working for It"[11]
(with Zhu and Skrillex)		 2015 3012271 Genesis Series / Generationwhy
"Say When"[17] 2016 ——— Nü Religion: Hyena
"Deep End"[18] ———
"What You Want"[34] ———
"U-Rite"[35] 2017 ———
"What I Know Now"
(featuring Wiz Khalifa)		 2018 — — — Fireside
"Broken"
(featuring Jessie Reyez)		 2018 — — —
"Count Me In"[36] 2020 — — — The Amanda Tape
"Hopscotch" (Remix)[37]
(with Tinashe)		 ——— non-album single
"Play Fight"
(featuring Tinashe)[38]		 ——— The Amanda Tape
"All Mine"[39] ———
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Guest appearances
List of non-single guest appearances, with other performing artists, showing year released and album name
Title Year Other artist(s) Album
"G2G TTYL"[40] 2017 Blackbear Cybersex
gollark: They just, you know, electrolyze fast.,
gollark: Er, RF.
gollark: Mekanism's electrolyzers don't actually produce net positive electricity.
gollark: The basic machines are pointless and annoying, microcrafting, useless mechanics like the grains of infinity.
gollark: Now, anyway.

References
  1. "THEY. Talk The 1975 & Blurring The Line Between Rock, R&B & Rap". MTV. September 15, 2016. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  2. "This New Duo Out of L.A. Just Got a Major Co-Sign By Ebro". BET. October 14, 2015. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  3. "THEY. Share New Single "Count Me In"". HYPEBEAST. Retrieved 2020-07-24.
  4. "The Break Presents: They". XXL. July 8, 2016. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  5. "THEY. – Nü Religion [EP Stream]". OnSMASH. October 14, 2015. Retrieved October 9, 2016.
  6. "Nü Religion - Single by THEY". iTunes. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  7. "Thank Us Later: Stream THEY's 'Nü Religion' EP". Vibe. October 19, 2015. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  8. "Stream They.'s Debut EP". XXL. October 15, 2015. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  9. "We Now Know Why Timbaland Passed On Bryson Tiller: He Found "THEY."". LifeDaily. October 16, 2015. Retrieved October 9, 2016.
  10. "Stream THEY.'s Debut EP, Nu Religion". The Fader. October 13, 2015. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  11. "Hear Zhu and Skrillex's Edgy Collaboration, 'Working for It'". Rolling Stone. October 22, 2015. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  12. "Discography Skrillex". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  13. "Skrillex – Official Charts Company" (select "Singles" tab). Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  14. "Genesis Series - EP by ZHU". iTunes. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  15. "Zhu: Generationwhy Album Review". Pitchfork. August 9, 2016. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  16. "Bryson Tiller Announces "Trap Soul" Tour". HotNewHipHop. December 16, 2015. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  17. "Say When - Single by THEY". iTunes. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  18. "Deep End - Single by THEY". iTunes. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  19. "They. - Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved October 9, 2016.
  20. "New band of the week: THEY. (No 114) – meditative rock for the Drake generation". The Guardian. August 8, 2015. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  21. "Best New Musicians - THEY. - Los Angeles - R&B". Complex. October 5, 2015. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  22. "Nü Religion: Hyena by THEY". iTunes. Retrieved February 6, 2017.
  23. Howard, Lindsay. "THEY.'s collaborative new 'Fireside' EP has arrived". Variance Magazine. Retrieved 2020-07-24.
  24. Reed, Ryan; Reed, Ryan (2018-11-01). "Jessie Reyez, THEY. Unite for Breezy New Song 'Broken'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2020-07-24.
  25. "Avant Garden". Avant Garden. Retrieved 2020-07-24.
  26. "Premiere: THEY. Return With New Song "Count Me In"". Complex. Retrieved 2020-07-24.
  27. "THEY. and Tinashe link up for the throwback R&B jam "Play Fight"". The FADER. Retrieved 2020-07-24.
  28. "THEY. Lays Down Heat On "Fireside" Featuring Wiz Khalifa, Ty Dolla $ign & More". HotNewHipHop.
  29. "THEY.'s New 'Fireside' EP Features Ty Dolla Sign, Wiz Khalifa, and More". Complex.
  30. Moore, Sam (August 12, 2020). "Listen to THEY.'s assured new single 'All Mine'". NME. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  31. "Fireside - EP by THEY". Apple Music. November 9, 2018. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
  32. "Discographie Skrillex". Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  33. "ARIA Singles: Flume 'Never Be Like You' Is No 1". Noise11. February 13, 2016. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  34. "What You Want - Single by THEY". iTunes. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
  35. "U-RITE - Single by THEY". iTunes. Retrieved February 6, 2017.
  36. "Premiere: THEY. Return With New Song "Count Me In"". Complex. Retrieved 2020-07-18.
  37. "Tinashe Joins Forces With THEY. for 'Hopscotch (Remix)'". Rated R&B. 2020-06-26. Retrieved 2020-07-06.
  38. @unofficialTHEY (July 13, 2020). "dante's birthday tomorrow, play fight on wednesday 🤘🏾" (Tweet). Retrieved July 13, 2020 – via Twitter.
  39. "All Mine - Single by THEY". Apple Music. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  40. "cybersex by blackbear". iTunes. Retrieved November 21, 2017.
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