Why Fun. Ended

fun. (the band) Where Are They Now?

It would be early 2008, when a band we know as fun stylized as fun with a period, would be formed consisting of members Nate Ruess, Jack Antonoff & Andrew Dost. They shot straight up the charts circa 2011-2012 with hits such as “We Are Young” Ft Janelle Monáe,”Some Nights” & “Carry On” and then disappeared and here’s why....

[madisonking]

Thank god someone still remembers fun... nobody ever talks about them anymore. Some Nights was a fantastic album, it deserved so much better

[CherryRedBanshee]

Everyone has that one memory they associate with We Are Young.

[tyde]

They should come back, they’d do great in our current indie scene.

[masteryeh]

At least Jack Antonoff is out there giving us bops

stream evermore :)

[thehauntedhive]

It wasn't as simple as that. Fun started as just a side project for all 3 of them. They've always been clear that they are 3 individual artists, & Fun is an artistic side project they collaborate on when they feel inspired to do so. They went on hiatus, as in truth they each were ready to, but Nate is the one that finally pulled the lever (and each are living more fulfilling lives since).

When We Are Young hit, Jack faced an internal artistic conflict, saying he didn't want to be remembered for We Are Young, he didn't want to be singing We Are Young when he was 35. If you're so morally & artistically bothered by the thought of performing one of your collaborative hits in just few years time, I could imagine your fellow collaborators feeling a certain kind of way….

A lot happened to them personally and professionally in such a short amount of time, there was a lot of personal growth & artistic evolution they each went through individually.

Nate and his gf broke up (Jack’s sister), he began dating Charlotte Ronson, he moved, and underwent a total transformation. He said it was the 1st time finally felt happy in his own skin, 1st time he was with someone else happy in their own skin, 1st time in his life he felt/saw the good in things & not automatically the negative (like winning an award but not album if the year), 1st time he’d ever written songs that _were him_ that the songs were his story of firsts. He owned up to mistakes he’d made during that time & being selfish with the last songs he wrote pre-hiatus. He grew from it, and his entire outlook and perspective changed drastically, for the better.

Jack talked about how much the death of his other sister affected him (I believe she was 13, he 18, she had brain cancer) & how her memory was what gave him a reason to live & was the engine behind Bleachers, his solo project he started while still in Fun. He also talked about wanting to make music that, in a nutshell, is much deeper & meaningful to him, that means something to others, that he doesn’t want to “chase the ambulance” that is pop music, he wants to be away from it all to create it. In an article from the NYT, “The problem was that Fun. was merely something Mr. Antonoff was a part of; he needed the music he made to be a part of him.”.

Which, is the same thing Nate felt.

I mean, you can’t really blame either of them for wanting to tell their own personal stories, _personally._ They have all said it would have been easy to capitalize on their success & continue what they were doing, but that’s not what Fun was about. The inspiration to work together collaboratively was what made Fun what it was, & things changed. They changed. And it worked out for the best for all 3 of them. Jack is a successful producer working with big names like Lorde & T Swift, there’s of course Bleachers. Andrew has been enjoying experimenting with music, working on an album, scoring some films and TV shows. Nate had his solo album Grand Romantic, which peaked at 7 on US Billboard 200. Critics said it was too theatrical, but Nate was happy. A stark contrast to how he would’ve felt about it before. He is an amazing, brave artist - a true artist who has grown so much, even in the face of undeserved scrutiny. He cares more about the art & meaning, the personal connection of music rather than the numbers; conveying a story - his story. And he does it beautifully

[agustinabarrios]

THIS QUESTION KEEPS ME UP AT NIGHT. THEY COULDVE BEEN KINGS OF EVERYTHING

[tablegames]

after the jonas brothers, fun. should come back as well

[jerrious]

Listening to Some Nights really takes you on a vivid memory trip

[grantlockley]

Nate looks like the love child of Rob Liefeld and John Mulaney

[raystrife]

Fun wasn't just a band.. They were a lifestyle. Their song "Carry On" actually got me through some tough times during 2013 to 2015 when everything was just going south almost everywhere. I still can't believe they're gone...

[marisolaguilar]

'We Are Young' will always be a classic. I heard some other songs by them and always wondered what happened to the band. Also, Nate Ruess (the lead singer) collaborated with P!NK on 'Just Give Me A Reason'

[s.o.s-]

To this day “Some Nights” can still make me ball my eyes out.

[jordanloophole]

i feel like jack antonoff is the most successful of them all

[jordansenitu]

"No one likes to admit it, but fun always ends"

[sks]

I adore C’mon by Panic! and Fun. It’s a beautiful collaboration and Brendon’s voice fits really well with Nate’s.

[sunqueenn]

Its always when they wanna go solo smh🤦🏾‍♀️

[dpowers]

All you youngsters that liked Fun, need to listen to “The Format”. Nates band from the early 2000’s.

[blancaarlingarcia]

Me not knowing jack was from fun 😂 I always thought he was just Taylor swift friend

[thesassynerd]

Jack Anthonoff produced Reputation by Taylor Swift & Melodrama by Lorde. He's so talented and passionnate I love him

Edit : Melodrame is still the best album in 2019, even if it was release in 2017. Dont mention me because I dont care, Lorde is everything.

[mallory]

You briefly mentioned their collab with Panic! At The Disco, but let me say that song "cmon" is such a beautiful song and highly underrated.