* En anglais uniquement
Los Angeles-based duo
THEY. defy easy categorization with a deft blend of R&B, hip-hop, rock, and pop spawned by such varied influences as
Nirvana,
New Edition,
Ed Sheeran,
Taking Back Sunday, and
James Brown. Blurring genre lines, the pair first made waves with their contribution to Zhu's 2015
Genesis Series track "Working for It," which also featured
Skrillex. Much like that song's mixture of sounds, their own music aimed to surprise and manipulate expectations.
THEY. were formed by Denver producer Dante and Washington, D.C. producer/vocalist
Drew Love. They both arrived in Los Angeles separately, choosing different songwriting paths: while
Drew wrote for R&B singers like
Chris Brown and
Jeremih, Dante lent his talents to artists like
will.i.am and
Kelly Clarkson, even winning a Grammy for his work on
Clarkson's "Mr. Know-It-All." After a chance meeting,
Drew and Dante combined their talents and decided to officially form an act. Once the Zhu track built a large online following -- racking up millions of streams -- they released their debut EP,
Nü Religion, in late 2015. The three-song effort featured heavy guitar effects, atmospheric production, and a combination of woozy singing and rapping, like
the Weeknd,
the-Dream, and Mind of a Genius labelmate
Gallant.
In 2016 they released "Say When," a biting indictment of police brutality against black Americans that layered jagged guitar and
Drew's gritty rapping. The ominous "Deep End" followed months later as
THEY. were in the midst of a world tour with
Bryson Tiller. These tracks would appear on their debut full-length,
Nü Religion: HYENA, which arrived in early 2017.
THEY. returned the following year with the singles "Thrive," "Ain't the Same," and "What I Know Now," featuring
Wiz Khalifa. The latter track appeared on their star-studded
Fireside EP, which recruited
Jessie Reyez,
Jeremih,
Vic Mensa,
Ty Dolla $ign, and
Gallant for six genre-blending collaborations. In 2019, they teamed with
Dillon Francis for "Til I Die," which they followed with "Stop Playin." ~ Neil Z. Yeung