Mark Foster

At 40 years old, Mark Foster has this physical status:

Mark Derek Foster (born February 29, 1984) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist best known as the lead singer of Foster the People.

Foster, the People's founder, Mark Pontius and Cubbie Fink, who struggled to form a thriving band in his early 20s, got their big break in 2009 as one of Foster the People's co-founders.

Torches, a 2011 hit song, and Sacred Hearts Club in 2017.

Early life

Mark Foster was born in Milpitas, California, on February 29, 1984, and was raised outside Cleveland, Ohio. He performed in the Cleveland Orchestra Children's Chorus as a youth and played the drums, guitar, and piano. He performed in garage bands as a youth. His first gig came in 2001, when his high school band competed in a local Battle of the Bands. He graduated from Nordonia High School in Macedonia, Ohio, in 2002.

Personal life

Foster bought actor Maurice Benard's $2.1 million home in Hollywood Hills, California, in 2013.

Foster has said he travels more often as a result of being famous in the United States. "Our society reveres the entertainment industry more than at any other time in history." People in the entertainment industry adore anyone. On the local station, you can be a used car salesman and have a television commercial, making you a celebrity." "I think there's a difference between being an entertainer and being an artist," he said. I think artists have always been controversial, and they have always been a voice to discuss public opinion in a way that a politician cannot because they will lose their constituency. But artists, I believe, have poured a magnifying glass on culture and have referred to it. [...] I don't consider myself an entertainer. I consider myself an artist, and I suppose with that comes responsibility."

Julia Garner, a foster, married Julia Garner in a New York City Hall December 19, eight months after they first proposed.

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Career

Foster, who graduated from high school in 2002, heeded his father's suggestion to move out and live with an uncle in the San Fernando Valley neighborhood of Sylmar, Los Angeles, so he might be closer to achieving his musical aspirations. Foster delved into the enthralling city into which he had thrown himself in an interview with NPR's David Greene, explaining: "You've got to have a good sixth sense to be able to navigate the waters because the bizarre thing about Los Angeles—particularly in Hollywood—is just like, the movie industry is kind of weird." "It was the first time that I discovered that people who were physically deficient also happened to be in those same, influential positions."

Foster's early years in Los Angeles were difficult for him; of that time, he said, "I just scraped by as a well-known artist selling pizzas, sleeping on couches, sleeping in my car, and all of that stuff." Foster spent his first few years on his own as well as attempting to expand his own social network. These included waiting tables, painting houses, television broadcasting, and bartending. In a 2012 interview with The Baltimore Sun, he discussed how he cherished bartending and inspired young musicians to follow in his footsteps: "Kids hit me up on Twitter and advised them that they should learn how to bartend." "There are career waiters in Los Angeles, and they're making more than $100,000 per year."

Foster had no success as a solo performer in Los Angeles's first six years. His band nearly signed a record contract in New York at the age of 21, but it was not long. About two years ago, he was given the opportunity to work with Dr. Dre's record company, Aftermath Entertainment. However, the arrangement fell apart, leaving him without a foundation for a solo musical career. Foster co-composed and performed lead vocals on Toques' track "Breakdown," which was included in the 2006 film Stick It. He started as a musician with comedian Andy Dick, for whom he produced songs and films for film, television, and short film projects, as well as touring with them for a period of about seven years. Foster wrote the album "The Ballad of Andy," focusing on Dick's life and tribulations. Foster has also worked as a music engineer, releasing songs for bands such as Frodad and The Rondo Brothers, among others.

Foster, a drug user at the time, regretted its influence on his health and those of his family members, but he rehabilitate himself. In 2014, he spoke about his heroin use, saying, "I work really hard to remain grounded and not let any of that stuff influence how I live my life." A lot of it is a mirage, and it is an unhealthy one to buy into." Brad Renfro, his roommate, actor and singer, died as a result of a heroin overdose on January 15, 2008. Foster was the arranger of Renfro's last song. Foster performed "Downtown," on which he reflects on Renfro's life and death.

Foster eventually took up writing for the Mophonics label as a commercial jingle writer. He was able to write jingles for companies such as Honey Bunches of Oats and Verizon in this position. (Foster has discussed the preparation process using medical cannabis, which is intended for work-related stress.) However, he was still struggling with finding the right songs to help break into the music business. He came to the conclusion that he needed assistance from members of a band due to writer's blockade and being unable to concentrate certain aspects of his music together.

Foster's first and so far, his first and only solo album, Solo Songs, was released in the following year. Demos of two songs from Torches' album "Don't Stop (Color on the Walls)" and "I Would Do Anything for You" were included on the nine-track album. In the soundtrack of the 2012 animated film Frankenweenie, another song named "Polartropic (You Don't Understand Me) was included. He appeared on television shows around Los Angeles to promote his music.

Foster formed a three-person band made up of himself, colleague Mark Pontius, and longtime friend Jacob "Cubbie" Fink (whom Foster first met through a mutual friend while not attending acting school). Pontius was so appreciative of Foster's musical style that he left his band Malbec to join him as the new band's drummer. Fink had recently resigned from a television production company as a result of the downturn, so he took over as the bassist. The group had intended to be named "Foster and the People," but Foster changed it to "Foster the People" after the majority of his friends mistook the word for "Foster the People." He preferred the word "Foster the People" because it invoked an image of care and growth.

"Pumped Up Kicks," Foster's first song on the band's record, was "Pumped Up Kicks," a song about gun violence that was recorded at Mophonics in 2009. He wrote and recorded the song in five hours with Logic Pro software, originally intendeding that the first version of the demo be limited to only the demo. Foster's full version of the album and "Pumped Up Kicks" were also included in the early 2010 release. The song gradually gained traction among the public, eventually appearing on television shows like Entourage and advertisement campaigns for companies like Nylon. Due to the band's increasing success, the band was signed to Columbia Records imprint Startime International in May 2010. On September 14, 2010, the band's first single was announced, and the band would continue to gain a huge fan base.

"Pumped Up Kicks" was released on the band's first non-commercial single release, Foster the People, in January 2011, and a few months later, the band's first non-commercial single release, Foster the People, started to climb the American charts. Due to its slow rise in success, it was dubbed a "sleeper hit." With the week starting on September 10, 2011, and ending on the week of October 29, 2011, it eventually reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100, beginning with the week of September 10, 2011. In February 2012, it was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. The RIAA awarded "Pumped Up Kicks" as one of only 64 songs to earn the accolade.

Foster's second Grammy Award nomination, this time for Best Alternative Music Album, was released on May 23, 2011, and the band's first studio album, Torches, was released on May 23, 2011. "Perception over inspiration" was the album's inspiration, he has said. On the Billboard 200, it also ranked at number 8 on the list of the Top 100.

Mister Smims of the duo Smims & Belle co-founded Isom Innis, who later became a touring member of the band, and Mister Smims & Belle created electronic music as Mister Smims. Foster and Innis released a notable remix of "Blue Jeans" by Lana Del Rey in 2012, which featured Azealia Banks. Smims & Belle's last (confirmed) release to date was their 2014 remix of a single from Foster the People's second album.

The band's second album, Supermodel, was released on March 14, 2014, three years after Torches. It is currently their most popular studio album on the Billboard 200 at number 3. Foster has said that the album's theme was inspired by his fascination with the "ugly side" of capitalism, as well as the increasing use of social media and the growing social pressures humans feel. In reaction, he has characterized it as a piece that reminds him of the benefits of having a loving family in order to maintain an optimistic attitude. "I went to India, I spent some time in the Middle East, and I went to Northern Africa, where the priorities are completely different." Individuals aren't focusing on individuals. They're focusing on communities. That changed how I would live. I saw people who had joy and human connections, but they don't have one-thousandth of the things we have here. However, they have something we don't have, namely a sense of belonging.'

Luke Pritchard, with whom Foster had worked before, revealed that the pair had between three and four unfinished tracks that had yet to be announced in June 2014.

Foster was a music director on the soundtrack for the World War II drama Little Boy in 2015 (of which one track featured Mark Pontius). It was his first film score, and it was particularly exciting to him due to his "guitar-driven" soundtrack, which he created.

Foster the People's third album, Sacred Hearts Club, was released on July 21, 2017, reflecting Foster's concern for those affected by events connected with terrorism, bigotry, homophobia, and elections. "I wanted to slap people a little bit and pour some cold water on them," Foster said on the album's arrival. On this record, it would have been unlawful to do so. "I felt like people needed a hug," the author says. "Sit Next to Me," the album's hit single, has been RIAA-certified Double Platinum.

Foster the People unveiled the EP Pick U Up in September 2019. In addition, the band has released two (non-EP) singles, a reworking of a Mobley song, and various collaborations with The Knocks, M, and Louis the Child. Mark Foster is currently co-writing a horror film.

Foster on Sirius XM's Alt Country's Enthusiast, launched in December 2020. The band's EP In the Darkest Nights, Let the Birds Sing, a record based on the idea of passion, was released on December 11 by the band.

Foster was revealed on Taylor Swift's forthcoming album Red (Taylor's Version), which was announced on the same day as Foster the People's Torches X in November 2021. Foster co-wrote the song "Forever Winter" with Swift in May 2012.

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