fun. at the Grammys

Even before last night’s Grammy awards, fun. needed no introduction to mainstream music, but they got a proper welcome anyway with a win for Best New Artist and a performance.

In addition to Best New Artist, they won Song of the Year for “We Are Young”.  They also managed four other nominations for Record of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for their No. 1 hit “We Are Young” as well as Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album for Some Nights.

Despite not winning the other four awards, it is safe to say that fun. solidified its place at the top of the genre (whatever that genre might be, pop-rock? alternative? indie pop? I’ll leave you to make that call).

Jack Antonoff of fun. Credit: Katie Fricker

Regardless, for guitarist Jack Antonoff, the Grammy stage at the Staples Center in Los Angeles is a long way from his roots in Bergenfield, New Jersey.  fun. claims its place of origin as New York City, but of the three members, Antonoff is closest to that being true.  Singer Nate Ruess was born in Iowa, but claims Arizona as his origin and eclectic musician Andrew Dost has primarily lived in Michigan.

Geography has never been a big thing for fun.  Last night they admitted on stage that they have all spent the last 12 years touring and their first album 2009′s Aim and Ignite was made with Dost in Michigan, Ruess in Arizona, and Antonoff in New Jersey.

For Antonoff too, he was born in Bergenfield, grew up in New Milford and Woodcliff Lake, and eventually commuted to New York City for high school.  Along with his role in fun., Antonoff is also the singer for the band Steel Train, which he formed in 2002.

New Jersey is proud of one of its musical sons for reaching the mainstream success that so many other great New Jersey musicians have reached before him and congratulations to the band fun. on their awards.

Below check out fun.’s acceptance speech from last night for Song of the Year.  Jack Antonoff is the second one to speak:

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