St. Lucia (musician)

St. Lucia

St Lucia in 2014
Background information
Born South Africa
Origin Brooklyn, New York
Genres Indie electronic, Synthpop
Years active 2012–present
Labels Neon Gold Records
Website www.stlucianewyork.com

Jean-Philip Grobler, known by his stage name St. Lucia, is a South African-born, Brooklyn-based musician. He is signed to Neon Gold Records which released his self-titled EP and his debut album When the Night.

Early life

Grobler was born in Johannesburg and raised in South Africa. He spent much of his childhood singing in the Drakensberg Boys' Choir which travelled and performed internationally.[1]

Grobler started making music when he was 12 years old. He was inspired by Boyz II Men, Michael Jackson, Sting and Phil Collins. He soon was experimenting with rock music; however, after 10 years, he got bored with it and got back to the 80s music influences from his childhood.[2] In 2013, when asked about his main musical influences, he noted Phil Collins, Fleetwood Mac (especially Tango in the Night), Radiohead (OK Computer), Mew (And the Glass Handed Kites), and Paul Simon (Graceland).[3] He has also cited Lionel Richie's album Dancing on the Ceiling as an influence.

Career

After studying for three years in Liverpool, he moved to Brooklyn. There he worked for The Lodge, which helps with music licensing for films and television shows, while continuing to work on his own music.[4] When he was signed to Neon Gold Records in 2012, they re-released his self-titled EP he had previously released independently. Also, during the time, he featured vocals in The Knocks' single "Modern Hearts", which was released in 2013.[1] His debut full-length album, When the Night, was released in October 2013.

Live performances have included fellow musicians Nick Brown, Ross Clark, Nicky Paul and Patricia Beranek. Grobler has also remixed tracks for such bands as Passion Pit, Foster the People and Charli XCX. He produced the debut album by HAERTS. Grobler also opened for Two Door Cinema Club during their 2013 tours. Grobler kicked off his St. Lucia 2014 nationwide tour in Philadelphia, PA on January 13, 2014 and continue to tour across the U.S. and Australia in the months to follow.

In early December of 2014, St. Lucia played a special acoustic set at Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel, during which Grobler shared stories about his songs and performed the first live performance of "Call Me Up" and first acoustic rendition of "All Eyes on You."[5]

St. Lucia recently released brand new audio for "Dancing On Glass,", which was released in October 2015. The music video followed weeks after the audio and was released in November 2015. This followed onto another single, entitled "Physical", which was released in December 2015. These two singles will eventually appear on their new second studio album, Matter, out January 29th 2016. Their album cover was designed by New York based artist duo Olivia Abbonizio and Devin McNulty.

Personal life

After dating Patricia (Patti) Beranek for 10 years, the two married in 2012.[5]

Discography

Studio albums

Title Album details Peak chart positions
US
[6]		 US
Heat.
[7]
When the Night 191 6
Matter
  • Released: January 29, 2016
  • Label: Columbia
  • Format: CD, LP, digital download
 97 –
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Extended plays

Title Album details
St. Lucia
  • Released: March 6, 2012[8]
  • Label: Neon Gold / Columbia
September
  • Released: September 24, 2012[9]
  • Label: Neon Gold / Columbia

Singles

Title Year Album
"Elevate" 2013 When the Night
"Dancing on Glass" 2015 Matter
"Physical"
"Love Somebody" 2016
"Help Me Run Away"

References

  1. 1 2 Cragg, Michael (May 9, 2012). "New music: St Lucia – Before the Dive". The Guardian. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  2. ↑ Van Nguyen, Dean (April 27, 2012). "St. Lucia. Unashamedly pop". Retrieved March 13, 2014.
  3. ↑ Hampp, Andrew (October 17, 2013). "Gimme Five: St. Lucia's Biggest Musical Influences". Billboard. Retrieved April 17, 2014.
  4. ↑ Usinger, Mike (January 31, 2013). "St. Lucia's meticulous Jean-Philip Grobler takes his time". The Georgia Straight. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  5. 1 2 Bedian, Knar. "Sharing Stories and Songs: St. Lucia". Sound of Boston.
  6. ↑ "St. Lucia Album & Song Chart History". Billboard 200 for St. Lucia. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  7. ↑ "St. Lucia Album & Song Chart History". Billboard Top Heatseekers Albums for St. Lucia. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  8. ↑ "St. Lucia - EP by St. Lucia". iTunes (US). Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  9. ↑ "September - EP by St. Lucia". iTunes (US). Retrieved December 14, 2014.

External links

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