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Lo-Fang
Birth nameMatthew Jordan Hemerlein
Born (1983-10-20) 20 October 1983 (age 41)
OriginColumbia, Maryland, United States
GenresIndie pop, alternative rock, classical
Occupation(s)Multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar, cello, bass, violin, piano, mandolin
Labels4AD
Websitelo-fang.com

Matthew Jordan Hemerlein[1] (born 20 October 1983),[2][3][4] better known by the stage name Lo-Fang, is a singer-songwriter and classically trained musician.[5] His stage name came to him while he was driving through Sedona, Arizona on his way to Los Angeles.[6] He chose it mainly because of the symmetry of the letters and his attempt to balance the feminine and masculine elements in his music.[6][7] As he sees it: " 'Lo' relates 'soft and soothing' and the strings and kind of the way I sing, and the 'Fang' element is more like the harsh, electronic sounds and the bass."[8]

His debut album Blue Film was released on 25 February 2014, by 4AD.[9]

Early life

At age 5, Hemerlein began playing the violin.[7][10][11] His father plays the piano and his older brother and younger sister are both musically inclined.[8] He is classically trained and can play a number of instruments including: piano, cello, guitar, violin, and string bass.[8]

During the latter years of the 2000s, Hemerlein began teaching music to children and performing in galleries and museums.[5][12] He had been with his sister Mallory to perform as part of the Family Hemerlein, a variety show featuring musicians and comedians.[12]

Career

In 2010, he self-released an album under his birth name that was recorded in a month with the help of a grant from DC Commission on Arts and Humanities called 'Hot Nickels' [10] and in spring of 2011 opened for British folk duo Smoke Fairies in London.[5] A friend put Hemerlein in touch with a European booking agent who praised Hemerlein's music to promoters in Belgium and Germany. He was booked for a number of appearances, including solo performance in Berlin and opening for James Vincent McMorrow in Cologne. He was subsequently offered a publishing contract by EMI.[5] He then received offers to collaborate on sessions in London and Nashville.[5]

Lo-Fang signed with 4AD in late September 2013. He wrote Blue Film as he traveled around the world to Cambodia, Bali, London, Tokyo, and elsewhere. While developing Blue Film from a mixtape to a full-fledged album, Lo-Fang collaborated with Grammy-winning producer François Tétaz.[13]

He was the opening act for Lorde in the Spring of 2014,[14] who picked his song "#88" as her second favorite from 2013.[15] He also made a cameo appearance as a singer in the ABC drama Revenge.[7][16]

In the autumn of 2014, Lo-Fang was selected by Baz Luhrmann as the singer in his latest 'mini film' advertisement for Chanel No. 5. Throughout the film, he sings his slower, romantic, cover rendition of "You're the One that I Want", the classic from the 1978 film Grease.[17] This video has been viewed more than 15 million times on YouTube.[18] He released a mixtape entitled Every Night, which became available both to stream and purchase on 20 October 2014. Lo-Fang also toured with Rhye and a performed a handful of solo shows in the US and Mexico during the autumn.[19]

His song "You’re The One That I Want" was used in the Netflix original French film I Am Not an Easy Man in April 2018. In summer of 2018, he released a single, "The Whole Summer".

Personal life

Hemerlein is the middle child of three. He and his siblings were home schooled by their mother until age 13[5] at their Columbia, MD farmhouse surrounded by a menagerie of chickens, dogs, cats and eight bee apiaries. His father was employed in the family's steel manufacturing business. Hemerlein drove forklifts during summers until he was knocked unconscious by a chain binder while working on the loading docks.[5] He attended Wilde Lake High School and graduated in 2002.[12] He attended Loyola University New Orleans but after contracting Lyme disease, returned to his home in Maryland, where he started teaching guitar and piano to children in Baltimore.[6][12]

Discography

Studio albums

List of studio albums, with selected chart positions
Title Album details Peak chart positions
BEL (FL)
[20] 		US
Heat
[21]
Blue Film
  • Released: 24 February 2014
  • Label: 4AD
  • Format: CD, LP, digital download
 125 17

Mixtapes

List of mixtapes, with selected information
Title Mixtape details
Every Night
  • Released: 2014
  • Label: 4AD
  • Format: Digital download

Other albums

List of albums, with selected information
Title Mixtape details
Near Other Worlds (Feat. The Seattle Harmonic Voices)
  • Released: 2020
  • Label: Ocean Cloud Records
  • Format: Digital download
Near Other Worlds: Vol. II (Feat. Samundra)
  • Released: 2020
  • Label: Ocean Cloud Records
  • Format: Digital download

Singles

List of singles
Title Year Album
"#88" 2013 Blue Film
"The Whole Summer" 2018 Power Magi¿[22]

Promotional singles

Title Year Album
"When We're Fire" 2014 Blue Film

Other charted songs

Song Year Peak chart positions Album
BEL (FL)
[20] 		BEL (WA)
[23] 		FRA
[24] 		SPA
[25] 		SWI
[26] 		UK
[27] 		UK Indie
[28]
"You're the One That I Want" 2014 83 43 38 36 67 194 12 Blue Film

References

  1. ^ ASCAP Archived 6 March 2013 at the Wayback Machine: Work ID: 886106711
  2. ^ "Matthew Hemerlein Album Release/Birthday Party". Facebook. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
  3. ^ "Meet Lorde's Secret Weapon: the Talented, Wordy, Intoxicating Lo-Fang". Elle. 28 January 2014. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
  4. ^ Weber, Andrew. "M: Lo-Fang — The Origin Story". Women's Wear Daily. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Weiss, Jeff. "Lo Fang's musical journey took him all over the world, and now he's opening for Lorde". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  6. ^ a b c Carlin, Shannon (14 February 2014). "New Music to Know: Lo-Fang Finds His Center on Debut, 'Blue Film'". radio.com. Archived from the original on 3 May 2016. Retrieved 20 June 2014.
  7. ^ a b c Romano, Tricia (20 February 2014). "Lo-Fang Embraces His New Success". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 June 2014.
  8. ^ a b c "The GQ+A: Lo-Fang Talks Touring With Lorde, His Debut Album, and How He Gets His Hair to Look That Good". Condé Nast. 11 March 2014. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  9. ^ "Lo-Fang's debut album Blue Film is released today". 4ad.com. 4AD. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  10. ^ a b "iTunes – Music – Lo-Fang". iTunes Store. Retrieved 20 June 2014.
  11. ^ Ehrlich, Brenna (29 January 2014). "Meet Lorde's Tourmate: The Skillful, Sardonic Lo-Fang". MTV.com. Archived from the original on 19 November 2014. Retrieved 20 June 2014.
  12. ^ a b c d Little, Ryan (27 February 2014). "As Lo-Fang, Matthew Hemerlein Takes His Left-Field Pop to the West Coast". Washington City Paper. Retrieved 20 June 2014.
  13. ^ "Lo-Fang". 4ad.com. 4AD. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
  14. ^ Little, Ryan (27 February 2014). "As Lo-Fang, Matthew Hemerlein Takes His Left-Field Pop to the West Coast". Washingtoncitypaper.com. Washington City Paper. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  15. ^ Lorde (10 September 2013). "Triple J's Hottest 100 Top Tens". abc.net.au. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  16. ^ Schwiegershausen, Erica (28 February 2014). "Male Gaze: Lo-Fang, Electric Violinist". New York Magazine. Retrieved 20 June 2014.
  17. ^ Darwin, Liza. "Meet Lo-Fang, the Singer Behind the New Chanel No. 5 Film". style.com. Retrieved 23 October 2014.
  18. ^ "CHANEL N°5: The One That I Want – The Film". YouTube. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  19. ^ "New Mixtape, Chanel No. 5 Advert, US Tour Starts Tomorrow". 4AD. Retrieved 23 October 2014.
  20. ^ a b "Discografie Lo-Fang". Hung Medien (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 20 June 2014.
  21. ^ "Lo-Fang – Chart history: US Heat". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 20 June 2014.
  22. ^ "The Whole Summer (Official Music Video)". Youtube. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  23. ^ "Discografie Lo-Fang Walloon". Hung Medien (in French). Ultratop. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  24. ^ "Discography Lo-Fang". Hung Medien (in French). SNEP. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
  25. ^ "Discography Lo Fang". spanishcharts.com. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
  26. ^ "Lo Fang in der Schweizer Hitparade". Hit Parade. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
  27. ^ Peak chart positions for singles in the United Kingdom:
  28. ^ Peak positions for singles on the UK Indie Chart:
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