Fitz and the Tantrums, led by lead singer Michael Fitzpatrick, is a six person indie pop neo-soul group that has mastered the craft of making highly danceable sing-along anthems. Their “seventh band member” is the avid following of fans they have earned through their ecstatic and extremely engaging live performances. On top of their famously fun live shows, they have achieved great studio success with releases hitting No. 1 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart and the popular single “HandClap” breaking into the Billboard Hot 100. Fitz, a French-American dual citizen, was born in Montluçon France and grew up in LA. He attended the California Institute of the Arts, where he studied film, in hopes of being a movie director. His dreams changed in his senior year of college when he put together his first rock band, got in the studio and fell in love with the music making process. Post-graduation from college, Fitzpatrick worked as a sound engineer for producer Mickey Petralia, who produced for Beck, Linkin Park, Rage Against the Machine, Flight of the Conchords to name a few. Fitz’s next breakthrough in his own music career would begin by chance when he got a call from an ex-girlfriend saying that a neighbor was unloading a church organ and selling it for $50. That same day, he got the organ moved into his apartment, sat down and wrote the song “Breakin’ the Chains of Love”. He describes knowing immediately that it was the best song he ever wrote, inspiring him to form a band. To start the new group, Fitz reached out to old college friend and saxophonist James King. James would recommend singer Noelle Scaggs and drummer John Wicks, Wicks would bring along bassist Ethan Phillips and keyboardist Jeremy Ruzumna. A week later, they hosted their first rehearsal and after playing the very first song, Fitz left the room and immediately booked them a gig for next weekend. They knew they had something special from the beginning as they instantly clicked. “It was literally like five phone calls, one rehearsal, and we could have played a show that night,” says Fitzpatrick. Fitz and the Tantrums would soon be offered shows opening up for Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings and then a tour opening for Maroon 5. This is where they first road-tested their songs and developed their infamously high intensity fun performances. Fitz credits Noelle for bringing the energy to the shows in the beginning, coming from a hip-hop background she naturally had an ability to get the crowd excited and engaged, which Fitz and the band learned to emulate as performers as well. The band is influenced by soul and funk music. Fitz himself taking influence from his older brother’s ‘80s new wave collection as well as an eclectic mix from Radiohead to Zeppelin to Major Lazer. The group released their debut studio record Pickin’ Up the Pieces in 2010 following their home-recorded debut EP Songs for a Breakup, Vol. 1 and heavy touring. The record charted at number one on Billboard’s Top Heatseekers. Their second album, More Than Just a Dream, would come in 2013. The release featured lead single “Out of My League” which made it to number one on Billboard’s Alternative Songs chart. 2016 would see the release of the band’s most popular song “HandClap”, from their self-titled third album. All the Feels, would be their next release in 2019, a song packed 17 songs thrilling their fans who can’t get enough. When describing their writing process, the band says they write 80-100 songs per album and allow the “cream to rise to the top”, picking only the best of the best to make it onto the record. If songwriting is a muscle, Fitz and the Tantrums are jacked! Their latest album, Let Yourself Free, was released November 11, 2022 with singles “Sway” and “Moneymaker”. Fitz and the Tantrums will continue blazing the fire that is the infinite energy loop between themselves and the audience at their shows with their soul-influenced indie pop. If you love to dance, get out to see them ASAP!