Mark Foster

Early life

Mark Foster was born on February 29, 1984, in Milpitas, California, and grew up outside Cleveland, Ohio. As a boy, he sang in the Cleveland Orchestra Children's Chorus and played the drums, guitar, and piano. As a teenager he played in garage bands. His first gig came in 2001, when his high-school band competed in a local Battle of the Bands. In 2002, he graduated from Nordonia High School in Macedonia, Ohio.

Career

Early career (2002–2008)

After graduating from high school in 2002, Foster followed on his father's advice and moved out to live with an uncle in the San Fernando Valley neighborhood of Sylmar, Los Angeles. As a result, he would be closer to pursuing his musical dreams. In an interview with NPR's David Greene, Foster detailed his reaction to the intimidating city into which he had thrown himself, reflecting: "You really got to have a strong sixth sense to be able to kind of navigate the waters because the weird thing about LA is just—especially in Hollywood—is just like, the entertainment industry is kind of bizarre. It was the first time that I realized that people that were mentally ill also happened to be in like, powerful positions."

Foster's early years in Los Angeles were very difficult for him; of that time, he said "For eight years, I just scraped by as a starving artist delivering pizzas, sleeping on couches, sleeping in my car and all of those things." Foster worked various odd jobs during his first several years on his own while trying to grow his own social network. These included waiting tables, painting houses, telemarketing, and bartending. In a 2012 interview with The Baltimore Sun, he talked about how he particularly valued bartending and encouraged aspiring musicians to follow in his footsteps: "Kids hit me up on Twitter and I tell them to learn how to bar-tend. There are career waiters in Los Angeles and they're making over $100,000 a year."

In his first six years in Los Angeles, Foster did not have much success with breaking into the music business as a solo artist. At age 21 his band almost secured a record deal in New York. About two years later, he was given the opportunity to work with Dr. Dre's record label, Aftermath Entertainment. However, the deal fell through and he was left without solid footing for a solo musical career. Foster co-composed and performed lead vocals on the Toques' song "Breakdown", featured in the 2006 film Stick It. He found early work as a musician working for comedian Andy Dick, for whom he wrote songs and scores for film, television, and short film projects, as well as toured with, over a period of around seven years. As a solo artist, Foster wrote the song "The Ballad of Andy", detailing the life and tribulations of Dick. Foster also worked as a music producer, producing songs for bands like Frodad and The Rondo Brothers, among others.

At the same time, Foster was a drug addict, but after seeing its impact on his health and his friends, he decided that he would rehabilitate himself. He talked about his previous addiction in 2014, saying, "I work really hard to stay grounded and not let any of that stuff influence how I live my life. A lot of it is a mirage, and an unhealthy one to buy into." His roommate, actor and singer Brad Renfro, who was also a drug addict, died from a heroin overdose on January 15, 2008. Foster was the producer of the last song that Renfro ever recorded. Fifteen months after his former roommate's death, Foster released a song called "Downtown", on which he reflects on the life and death of Renfro.

Foster the People (2008–present)

Foster finally landed a job as a commercial jingle writer for the record label Mophonics in 2008. In this position, he was able to write jingles for brands such as Honey Bunches of Oats and Verizon. (Foster has discussed his use of medical cannabis, prescribed for work-related stress, in the composition process.) However, he was still struggling with finding the right tunes to further break into the music industry. Due to issues of writer's block and being unable to focus various elements of his music together, he came to the realization that he needed help in the form of members of a band.

The following year, Foster recorded and released his first and so far, only solo album, Solo Songs. The nine-track album included demo versions of two songs from the Torches album, "Don't Stop (Color on the Walls)" and "I Would Do Anything for You". Another song called "Polartropic (You Don't Understand Me)" was featured in the soundtrack of the 2012 animated film Frankenweenie. He played solo shows around Los Angeles to support his record.

In October 2009, Foster organized a three-person band made up of himself, colleague Mark Pontius, and longtime friend Jacob "Cubbie" Fink (whom Foster had initially met through a mutual friend whilst attending acting school). Pontius was so appreciative of Foster's musical style that he left his band Malbec to join him as the drummer of the new band. Fink had recently lost his position at a television production company as a result of the recession, so he joined as the bassist. The band was initially going to be called "Foster and the People", but after the majority of his friends mistook the name as "Foster the People", Foster decided to name it the latter instead. He preferred the title "Foster the People" as it conjured an image of care and development.

The first song Foster released with the band was "Pumped Up Kicks", a song about gun violence recorded at Mophonics in 2009. He wrote and recorded the song in five hours using Logic Pro software, originally intending the first version to be only the demo. The demo ended up becoming the full version of the song and "Pumped Up Kicks" was released by Foster online in early 2010. Through internet outlets, the song gradually gained traction with the public, eventually making its way to television shows like Entourage and advertising campaigns for companies like Nylon. In May 2010, the band was signed to Columbia Records imprint Startime International for a multi-album deal due to the song's increasing success. It was officially released as the band's first single on September 14, 2010, and would go on to produce an immense popular following for the band.

Artistry

One of Foster's major musical influences has been The Beach Boys. He and his band performed with them at the 2012 Grammy Awards, and the two bands were able to become well-acquainted during the week of practices leading up to the performance.

Personal life

In 2013, Foster purchased actor Maurice Benard's $2.1 million home in the Hollywood Hills.

Foster has said that he likes traveling frequently because of the break from the special treatment he receives in the U.S. for being famous.

Foster married actress Julia Garner in a December 2019 ceremony at New York City Hall. In July 2026, it was announced they had separated.

Discography

As a solo artist

"Sorry Little Lucy" (2007)

Solo Songs (2009)

"Polartropic (You Don't Understand Me)" (2012) for Frankenweenie

Little Boy (soundtrack) (2015) with Stephan Altman

Let Me Go (The Right Way) [soundtrack] (2022)

Unstable (Soundtrack from the Netflix Series) (2023–2024) with Sven Faulconer

Scores for the short films Adcorp, Inc. (2005), Division III (2006), Just the Worst (2008), and The Andys

"Spring Break it Down" for Muscle Milk

"Beautiful Day" / "Hello" / "Lightspeed" / "Dreamer" / "Love Is Here to Stay" (demos)

"Sandy"

"Everyday"

"Untitled Demo 2010"

"Untitled Demo 2012"

"Untitled Demo 2016"

"Spire Studio Demo" (2019) for iZotope

"Graduation Speech in 60 Seconds" (2020) for Entertainment Weekly

"On/Off"

"Lovers in a Stream"

As Smims & Belle (with Isom Innis)

"Blue Jeans (Remix)" (2012) with Lana Del Rey and Azealia Banks

"Beat Illuminati" (2012)

"Best Friend (Remix)" (2014) with Foster the People

"Ghetto Blastah" (2015)

With Foster the People

Torches (2011)

Supermodel (2014)

Sacred Hearts Club (2017)

Paradise State of Mind (2024)

"Ride or Die" (2018) with The Knocks; vocals and other instruments on the track

"Blur" (2018) with MØ; vocals on the track

"Every Color" (2020) with Louis the Child; vocals and composition

"All About You" (2020) with The Knocks

Melody & Silence EP (2021) with The Knocks

"Hyperlandia" (2021) with deadmau5