David Longstreth

David Longstreth
David Longstreth (2008)
Background information
Born	(1981-12-17) December 17, 1981 (age 43) Southbury, Connecticut[1]
Genres	Indie rock alternative R&B art pop[2]
Occupation(s)	Singer, songwriter
Instrument(s)	Vocals, guitar
Years active	2001–present
Labels	Domino

David Longstreth (born December 17, 1981) is an American singer and songwriter. He is the lead singer and guitarist for the band Dirty Projectors.^[3]

Biography

Longstreth was born in Southbury, Connecticut. Longstreth attended Yale University and majored in music shortly before dropping out halfway through his second year. He stated that "he rarely ventured out of his dorm room. He found himself completely absorbed in making his own music, though there wasn’t really anyone to play it for."^[4] After dropping out, he moved in with his brother in Portland, Oregon and worked on his first album The Graceful Fallen Mango, which he released in 2002.^[4] Shortly after completing the album, Longstreth returned to Yale to finish his degree and began making music under the Dirty Projectors title. He proceeded to record multiple records under the name during his time at Yale.^[4]

In 2015, he contributed to "FourFiveSeconds", a collaborative song by Rihanna, Kanye West and Paul McCartney.^[5] That same year, he composed a classical composition called "Michael Jordan". It was composed for New York group Ensemble LPR.^[6] He also contributed to the orchestral arrangement for the song "Time, As a Symptom" on the album Divers by American musician Joanna Newsom.^[7] In 2016, he produced the album Azel by Nigerian musician Bombino and collaborated on the Solange release, A Seat at the Table.^[8]

Longstreth is the younger brother of American painter, musician, and internet radio personality Jake Longstreth.^[9][10]

References

1. Lindgren, Hugo (November 8, 2009). "Brooklyn Calling". New York. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
2. Thompson, Paul (June 9, 2009). "Dirty Projectors: Bitte Orca". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
3. "Vintage Cafe: Dirty Projectors". NPR. April 7, 2014. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
4. Brooklyn's Sonic Boom – Why Dirty Projectors Is One of the Most Risk-Taking Groups of All Time
5. Khomami, Nadia (February 3, 2015). "Kanye West, Rihanna and Paul McCartney debut new video 'Fourfiveseconds' – watch". NME. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
6. Beauchemin, Molly (March 12, 2015). "Dirty Projectors' Dave Longstreth Composes Classical Work Called "Michael Jordan" For Ensemble LPR". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
7. Joanna Newsom on plunging deep into history for 'Divers' games first new album in five years
8. "Here Are The Full Album Credits For Solange's A Seat At The Table". The FADER. Retrieved March 11, 2020.
9. "Vampire Weekend's Ezra Koenig, Dirty Projectors' Dave Longstreth, Siblings Chat on Ezra's Radio Show". Pitchfork. Retrieved January 13, 2019.
10. "Vampire Weekend's Ezra Koenig Chats With Dev Hynes, @Seinfeld2000, Joe Mande on Beats 1". Pitchfork. Retrieved January 13, 2019.