The Frst (pronounced “first”) is an American indie rock musical project founded by singer and guitarist Mikei Gray in Nashville, Tennessee.

The Frst
OriginNashville, Tennessee
Genresindie rock
Years active2017-present
MembersMikei Gray
Past membersAndrew Leahey, Nathan Cogan, Jeff Hutchins
Websitewww.thefrst.com

in 2017.[1][2] The project’s contributors consist of Gray and a rotating lineup of guest musicians, which has included Andrew Leahey, Taking Back Sunday’s touring musician Nathan Cogan, and Insane Clown Posse’s touring musician Jeff Hutchins.[2][3][4]

Their best known song is “Tarantino” which reached #78 on the iTunes Top 100 Rock Chart[1] and #1 at KXFM.[5] They had two other songs on SoundCloud USA Rock charts: "Ammo” which reached #1 and “Seven Eleven” which reached #2.[6]

History

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Before forming The Frst, Gray had worked as a touring musician for artists such as Sublime with Rome, Village People, Florida Georgia Line, and Portugal. The Man,[3][2] playing in venues such as the Vans Warped Tour and the Grand Ole Opry.[7] Gray founded The Frst in 2017, changing the spelling of the project’s name to reflect its collaborative nature and changing lineup.[8][5][9]

The Frst released its debut single, “Another One” in 2018.[10][11]

In 2019, the project also released several singles, including “Cycles,”[12] “Seven Eleven,”[13] “Rules,”[8] and  “Ammo.”[3] “Seven Eleven” reached #2 on the SoundCloud USA Rock chart and was also featured on Loudwire’s Weekly Wire.[14] "Ammo” reached #1 on the SoundCloud USA Rock chart.[15][16]

The Frst also released the singles “Pawn Shop,”[17][18]  “Simulation,”[19] and “Tarantino”[20] in 2020. “Tarantino” reached #78 on the iTunes Top 100 Rock Chart[1] and #1 at KXFM.[9] “Simulation” was released alongside the augmented reality phone app called “The Frst,” which allowed users to scan The Frst’s logo for behind-the-scenes content.[21][19]

In August 2020, The Frst released its debut album, Prelude.[14] Gray wrote and performed seven of the ten songs on Prelude by himself.[7] The Frst also released the single “Duh'' concurrently with the album, which reached #3 on the SoundCloud USA Rock Chart.[14]

After the release of Prelude, The Frst released the single “This Is Me Now” in 2021, which featured Universal-Island artist Kid Brunswick.[22][2] It was the second collaboration between Gray and Brunswick, the first being on Brunswick’s song “Bipolar Rhapsody.”[22]

In summer of the same year, The Frst also released the single “Small Talk.”[23][24] Gray played on more than 130 instrumental and vocal tracks within the song.[11]

The Frst has worked with mixing and mastering engineers such as Steve Hardy, James Paul Wisner, and Andy VanDette.[7][3][5]

In January 2022, The Frst released a single with InVogue Records artist Dead Bundy, called “Pop Punk Song.”[5][4][9]

In July 23, 2022, The Frst release a new single called Geronimo.[25] The track features Just a Ride & Solcura.[26]

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Taylor, Katherine Yeske (2021-06-08). "WATCH: The Frst of His Name". Rock and Roll Globe. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
  2. ^ a b c d "THE FRST Are at Their Most Open and Forthcoming on "This Is Me Now" [Video Premiere]". V13.net. 2021-03-26. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
  3. ^ a b c d "Song Premiere: The Frst - "Ammo"". New Noise Magazine. 2019-11-08. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
  4. ^ a b "Video Premiere: The Frst – 'Pop Punk Song (feat. Dead Bundy)' -". New Noise Magazine. 2022-01-19. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
  5. ^ a b c d "THE FRST RELEASE NEW COLLAB SINGLE "POP PUNK SONG (FEAT. DEAD BUNDY)"". R o c k 'N' L o a d. 2022-01-24. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
  6. ^ "Meet The Frst - NashvilleVoyager Magazine | Nashville's Most Inspiring Stories". nashvillevoyager.com. 25 April 2022. Retrieved 2022-10-28.
  7. ^ a b c "The Frst Laces Rock and Songwriting Together For Debut, 'Prelude'". American Songwriter. 2020-08-13. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
  8. ^ a b Party, Jake CraneyFavorites: Bloc; 3EB; Gaslight; Club, Tokyo Police; Kooks, The; Yorn, Pete; McMahon, rew (2019-08-23). "PREMIERE: The Frst – "Rules" (Video)". GroundSounds. Retrieved 2022-01-26.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ a b c "The Frst: Shut Up & Play Some Pop Punk". mendowerks. 2022-01-25. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
  10. ^ "This could be the best road rage song since the Offspring's "Bad Habit" - Alan Cross". Alan Cross' A Journal of Musical Things. 2018-10-27. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
  11. ^ a b "The FRST Offer Subliminal Hope on "Small Talk"". American Songwriter. 2021-05-28. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
  12. ^ "Singled Out: The Frst's Cycles". www.antimusic.com. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
  13. ^ "Nashville, TN's The Frst Have a New Single and You Should Stream it "Seven Eleven" [Song Premiere]". V13.net. 2019-07-11. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
  14. ^ a b c "The Frst Breakdown Their Debut Album 'Prelude' and Unveil the "Duh" Music Video". V13.net. 2020-08-14. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
  15. ^ Kusano, Rodney (2020-06-06). "Nashville Rock Act THE FRST Debuts "Tarantino" Single". OUTBURN ONLINE. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
  16. ^ "The Frst Debuts New Single, "Tarantino" | Prelude Press". 2020-06-09. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
  17. ^ "The Frst List Their Top 10 Cannabis Strains and Invite You to Visit the "Pawn Shop" [Video Premiere]". V13.net. 2020-01-30. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
  18. ^ "The Frst has debuted new a music video for new single "Pawn Shop"!". Distrolution : Home of independent rock bands and labels. 2020-02-17. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
  19. ^ a b Kusano, Rodney (2020-04-24). "THE FRST Drops New Single "Simulation"". OUTBURN ONLINE. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
  20. ^ Randall Radic (2020-06-24). "Premiere: The Frst Unveil Music Video for "Tarantino"". Tattoo.com. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
  21. ^ "AP&R playlist: Acoustic dream pop, fiery pop punk and '90s-fueled indie". Alternative Press Magazine. 2020-04-25. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
  22. ^ a b "The Frst Usher in Sopomore Record with Funky 'This is Me Now'". American Songwriter. 2021-03-12. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
  23. ^ BraveWords. "Exclusive: THE FRST Premiere "Small Talk" Video". bravewords.com. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
  24. ^ "News: The Frst Release New Single 'Small Talk'". New Noise Magazine. 2021-06-01. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
  25. ^ Shaw, Evie (2022-07-23). "The Frst release new single "Geronimo"". All Punked Up. Retrieved 2022-10-28.
  26. ^ Willschick, Aaron (2022-06-28). "The Frst Premiere the Music Video for "Geronimo" (feat. Just a Ride & Solcura)". V13.net. Retrieved 2022-10-28.