Fun.'s 'We Are Young' Leads To Bigger Shows, Better Apartments

Band set to kick off big, bad tour in support of Some Nights next week.
By James Montgomery

Nate Ruess of Fun.
Photo: MTV News

Momentum has been building behind Fun.'s Some Nights album since September, when the band unveiled the teaser clip for "We Are Young," their stirring anthem that is spending its second week in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 (alongside usual suspects Katy Perry, Adele and Rihanna), cementing its status as the first out-of-nowhere smash of 2012.

Since that teaser, they've been the subject of innumerable "Next Big Thing" pieces and released a proper video for the song, and earlier this week, Some Nights finally hit stores. So with their single sitting high on the charts and a full-scale tour in support of their album set to kick off next week, one has to wonder what it's like to actually be in the band at this very moment, as they stand perched on the brink of big-time success.

"I think we're very aware of what's happening around us, and I think there's a level of excitement, but I feel like there's so much more to accomplish, and we do want to accomplish all of that," frontman Nate Ruess told MTV News. "So any sort of victory that we might not have had the privilege of having over the last 10 years that might be coming now, we only give ourselves about a second and then we think, 'All right, what's next?' "

"Also, having done this for such a long time, we've put all the emphasis on the artistic victories, so we've always just been trained for those to be the most satisfying ones," guitarist Jack Antonoff added. "So anything that's happening on the otherside of things, I think the three of us just think, 'It's so exciting. Now we can make this artistic dream come true.' If people are finding out about the band [now], we can have this elaborate stage set up that we've always dreamed of, or we can work with this producer, or get this instrument that we always wanted."

And if their enthusiasm seems somewhat tempered, well, you can't blame them. After all, all three members of Fun. have logged time in previous bands (the Format, Steel Train, Anathallo), and they've each seen how quickly fortunes can change. Still, they'd be lying if they didn't say they're looking to take full advantage of their sorta superstar status — and you'll be able to tell on their upcoming tour.

"We're taking every penny we can squeeze out of the band to create some sort of wild show, and I think we're always going to do that," Antonoff said. "So if you see us in a club that holds 1,000 people, you're going to get a big show for that size club. ... We're always going to push it."

So with one smash hit under their belts, Fun. will push on into 2012 looking to expand both their fanbase and their reach — which, of course, is going to require a bit of sacrifice. Then again, after slogging it out for 10 years, the guys in Fun. are sort of used to all that.

"I'm kind of annoyed, because I finally got an apartment on the Upper West Side, and I was looking forward to being there, just, you know, the calm before the storm," Ruess laughed. "Because I know how we are; we're just going to be on tour for the whole entire year. So there's not going to be any time at home. Oh well."

Will you check out Fun. on tour? Let us know in the comments!

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1679789/fun-we-are-young-success.jhtml

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