Complete List Of Fun Band Members

Feature Photo: Katie Fricker, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

When three experienced musicians from separate projects came together in New Jersey in 2008, they created a collaboration that would achieve remarkable commercial success within four years. Fun. formed after Nate Ruess’s previous group, the Format, ended. Ruess connected with Andrew Dost and Jack Antonoff, each of whom brought an established musical background to the new project. The trio released two studio albums between 2009 and 2012 and became one of the most successful pop-rock groups of the early 2010s.

The group’s trajectory accelerated dramatically following the release of its second album, Some Nights, in February 2012. The album reached number three on the Billboard 200. Its lead single, “We Are Young,” featuring Janelle Monáe, reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and became one of the defining pop songs of the period. The title track and “Carry On” extended the album’s success and helped establish Fun. far beyond the alternative-rock audience that had embraced its debut.

At the 55th Annual Grammy Awards in February 2013, Fun. won Best New Artist, while Nate Ruess, Andrew Dost, Jack Antonoff, and producer Jeff Bhasker received Song of the Year for writing “We Are Young.” The group also received nominations for Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Best Pop Vocal Album, and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.

In February 2015, the three musicians announced that Fun. was not breaking up but would be taking time away while each member pursued other projects. No additional Fun. album has followed, and the group has remained inactive. Ruess released his solo album Grand Romantic and later returned to the Format. Dost became the lead singer and multi-instrumentalist of Metal Bubble Trio, while Antonoff continued leading Bleachers and developed one of the most successful songwriting and production careers in contemporary pop music.

Core Members

Nate Ruess

Nate Ruess formed Fun. after the Format ended in February 2008. He contacted Andrew Dost and Jack Antonoff and began developing songs with them in New Jersey. Ruess served as Fun.’s lead vocalist and principal lyricist throughout the band’s active period.

His voice appeared on both studio albums, Aim and Ignite and Some Nights. Ruess co-wrote “We Are Young,” “Some Nights,” “Carry On,” and much of the trio’s catalog. His dramatic vocal style and ability to move between intimate passages and arena-sized choruses became the most recognizable element of Fun.’s sound.

Outside Fun., Ruess collaborated with Pink on “Just Give Me a Reason,” Eminem on “Headlights,” and several other artists. He released his first solo album, Grand Romantic, in 2015. After stepping away from the spotlight for several years, Ruess reunited with Sam Means and returned to the Format, which resumed performing and recording during 2025 and 2026.

Andrew Dost

Andrew Dost joined Fun. in 2008 after previously performing with Anathallo and touring with the Format. As the trio’s primary multi-instrumentalist, he contributed piano, keyboards, guitars, trumpet, flugelhorn, glockenspiel, bass, percussion, and backing vocals.

Dost’s arranging and instrumental work helped shape the ambitious sound of Aim and Ignite and Some Nights. His ability to combine orchestral colors, pop melodies, and unusual instrumentation gave the band’s recordings much of their theatrical character. He shared the Grammy Award for Song of the Year as one of the writers of “We Are Young.”

After Fun. became inactive, Dost continued composing and recording. He later formed Metal Bubble Trio, a project blending jazz, bossa nova, exotica, and indie pop. The group released its debut album, Cucumber, in 2025.

Jack Antonoff

Jack Antonoff joined Fun. after Nate Ruess met him through the Format’s connection with Antonoff’s band Steel Train. Antonoff contributed guitars, drums, percussion, bass, keyboards, piano, and backing vocals to both Fun. studio albums.

His instrumental and songwriting work appeared throughout Aim and Ignite and Some Nights. Antonoff co-wrote “We Are Young,” “Some Nights,” “Carry On,” and other important songs from the group’s breakthrough period. He shared the Grammy Award for Song of the Year for “We Are Young.”

While Fun. was still active, Antonoff began developing Bleachers as a separate creative outlet. Bleachers became his principal performing project, and Antonoff also emerged as a highly successful producer and songwriter whose collaborators have included Taylor Swift, Lana Del Rey, Lorde, St. Vincent, the Chicks, and numerous other artists.

Touring Members

Emily Moore

Emily Moore joined Fun. as a touring musician in 2009 and remained with the group through its final active period. She contributed guitar, keyboards, saxophone, violin, percussion, and backing vocals during concerts and promotional appearances.

Moore’s versatility helped the trio reproduce the layered arrangements of its studio recordings onstage. She later continued working as a touring and session musician outside Fun.

Nate Harold

Nate Harold served as Fun.’s principal touring bassist from 2009 through 2015. His work supported the group during the tours surrounding Aim and Ignite and Some Nights.

Harold became a familiar part of the expanded live lineup during Fun.’s period of greatest commercial success, performing at festivals, theaters, arenas, awards shows, and television appearances.

Will Noon

Will Noon joined Fun.’s touring lineup as drummer and percussionist in 2011. Before working with Fun., he had performed with Straylight Run and other projects connected to the New York alternative-rock scene.

Noon played throughout the Some Nights touring cycle and remained with the live ensemble until the group became inactive in 2015.

Jonathan Goldstein

Jonathan Goldstein performed drums and percussion with Fun. during the group’s formative years from 2008 to 2010. He was part of the expanded lineup that supported the trio during the period surrounding Aim and Ignite.

Goldstein left before the recording and touring cycle that produced the band’s mainstream breakthrough with Some Nights.

Early Supporting Musicians

Jessica Martins

Jessica Martins contributed guitar, keyboards, and vocals during Fun.’s earliest performances in 2008. Her involvement came while the trio was still developing its live presentation and preparing its first recordings.

David Lizmi

David Lizmi performed bass guitar with Fun. during part of the band’s formation period in 2008, supporting the new project during its earliest live appearances.

Maggie Malyn

Maggie Malyn contributed violin during Fun.’s formative period in 2008. Her instrument supported the chamber-pop textures heard in the group’s earliest arrangements.

Am Wheeldon

Am Wheeldon played bass guitar with Fun. during its first year. The role was part of the changing supporting lineup used while Ruess, Dost, and Antonoff established the trio’s sound.

Will Yates

Will Yates contributed bass guitar during Fun.’s early touring period in 2009.

Ryan Mann Jr.

Ryan Mann Jr. also performed bass guitar with Fun. during selected appearances in 2009.

Lee Wilkinson

Lee Wilkinson contributed guitar to Fun.’s supporting lineup during 2009.

Alex Townley

Alex Townley performed guitar with Fun. from 2010 to 2011, during the touring period between Aim and Ignite and Some Nights.

Ian Hare

Ian Hare played bass guitar with Fun. during selected performances in 2010.

Liam O’Keefe

Liam O’Keefe contributed guitar as a supporting musician during Fun.’s 2010 touring activity.

Mike Schey

Mike Schey also performed guitar with Fun. during selected live appearances in 2010.

George Roth

George Roth played bass guitar with Fun. during part of 2011, shortly before the group entered its breakthrough Some Nights era.

Check out more articles on ClassicRockHistory.com. Just click on any of the links below.

Updated August 1, 2026.

Classicrockhistory.com claims ownership of all its original content and intellectual property under United States copyright laws and those of all other foreign countries. No person, business, or organization is allowed to republish any of our original content anywhere on the web or in print without our permission. All photos used are either public domain Creative Commons photos or licensed officially from Shutterstock under license with ClassicRockHistory.com. All photo credits have been placed at the end of the article. Album cover photos are affiliate links and the property of Amazon and are stored on the Amazon server. Any theft of our content will be met with swift legal action against the infringing websites.