RAS (musician)

Early life

Furlong was raised in Carson City, Nevada. A self-taught musician, he began writing music at the age of twelve. His early influences included a variety of acts including The Beastie Boys, Nine Inch Nails, Rage Against The Machine, Nirvana, and Eminem. As a teenager, he started recording his own songs and sharing them on various music sites. While still a junior in high school, his music was discovered by a music director at Midway Games, who offered him an opportunity to write songs for video games. Furlong contributed to various game soundtracks between the years of 2004-2005. At the age of twenty-one he moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career as a songwriter and producer.

2010-2013: Career breakthrough

Furlong had his first commercial success in 2010 as a co-writer of the Big Time Rush and Jordin Sparks' duet, "Count On You". The song was featured on the band's debut album BTR, which debuted at number three on the Billboard 200. Shortly after, Furlong signed a publishing deal with Ryan Tedder, of OneRepublic . Alongside Tedder, Furlong worked with many artists including Colbie Caillat, Jordin Sparks, Leona Lewis, and The Wanted. Furlong worked again with Big Time Rush in 2011, when he co-wrote "Time of Our Life" for their sophomore album Elevate. The band shot a live music video for the song during the 2012 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, which premiered after the show.

In 2012, Furlong began transitioning into electronic music, after co-writing a song for Diplo's Express Yourself EP. "I'd always been a fan of dance music in general, but working on Diplo's project gave me a completely different perspective of the genre as a whole." Later that year, Furlong began collaborating with Steve Aoki, co-writing the single "Singularity." They would collaborate again in 2013, when Furlong wrote and sang vocals on the single "Bring You To Life (Transcend)", which peaked at number forty-four on the Billboard Dance/Electronic Songs chart. Furlong performed the single alongside Aoki at his 2013 concert in Los Angeles at the Shrine Exposition Hall, during which two Guinness World Records were set for "the longest scream by a crowd" and "most people simultaneously lighting glow sticks."

2014-2015: Commercial recognition

Furlong began writing with John Feldmann in 2014. Together, they did several songs with pop punk band 5 Seconds of Summer for their debut self-titled album, including "Everything I Didn't Say," "Social Casualty," and "Independence Day." Despite not being released as a single, "Everything I Didn't Say" reached number twenty-four on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was also featured on the band's live album LiveSOS. Later that year, Furlong and Feldmann worked with post-hardcore band Sleeping With Sirens co-writing "Kick Me," the first single off of their fourth studio album Madness. The single peaked at number twenty-three on the Billboard Hot Rock Songs chart. "Kick Me" won an award for song of the year at the 2015 Alternative Press Music Awards.

In 2015, Furlong began working with All Time Low on their sixth studio album, Future Hearts, co-writing "Runaways" and "Don't You Go." The album was the highest selling album worldwide its first week out, making it the band's highest debut ever. Later that year, Furlong co-wrote and co-produced "Game On," a single by Waka Flocka Flame featuring Good Charlotte, which served as the theme song of the Adam Sandler film, Pixels. Pixels was released in 2D, 3D, and IMAX 3D on July 24, 2015. Furlong was also a co-writer on the Good Charlotte single, "Makeshift Love," which debuted at number nine on the Billboard Rock Charts. Variance Magazine claimed that 2015 was a "pivotal year" for the songwriter and producer.

Avicii single: "The Nights"

In addition to co-writing, Furlong was also the vocalist of Avicii's single "The Nights". The single premiered on the soundtrack of FIFA 15 on September 23, 2014. It was released on December 1, 2014 on The Days / Nights EP, alongside Avicii's prior single "The Days", and as a single in the UK on January 11, 2015. "The Nights" peaked at number one on the UK Dance Chart, number six on the UK Singles Chart, and number ten on the Billboard Dance/Electronic Songs chart. It has accumulated more than two-hundred and eighty million streams on Spotify and has achieved certified sales in numerous countries. Furlong was also responsible for the idea of using friend Rory Kramer's footage as the official music video, which has since surpassed two-hundred and ninety million views.

2016-Current: AttaBoy Music

In 2016, Furlong founded his own production / publishing company, AttaBoy Music. He immediately began developing and working with producer Colin Brittain. Furlong was brought on as executive producer, co-producer, and a songwriter for Papa Roach's ninth studio album, Crooked Teeth. The first single, titled "Help," was released February 17, 2017, and spent six consecutive weeks at number one on Billboard's Top Mainstream Rock Singles chart, also making it the band's third number one Rock single in their career. The album's second single "American Dreams" reached number eight on the charts, making it the album's second top ten Rock single. Furlong simultaneously assisted in the development of a solo artist project with Logan Henderson. In addition to playing the role of executive producer, he co-produced, and contributed as a songwriter on every song. Henderson's debut single "Sleepwalker" was released January 27, 2017 via Henderson's own imprint, Mystic Rabbit Records. Furlong co-produced and co-wrote several songs with All Time Low for their album Last Young Renegade, including the album's first single "Dirty Laundry," which reached #1 on the UK Rock Singles chart. Furlong is also credited as a co-writer on "Good Old Days" for blink-182's deluxe edition of their Grammy nominated album, California. It's been reported that he spent the remainder of 2017 producing and executive producing a forthcoming album by The Front Bottoms, in addition to a follow up album by Papa Roach.