AJR Talk 'It's On Us'

We miss the former president and his wingman so much. Back in 2014, Obama and Biden launched the It's On Us summit - a campaign to raise awareness to help put an end to sexual assault on college campuses. A lot of musicians and celebrities are contributing to the movement, and New York-based trio, AJR, is one of them.

Apparently, Obama is a big fan of AJR and was listening to one of their songs on Spotify recently - they even performed at the White House a few months back to support the campaign. The indie-pop trio was asked to make a theme song for the campaign, called "It's On Us," of course, and will be released in April. Although Obama and Biden aren't in office anymore, they chose to continue the campaign. The It's On Us summit's website says, "Studies estimate that one in five women is sexually assaulted while in college....The culture of violence and silence at our college campuses contradicts everything we stand for as a country." Last year, Lady Gaga joined Joe Biden in Las Vegas to speak at a UNLV rally about sexual violence. Jon Hamm, Kerry Washington, Common, Josh Hutcherson, Zoe Saldana and Nina Dobrev are amongst some of the other celebrities that have been involved in the campaign.

Indie-pop trio AJR have come a long way since forming 10 years ago, when they got their start busking on the streets and in the parks of New York City.

Comprised of three brothers Adam, Jack, and Ryan from which the group derives their namesake, AJR first achieved major acclaim with their single Im Ready. The electro-pop smash is certified Platinum with over 18.5 million YouTube views, 44.5 million Spotify streams, a feature in Amy Schumers Trainwreck trailer, double platinum certification in Australia and airplay on pop radio stations across the country. The hit garnered praise from Billboard, PopCrush, Idolator and more and secured them live performances on TODAY, Live with Kelly, X Factor Australia, and VH1 Big Morning Buzz.
Their latest release What Everyones Thinking is a 5-song EP decorated with explosive choruses and buoyant synth. Lead single from the EP, Weak, has received early acclaim while racking up over 56 Million Spotify streams. The track currently sits at #32 on SPOTIFYs U.S. chart, #31 on SPOTIFYs Global chart, and is now impacting at Top 40 radio.

From the introspective, yet upbeat EP opener Come Hang Out, to the quirky Im Not Famous, to the emotional Turning Out and closer No Grass Today, What Everyones Thinking has something for everyone and showcases the bands undeniable knack for creating hits.

Adam (bass/vocals), is a 25-year old Columbia University graduate. Ryan (ukulele/piano/ vocals), a bespectacled 22-year old Columbia junior serves as the bands main songwriter (in addition to AJRs music, he has also co-written Andy Grammers hits Back Home and certified Gold record Good To Be Alive). Jack (vocals/guitar), the 18-year old force-of-nature who splits time between lead vocals and also attends Columbia as a freshman.

Raised on the vinyl of the '50s and '60s, AJR was initially inspired by the likes of The Beach Boys and Frankie Valli, but the sound theyve created has now been favorably compared to a modern mix of those classic sounds, with flavors of Imagine Dragons, Fun., and even some hip-hop production elements pointing towards Kanye West.

AJR writes, records, and produces all of their music from the living room of their Chelsea apartment. No pop Svengali overseeing their work. No studio musicians filling in the blanks. No Max Martin co-write. Simply a DIY pop group with Pro Tools and a $99 microphone.