Ezra Koenig

Ezra Michael Koenig (born April 8, 1984) is an American musician, singer-songwriter, record producer, and internet radio personality.

He is best known as the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter of indie rock band Vampire Weekend.

Additionally, Koenig is the creator of the Netflix animated comedy series Neo Yokio and also hosts the Apple Music radio talk show ''Time Crisis with Ezra Koenig.

Time Crisis'' is airing its ninth season, as of 2023.

Koenig has a younger sister, Emma Koenig (born 1988), who is the author of the books ''FUCK!

I'm in my twenties and Moan'', and has written for television and magazines.

Ezra began writing music around the age of ten, and his first song ever was titled "Bad Birthday Party".

While attending Columbia University, he ran a blog called Internet Vibes about fashion, existentialism, personal identity, and modern culture.

After graduating, he taught English through Teach for America at Junior High School 258 in Brooklyn, New York.

Students recalled Koenig bringing his guitar with him to class, despite trying to hide it and his music career.

He was described as a "laid-back" teacher who successfully made bonds with his students.

Ezra met his bandmates at Columbia University, prior to 2003.

After already having met drummer Chris Tomson, Koenig became acquainted with Rostam Batmanglij.

The two immediately bonded over Radiohead at a party during freshman year and vowed to start a band one day.

Rounding out the group was Chris Baio, Koenig's suite-mate in his sophomore year, with whom he shared a love of Destiny's Child.

In 2004, Koenig formed the rap band, L'Homme Run, notable for the comedic track, "Pizza Party", with Andrew Kalaidjian and fellow Vampire Weekend band member Chris Tomson, played saxophone for the indie rock band Dirty Projectors and worked as an intern for The Walkmen.

In 2005, Ezra formed the indie rock band Vampire Weekend.

The name of the group was in reference to an unreleased indie film of the same name that Ezra and his friends produced during a vacation.

In the film, Ezra portrayed the protagonist, Walcott, a man hell-bent on escaping Cape Cod as he believed vampires were coming.

Many songs from the band's eponymous release made reference to the film.

The group immediately got to work, playing their first show in 2006 at a battle of the bands in a campus basement.

They placed third out of four.

Later that year, some of their demos appeared online, earning raves from sites like Stereogum and Pitchfork.

Before they knew it, they were selling out shows and appearing on the cover of Spin without even having released an album.

In fall 2007, a deal with XL Recordings cut short Koenig's teaching career.

During his schooling and college years, he was involved in numerous musical projects with Wes Miles, a childhood friend and now current frontman of Ra Ra Riot.

Koenig and Miles formed an experimental band, The Sophisticuffs, which was described as "wildly inventive musical work".

Their eponymous debut album arrived on January 29, 2008, and by the end of the year they had performed on Saturday Night Live, played for 40,000 fans at England's Glastonbury festival, and sold nearly half a million albums.

The album was self-produced while they were working full-time jobs.

Over his career Koenig has received many accolades, including five Grammy Award nominations for his work with Vampire Weekend in 2010, 2013 and 2019 (including Album of the Year), with wins in 2013 and 2019 for Best Alternative Music Album.

Since then, the band have released another three albums: Contra (2010), Modern Vampires of the City (2013), and Father of the Bride (2019).

The band has been nominated for multiple Grammy Awards.

In 2011, Contra was nominated for Best Alternative Music Album, but Brothers by The Black Keys won the award.

In 2014, Modern Vampires of the City was nominated in the category and, this time, the band won the award.

He was also nominated for Album of the Year in 2016 for his production work on Beyoncé's album, Lemonade.

Koenig was born in New York City and is the son of Bobby Bass, a psychotherapist, and Robin Koenig, a set dresser on film and TV productions.

He is Jewish, and his family emigrated to the U.S. from Romania and Hungary.

His parents lived on the Upper West Side of Manhattan before moving to Glen Ridge, New Jersey shortly after their son's birth.

As a young teenager, Ezra attended Buck's Rock Camp, a Montessori-style, performing and creative arts camp in Connecticut.

He graduated from Glen Ridge High School.