At just 18 years old, Mark Foster took his dad’s advice and made a leap of faith to pursue his music dreams in LA. Little did he know that his band Foster The People’s very first single, “Pumped Up Kicks” would change his life, skyrocketing to #3 on the Billboard charts.
In this episode, Mark joins Guy to recount his winding path from a music-obsessed pastor’s son in Cleveland to the frontman of a successful indie pop band. He shares how he survived the dark side of sudden success, got sober and rediscovered his songwriting “flow state,” and why the band’s latest album, “Paradise State of Mind” represents his most intentional and hopeful work yet.
Listen to Mark Foster’s “Paradise State of Mind” new album here: https://fosterthepeople.lnk.to/paradisestateofmind
Listen to this episode on the go:
🟣Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mark-foster-foster-the-people-i-delivered-pizza/id1640546593?i=1000665117786
🟢Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0YI4VHRbCubR0KgsBJWqKg?si=XwReyY2ZRrGmYDTETA_90Q
(00:00:00) - Intro
(00:03:00) - Struggles and influences in Cleveland
(00:14:20) - Moving to LA and facing career challenges
(00:42:19) - A call from Dr. Dre
(00:45:57) - His darkest year
(00:49:13) - A turning point: Mophonics
(00:50:51) - The birth of Foster the People
(00:53:29) - The success of “Pumped Up Kicks”
(00:58:13) - Songwriting process and inspirations
(01:09:55) - Creating “Paradise State of Mind”
(01:18:49) - The healing power of music
Mentioned in this episode:
• The 2011 music video for “Pumped Up Kicks”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDTZ7iX4vTQ
• Paradise State of Mind, the new album is out now: https://fosterthepeople.lnk.to/paradisestateofmind
• The lead single “See You in the Afterlife” off Paradise State of Mind: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRpRyJnZYdk
Connect with Mark:
• 💻Website: https://www.fosterthepeople.com/
• 📺Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@FosterThePeople
• 📸Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/markfoster
• 🎵TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fosterthepeople
Connect with us:
•💻Website: TheGreatCreators.com
•📸Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegreatcreatorspodcast and https://www.instagram.com/guy.raz
• 🎵TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@guyraz