Beck

Beck David Hansen was born Bek David Campbell on July 8, 1970, in Los Angeles, California. Raised by visual artist Bibbe Hansen and surrounded by folk, blues, hip-hop and experimental art, he began busking and performing in Los Angeles before joining New York’s anti-folk scene in 1989. After returning to California, he recorded “Loser” with producer Carl Stephenson; released independently in 1993, the song secured Beck a contract with DGC Records and reached number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 following its national release in 1994. That year also brought the major-label album Mellow Gold and the independently issued Stereopathetic Soulmanure and One Foot in the Grave. Produced largely with the Dust Brothers, Odelay followed in 1996 and combined alternative rock, hip-hop and sampling on tracks including “Where It’s At.” It earned Grammys for Best Alternative Music Performance and Best Male Rock Vocal Performance. Beck moved toward psychedelic folk on the Nigel Godrich-produced Mutations in 1998, then explored funk and R&B on Midnite Vultures in 1999. The introspective Sea Change arrived in 2002, pairing songs such as “Lost Cause” with string arrangements by his father, David Campbell. Beck revisited sample-driven alternative rock with Guero in 2005 and The Information in 2006 before collaborating with Danger Mouse on the psychedelic Modern Guilt in 2008. His 2012 project Song Reader initially appeared solely as sheet music and was recorded by artists including Jack White, Norah Jones, Jarvis Cocker and Jeff Tweedy in 2014. That year’s folk-rock album Morning Phase won three Grammys, including Album of the Year and Best Rock Album. Beck subsequently worked with Greg Kurstin on the pop-oriented Colors in 2017, which won Best Alternative Music Album, and with Pharrell Williams on Hyperspace in 2019. He appeared on Gorillaz’s “The Valley of the Pagans” in 2020, collaborated with Paul McCartney on a reworked “Find My Way” in 2021 and released a Grammy-nominated cover of Neil Young’s “Old Man” in 2022. In 2023, Beck issued “Thinking About You,” recorded “Odyssey” with Phoenix and reunited with the Chemical Brothers for “Skipping Like a Stone.” His 2024 cover of George Harrison’s “Be Here Now” coincided with the beginning of orchestral concerts that continued through 2025. Beck collected covers, rarities and two previously unreleased recordings on Everybody’s Gotta Learn Sometime in early 2026. He then released “Ride Lonesome” and “In the Night,” introducing the Nigel Godrich-mixed Ride Lonesome. Released on September 18, the album reunited musicians from Mutations, Sea Change and Morning Phase and marked his first full-length collection of original material in seven years.