Blacklite District
Kyle Pfeiffer (born June 9, 1990), better known by his stage name Blacklite District, is an American rock music artist. Raised in Indiana, Pfeiffer moved to Spearfish, South Dakota at a young age. Before taking the name as his own, Blacklite District was previously a band comprised by Pfeiffer and Roman James.[1][2] Blacklite District has four songs which have reached Top 40 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart.[3]
Blacklite District | |
|---|---|
 Blacklite District in 2020 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Kyle Pfeiffer |
| Also known as | Blacklite District |
| Born | June 9, 1990 Indiana, U.S. |
| Genres | Rock, hard rock, alternative |
| Occupation(s) |
|
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar, drums |
| Years active | 2011–present |
| Labels | AK19 Entertainment |
| Website | blacklitedistrict |
Early life
Kyle Pfeiffer was born on June 9, 1990,[4] and grew up in Indiana before moving to South Dakota at a young age.[1] As both of his parents struggled with drug addiction, Pfeiffer was raised by his grandparents.
On May 3, 1999, his mother passed away from a heroin overdose at the age of 27. Shortly after, Pfeiffer began listening to artists like Ozzy Osbourne, as an escape from the trauma of losing a parent at such a young age. He claims Ozzy Osbourne as his biggest musical influence and for getting him started on the path to a career in music.
At the age of 10, Pfeiffer's grandfather bought him a drum-set from a Sears catalog after he started listening to Fleetwood Mac. He learned to play drums by himself by watching VHS tapes of live concerts. Eventually, he rediscovered and became obsessed with Ozzy Osbourne's band, Black Sabbath, and that is when he started taking singing seriously, and writing his own songs.
In high school, Pfeiffer played music with his friends and started a band in 2004. He graduated from Spearfish High School in 2009.[1]
Career
Blacklite District (2011–2018)
In early 2011, Pfeiffer met producer Stephen Short, who signed him and Roman James, another artist in the Black Hills, to a production deal. The two formed the band Blacklite District, with James as vocalist and Pfeiffer as guitarist, and released their debut extended play This Is Where It Ends (2011). In 2012, they relocated to Los Angeles and then to Florida after signing with Silent Majority Group. They promoted the With Me Now EP (2013) on tour with the bands Saving Abel and Art of Dying and released their debut album Worldwide Controversy the following year.[5] Their first charting single "With Me Now" came from the album, peaking #34 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Airplay chart in 2013.[6] Pfeiffer considers the singles "With Me Now" and “Take Me To The Grave” as a "turning point" for the band.[7]
After two years, Blacklite District released their second album To Whom It May Concern (2016). Pfeiffer shifted to vocals and the album leaned more towards hip hop and pop. The single "Cold as Ice" from Pfeiffer's album Instant Gratification (2017) became viral and reached #35 on Mainstream Rock Airplay in January 2018. The song also had a Minecraft music video created by the YouTuber Rainimator, which was released in August 2017 and has over 50 million views. The success of "Cold as Ice" led Pfeiffer to adapt Blacklite District as his own stage name, as James was now both a collaborator and a solo artist under the stage name R8eDR & Roman. Roman is now the lead singer of the band known as Hyperdose. [2][5]
Solo career and continued collaborations (2018–present)
James began working separately under the stage name R8eDR, both in collaborations with Pfeiffer and for his own solo career. Pfeiffer decided to adopt the name Blacklite District for his own solo act after the success of "Cold as Ice".[5] "Hard Pill to Swallow" was released by the band on October 10, 2018 as the lead single for their fourth album Through the Ages, saying that the song ushered in a "new era" for Blacklite District. Pfeiffer also began working with DZFX Media for his live-action music videos.[6] The album was released that year.[2]
To promote his debut solo album, Pfeiffer released a single every six weeks for late 2019 and the first half of 2020, beginning with "Me Against the World".[4][6] Pfeiffer released long plays (LPs) Blacklite District and Instant // Concern before releasing the album, titled You're Welcome, on July 17, 2020. The single "Falling" peaked No. 34 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock charts and became his highest-charting song. It was also accompanied by a Minecraft music video which peaked at #3 trending on YouTube.[1][5][8]
On December 31, 2021, Pfeiffer released the LP 1990.
"Gotta Get Outta Here" was released on October 1 as the lead single from Pfeiffer's "1990" album, which was released on December 31, 2021. The song spent 16 weeks in the top-40 of the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart, and garnered over 10 million combined streams and video views as of November 2022.
In mid 2022, Pfeiffer announced that original drummer Graham Spillman would be returning to record drums on the five bonus tracks on 1990 - XL, which led to Spillman being named as the permanent drummer for Blacklite District moving forward.
In November of the same year, Pfeiffer and Spillman entered the studio with long-time producer Brett Hestla, and new guitarist Justin Sundlin, to record new "XL" songs for the upcoming 'Blacklite District - XL' album in 2023. 1990 - XL was released on November 11, 2022.
Artistry
Pfeiffer's genres include "hard rock, hip-hop, alternative rock, trap, and electro-pop".[5] Inspired by artists he listened to as a child, such as Metallica and Ozzy Osbourne, Pfeiffer started out as a hard rock artist but has, in recent years, incorporated a variety of genres in his music.[1] In a 2018 interview, Pfeiffer named artists like Fleetwood Mac, Linkin Park and Twenty One Pilots as influences.[7] His album 1990 (2021) marked a return to hard rock.
Personal life
Pfeiffer began dating Amber Rice in September 2015, and the two were married two years later in December 2017. They raise Pfeiffer's son, Maddox, from a previous relationship. He proposed to Amber during a New Year's Eve concert in his hometown of Spearfish, SD.
Pfeiffer has lived in multiple cities during his time breaking into the music industry. He moved to Los Angeles area in 2012, and still visits there frequently to record and shoot music videos. He also lived in Orlando, FL for about six months while working with producer Brett Hestla on some early recordings. At one time, he was managed by Jeff Hanson, who was also in the Orlando area.
In 2015–2017, Pfeiffer was hospitalized on multiple occasions for alcohol-induced pancreatitis from years of alcohol abuse on the road, which led to a full-blown addiction at home. As of January 2020, Pfeiffer has been clean from alcohol for over a year and lives a sober lifestyle.
In January 2020, Pfeiffer and his wife Amber officially formed AK19 Entertainment as an LLC.
Chart History
- "With Me Now" (2014) - No. 34 Mainstream Rock Songs
- "Cold As Ice" (2018) - No. 35 Mainstream Rock Songs
- "Falling" (2020) - No. 33 Mainstream Rock Songs
- "Gotta Get Outta Here" (2022) – No. 31 Mainstream Rock Songs
Discography
Studio Albums
- Blacklite District [2020] - AK19 Entertainment, LLC
- You're Welcome [2020] - AK19 Entertainment, LLC
- You're Welcome (Deluxe Edition) [2021]
- 1990 [2021] - AK19 Entertainment, LLC
- 1990 - XL [11.11.22] - AK19 Ent, LLC
- Blacklite District - XL [6.9.23] - AK19 Ent, LLC
- You're Welcome - XL [TBA 2023] - AK19 Ent, LLC
References
- Thompson, Nathan (October 29, 2020). "Spearfish rocker's single reaches Billboard Top 40 list". Rapid City Journal. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
- Rutherford, Kevin (March 9, 2019). "It's 'Me Against the World' For Blacklite District With New Song & Video: Exclusive". Billboard. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
- "Chart History: Blacklite District". Billboard. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
- Johnson, Jasmine (July 21, 2020). "A Look at Blacklite District's Debut Album, 'You're Welcome'". Respect. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
- Monger, James Christopher. "Biography: Blacklite District". AllMusic. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
- Rutherford, Kevin (October 10, 2018). "Blacklite District Begin 'New Era' With 'Hard Pill to Swallow': Song & Video Premiere". Billboard. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
- "INTERVIEW – KYLE PFEIFFER OF BLACKLITE DISTRICT". Cryptic Rock. January 16, 2018. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
- Joseph, Blake (November 12, 2020). "Blacklite District's music surges on multiple platforms". KOTA-TV. Retrieved June 3, 2023.