Free Nationals

Free Nationals are a smooth, funk-fluent R&B band based in Los Angeles. The quartet recorded and performed extensively with Anderson .Paak before they branched out in 2019 with Free Nationals, their Grammy-nominated debut album. They’ve gone on to collaborate with the likes of Rae Khalil, Remi Wolf, and John Legend, and in 2024 they released “Gangsta,” a trippy single featuring Paak and A$AP Rocky. Keyboardist Ron Avant (aka T. Nava), drummer Matthew Marisola (aka Callum Connor), bassist Kelsey Gonzalez, and guitarist José Rios took the name Free Nationals after they started working with Paak. Session-wise, Avant and Rios go back with Paak to the late 2000s. The whole quartet became integral to the latter’s progression on Malibu, a 2017 breakthrough nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best Urban Contemporary Album. The band’s distinct identity came into focus with extensive touring in support of Paak. After two additional albums with Paak, Oxnard and Ventura, and a handful of guest-fronted singles on their own, Avant, Marisola, Gonzalez, and Rios put the finishing touches on the full-length Free Nationals. Released digitally toward the end of 2019 (physical editions arrived early the following year), the LP featured appearances from the likes of Paak, Daniel Caesar, Syd, Kali Uchis, and Mac Miller. It debuted at number three on Billboard’s Heatseekers chart, and was nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best Progressive R&B Album. Despite the success they achieved on their own, Free Nationals continued to freelance after the release of their album. From 2020 through 2023, they were heard on Rae Khalil’s “Allstar” and John Legend’s “Strawberry Blush,” and they remixed Remi Wolf’s “Photo ID” and Tash Sultana’s “Pretty Lady.” The group returned in 2024 with “Gangsta” featuring Paak and A$AP Rocky. ~ Andy Kellman