Artist · chart history
Francis and the Lights
Band Oakland United States Formed 2007
Francis and the Lights formed in 2007 in Oakland, United States. Francis and the Lights has 6 chart appearances on 6 radio countdowns from 4 stations on RockLists, spanning 2016–2025. The most successful song on radio countdowns is “May I Have This Dance (remix)”, which appears on 3 lists with a best position of #11. The station that charted Francis and the Lights most often is The Current (Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN), with 3 appearances. The artist’s biggest year on year-end countdowns was 2017.
Francis and the Lights is the vehicle for Francis Farewell Starlite, a singer, pianist, producer and dancer who started the project in Oakland in 2007. The name points two ways at once: to the lights on a stage and to the pixels on a screen, which is a neat summary of where his music lives.
The sound is built on heavily electronic beats, with his voice out front. On stage he often sings over pre-produced tracks with a DJ's help, sometimes reaching for a synthesizer, though earlier videos show him fronting a live band. He is a collaborator in demand, working with Kanye West, Justin Vernon, Chance the Rapper, Frank Ocean, Cashmere Cat and Banks.
His debut studio album, Farewell, Starlite!, finally arrived on September 24, 2016, with "Friends" gliding on a warm, hazy groove. The following year brought a remix of "May I Have This Dance", a buoyant, gently bouncing slow-burner that sounds like a prom where everyone is too happy to be cool.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
Songs by Francis and the Lights on radio countdowns
| # | Song | Strength | Lists | Best | #1s | Peak year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | May I Have This Dance (remix) | 3 | #11 | – | 2017 | |
| 2 | May I Have This Dance | 2 | #59 | – | 2017 | |
| 3 | Friends | 1 | #75 | – | 2016 |
Albums with charting songs
Where each song was first released, from MusicBrainz.
Year-end chart timeline
Combined year-end countdown points per year. Taller bars mean more songs placing higher across more stations.
Comments
Log in or create a free account to join the conversation about Francis and the Lights.
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts.