# Steve Lacy
**Steve Lacy** (Steve Thomas Lacy-Moya) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and record producer from [Compton, California](https://www.edgepedia.org/compton-california), born in 1998, who rose to prominence as the guitarist of the alternative R&B band the Internet and later as a solo artist with the Grammy-winning album *Gemini Rights* and its chart-topping single "Bad Habit"[1](https://www.sonymusic.fr/artist/steve-lacy/) • [2](https://www.nextbiography.com/steve-lacy/). He is known for a genre-blending sound that mixes alternative R&B, funk, rock, soul, jazz, and lo-fi elements, and for producing much of his early music entirely on an iPhone.[3](https://the824journal.press/artists/steve-lacy/) • [4](https://www.wired.com/2017/04/steve-lacy-iphone-producer/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name and origin | Steve Thomas Lacy-Moya, born 1998 in Compton, California; singer-songwriter, guitarist, bassist, and producer[1](https://www.sonymusic.fr/artist/steve-lacy/) |
| Band | Guitarist of the Internet, the Los Angeles alternative R&B group that emerged from Odd Future; joined in 2015[5](https://musicbrainz.org/artist/b29020d6-5dbf-4c99-b16f-c009f8a712ff?all=1) • [6](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-inescapable-charm-of-steve-lacys-bad-habit) |
| Early production method | Guitar connected through an iRig adapter directly into an iPhone 6, recording in GarageBand[4](https://www.wired.com/2017/04/steve-lacy-iphone-producer/) |
| Breakthrough hit | "Bad Habit" (2022): 35 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, three of them at No. 1, and the first single ever to top five Billboard genre charts at the same time[7](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/08/03/oh-yeah-steve-lacy-music-review) |
| Grammy Awards | Won Best Progressive R&B Album for *Gemini Rights* (2023); earlier nominations for the Internet's *Ego Death* (2016) and his own *Apollo XXI* (2020)[8](https://assets.website-files.com/65f03020e4a810ff53f22343/6635386ed16ba9c839261d7d_seselelexizemozomasaluja.pdf) |
| Solo albums | *Apollo XXI* (2019), *Gemini Rights* (2022), *Oh Yeah?* (2026)[9](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/steve-lacy/1210275020?uo=4) • [10](https://www.sonymusic.ca/press_release/33915) |
## The Internet and early production
Lacy joined the Internet, an alternative R&B band led by singer Syd that grew out of the Los Angeles hip-hop collective [Odd Future](https://www.edgepedia.org/odd-future), in 2015 while still a teenager[5](https://musicbrainz.org/artist/b29020d6-5dbf-4c99-b16f-c009f8a712ff?all=1) • [6](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-inescapable-charm-of-steve-lacys-bad-habit). He contributed a sizable portion of the band's 2015 album *Ego Death*, which was nominated for a Grammy for Best Urban Contemporary Album[11](https://www.theringer.com/2019/05/29/music/steve-lacy-apollo-xxi-album-the-internet-guide-playground) • [6](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-inescapable-charm-of-steve-lacys-bad-habit). He received his first Grammy nomination at 17 and went to school the day after the ceremony[12](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/jul/17/i-used-to-do-acid-on-a-wednesday-i-dont-have-time-for-that-now-alt-pop-star-steve-lacy-on-his-struggle-to-follow-huge-hit-bad-habit).
**The iPhone setup.** Lacy's smartphone has been his personal studio since he first started making music. In a 2017 WIRED profile, he connected his guitar to an iPhone 6 through an iRig interface adapter and tuned it using the [GarageBand](https://www.edgepedia.org/garageband) pitch meter, working with Beats headphones and the phone perched on his knee[4](https://www.wired.com/2017/04/steve-lacy-iphone-producer/). He described the activity simply as "making beats" rather than recording, songwriting, or producing[4](https://www.wired.com/2017/04/steve-lacy-iphone-producer/). This lo-fi approach attracted high-profile collaborators: he went on to work on [J. Cole](https://www.edgepedia.org/j-cole)'s chart-topping *4 Your Eyez Only* and [Kendrick Lamar](https://www.edgepedia.org/kendrick-lamar)'s *DAMN.*, co-producing the Top 40 entry "PRIDE."[9](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/steve-lacy/1210275020?uo=4) • [13](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/steve-lacy-mn0003420473) He also co-wrote songs for Solange, contributing to three songs on her album *When I Get Home*, and appeared on Tyler, the Creator's "911 / Mr. Lonely"[14](https://time.com/5541541/solange-when-i-get-home-album/) • [5](https://musicbrainz.org/artist/b29020d6-5dbf-4c99-b16f-c009f8a712ff?all=1).
## Solo career
In 2016, the year he finished high school, Lacy began what he called a "song series" with the single "C U Girl"[13](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/steve-lacy-mn0003420473). His debut project, *Steve Lacy's Demo*, was released in February 2017 as an independent release, made predominantly on an iPhone; it contains only 13 minutes of music, and Lacy classified it as a "song series" rather than an album or EP[15](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/22983-steve-lacys-demo/) • [16](https://ifpi-website-cms.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/GMR_2023_SOTI_V11_1_122ef618c8.pdf).
His full-length debut, *Apollo XXI*, arrived in May 2019 and earned a Grammy nomination for Best Urban Contemporary Album[5](https://musicbrainz.org/artist/b29020d6-5dbf-4c99-b16f-c009f8a712ff?all=1) • [17](https://time.com/5732647/grammy-nominations-2020/). The album's centerpiece "Like Me" marked his coming out as a bisexual man in song, addressing his sexuality and fear of coming out[18](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/steve-lacy-apollo-xxi/) • [9](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/steve-lacy/1210275020?uo=4). During this period he also produced Ravyn Lenae's 2018 EP *Crush* in its entirety, after discovering her work online and contacting her directly[19](https://los40.com/2026/09/09/quien-es-ravyn-lenae-la-artista-de-rb-que-colaboro-con-rusowsky-en-pinkpink-y-triunfa-con-love-me-not/).
## Gemini Rights and "Bad Habit"
Lacy's second album, *Gemini Rights* (2022), was his major-label debut on RCA, and he handled most of its songwriting and production, with more outside help than before, including co-writers, producers, an engineer, and a prominent mixer[20](https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/inside-track-steve-lacy-bad-habit). In the summer of 2022, "Bad Habit" went viral on TikTok and became an unexpected hit[7](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/08/03/oh-yeah-steve-lacy-music-review). The song spent 35 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, including three at No. 1, and became the first single ever to top five [Billboard](https://www.edgepedia.org/billboard-magazine) genre charts simultaneously: [Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs](https://www.edgepedia.org/hot-r-and-b-hip-hop-songs), Hot R&B Songs, Hot Rock & Alternative Songs, Hot Rock Songs, and Hot Alternative Songs[7](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/08/03/oh-yeah-steve-lacy-music-review) • [21](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2022-10-10/steve-lacy-bad-habit-grammys-2023).
Despite its effortless sound, the song was not written quickly: with co-writers Fousheé, Diana Gordon, and John Carroll Kirby, Lacy workshopped it for "probably a year"[22](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/steve-lacy-oh-yeah/). At the 2023 [Grammy Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/grammy-awards), "Bad Habit" was nominated for Record of the Year and Song of the Year, and *Gemini Rights* won Best Progressive R&B Album[8](https://assets.website-files.com/65f03020e4a810ff53f22343/6635386ed16ba9c839261d7d_seselelexizemozomasaluja.pdf). The album's success led to a sold-out tour across North America, Europe, and Australia[12](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/jul/17/i-used-to-do-acid-on-a-wednesday-i-dont-have-time-for-that-now-alt-pop-star-steve-lacy-on-his-struggle-to-follow-huge-hit-bad-habit).
## Later work
After *Gemini Rights*, Lacy spent four years on his third album. His label released the breakbeat-infused single "Nice Shoes" in August 2025, written with "Bad Habit" co-writer Matthew Castellanos, to encourage him to finish[13](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/steve-lacy-mn0003420473) • [12](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/jul/17/i-used-to-do-acid-on-a-wednesday-i-dont-have-time-for-that-now-alt-pop-star-steve-lacy-on-his-struggle-to-follow-huge-hit-bad-habit). *Oh Yeah?* was released on July 17, 2026, via [RCA Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/rca-records), featuring the collaboration "is it cool?" with SZA and the lead single "the feeling"[10](https://www.sonymusic.ca/press_release/33915). Lacy has described it as his "most engineered" and "most complete" album, and critics noted its substantive verses, a departure from his earlier hook-and-beat focus[12](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/jul/17/i-used-to-do-acid-on-a-wednesday-i-dont-have-time-for-that-now-alt-pop-star-steve-lacy-on-his-struggle-to-follow-huge-hit-bad-habit) • [7](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/08/03/oh-yeah-steve-lacy-music-review).
## Style and influence
Lacy's music resists a single genre label. Critics describe his best songs as combining psychedelia, hip-hop, and alternative R&B, with a vocal style compared to Prince, and guitar work that favors feel over technical polish[7](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/08/03/oh-yeah-steve-lacy-music-review) • [6](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-inescapable-charm-of-steve-lacys-bad-habit). He has cited the [Dirty Projectors](https://www.edgepedia.org/dirty-projectors) song "Two Doves" as inspiration for the melody of his single "[Dark Red](https://www.edgepedia.org/dark-red-song)"[6](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-inescapable-charm-of-steve-lacys-bad-habit). His influence on younger artists is visible in the success of singers such as Malcom Todd, who is often called the "white Steve Lacy," and in a broader audience appetite for scuzzy guitar sounds and unconventional song structures[12](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/jul/17/i-used-to-do-acid-on-a-wednesday-i-dont-have-time-for-that-now-alt-pop-star-steve-lacy-on-his-struggle-to-follow-huge-hit-bad-habit).
## References
1. [Steve Lacy, Sony Music Entertainment France](https://www.sonymusic.fr/artist/steve-lacy/)
2. [Steve Lacy Age, Height, Wiki, Net Worth, Girlfriend, Next Biography](https://www.nextbiography.com/steve-lacy/)
3. [Steve Lacy: Musician, Producer and R&B Artist, The 824 Journal](https://the824journal.press/artists/steve-lacy/)
4. [The Hot New Hip-Hop Producer Who Does Everything on His iPhone, WIRED (2017)](https://www.wired.com/2017/04/steve-lacy-iphone-producer/)
5. [Steve Lacy, MusicBrainz](https://musicbrainz.org/artist/b29020d6-5dbf-4c99-b16f-c009f8a712ff?all=1)
6. [The Inescapable Charm of Steve Lacy's "Bad Habit", The New Yorker (2022)](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-inescapable-charm-of-steve-lacys-bad-habit)
7. [Steve Lacy's Modern Love Songs, The New Yorker (2026)](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/08/03/oh-yeah-steve-lacy-music-review)
8. [Steve Lacy awards and nominations listing](https://assets.website-files.com/65f03020e4a810ff53f22343/6635386ed16ba9c839261d7d_seselelexizemozomasaluja.pdf)
9. [Steve Lacy, Apple Music](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/steve-lacy/1210275020?uo=4)
10. [Steve Lacy Releases New Album Oh Yeah?, Sony Music Canada press release (2026)](https://www.sonymusic.ca/press_release/33915)
11. [Steve Lacy Comes Into His Own on 'Apollo XXI', The Ringer (2019)](https://www.theringer.com/2019/05/29/music/steve-lacy-apollo-xxi-album-the-internet-guide-playground)
12. ['I used to do acid on a Wednesday...', The Guardian (2026)](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/jul/17/i-used-to-do-acid-on-a-wednesday-i-dont-have-time-for-that-now-alt-pop-star-steve-lacy-on-his-struggle-to-follow-huge-hit-bad-habit)
13. [Steve Lacy, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/steve-lacy-mn0003420473)
14. [Breaking Down the Influences and Themes of Solange's When I Get Home, TIME (2019)](https://time.com/5541541/solange-when-i-get-home-album/)
15. [Steve Lacy's Demo, Pitchfork review](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/22983-steve-lacys-demo/)
16. [IFPI Global Music Report 2024 case study](https://ifpi-website-cms.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/GMR_2023_SOTI_V11_1_122ef618c8.pdf)
17. [Here Are the 2020 Grammy Award Nominations, TIME](https://time.com/5732647/grammy-nominations-2020/)
18. [Steve Lacy: Apollo XXI Album Review, Pitchfork](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/steve-lacy-apollo-xxi/)
19. [Quién es Ravyn Lenae, LOS40 (2026)](https://los40.com/2026/09/09/quien-es-ravyn-lenae-la-artista-de-rb-que-colaboro-con-rusowsky-en-pinkpink-y-triunfa-con-love-me-not/)
20. [Inside Track: Steve Lacy 'Bad Habit', Sound on Sound](https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/inside-track-steve-lacy-bad-habit)
21. [With 'Bad Habit,' Steve Lacy redefines rock star for Gen Z, Los Angeles Times (2022)](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2022-10-10/steve-lacy-bad-habit-grammys-2023)
22. [Steve Lacy: Oh yeah? Album Review, Pitchfork (2026)](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/steve-lacy-oh-yeah/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Individual musical biographies › Pop and R&B singer-songwriters › R&B singers, 2010s to present › Surnames H to O*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license