1. From 2004 to 2006, Hynes was a member of the band Test Icicles, playing guitar, synth, and occasionally performing vocals.
39 Facts About Dev Hynes
1. 2.
Dev Hynes went on to release two solo studio albums as Lightspeed Champion, and subsequently five more as Blood Orange, between 2008 and 2019.
3.
Dev Hynes has written, played or produced for and with artists such as Tinashe, Solange Knowles, Connan Mockasin, Tei Shi, Sky Ferreira, FKA Twigs, Britney Spears, Haim, Caroline Polachek, Florence and the Machine, Carly Rae Jepsen, the Chemical Brothers, Kylie Minogue, A$AP Rocky, Mac Miller, Blondie, Jazmine Sullivan, Sugababes, Turnstile, and Mariah Carey.
4.
Dev Hynes was born in Ilford, East London, to a Guyanese mother and a Sierra Leone Creole father.
5.
Dev Hynes was educated at the Chadwell Heath Foundation School, now known as Chadwell Heath Academy.
6.
Dev Hynes relocated to New York in 2007 where he resides.
7.
The name 'Lightspeed Champion' comes from a series of comic strips Dev Hynes drew as a teenager in his school mathematics books.
8.
Dev Hynes performed with We Are Scientists at the Glastonbury in 2008 and appeared at Belgian music festival Pukkelpop in August 2008.
9.
Dev Hynes took a two and a half-year hiatus from touring, appearing occasionally to play shows in New York and a top billed slot at the Carling Festival in 2009.
10.
In December 2008, Dev Hynes was asked on behalf of the British Film Institute to perform the soundtrack of the cult Hal Ashby film Harold and Maude after a screening of the performance.
11.
Dev Hynes had to cancel this due to an operation he had to undergo on his throat.
12.
In July 2009 Dev Hynes reprised the soundtrack and performed at Latitude Festival.
13.
In June 2009, Dev Hynes performed at the Barbican Centre in London in commemoration of the composer Moondog, singing renditions along with London Saxophonic of songs from the Moondog album Sax Pax for a Sax.
14.
Dev Hynes sang "Fujiyama Part 2" backed by the Britten Sinfonia.
15.
Dev Hynes returned for a two-week European tour in June 2010.
16.
Dev Hynes has recorded a number of bootlegs and unofficial releases, made available to the public through his blog and MySpace.
17.
Dev Hynes retired the project to focus fully on his Blood Orange project.
18.
On 17 December 2009, Dev Hynes performed a song titled "Forget It" on the final It's On with Alexa Chung show on MTV.
19.
Dev Hynes performed to a backing track dressed in a wizard costume.
20.
On 9 April 2012, Dev Hynes embarked on a tour as Blood Orange opening for Florence and the Machine.
21.
In November 2013, Dev Hynes released the second Blood Orange album, Cupid Deluxe.
22.
Dev Hynes scored the 2013 film Palo Alto, directed by Gia Coppola.
23.
On 18 April 2016, Dev Hynes announced his third record under the Blood Orange moniker would be entitled Freetown Sound.
24.
On 25 June 2019, Dev Hynes announced his fifth release under the Blood Orange moniker in an interview with Cultured Magazine.
25.
In 2022, Dev Hynes performed alongside Liam Benzvi on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Benzvi, Tariq Al-Sabir, Eva Tolkin, and Ian Isiah at Madison Square Garden as part of Harry Styles's Love On Tour.
26.
In September 2022, it was announced Dev Hynes signed to RCA Records.
27.
Dev Hynes has written and contributed songs to a number of other acts.
28.
Dev Hynes has co-written and produced songs for Diana Vickers on Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree, another No 1 debutante on the UK Albums Chart.
29.
Dev Hynes has produced and written songs for Theophilus London, including his second album, Vibes, released in 2014, and the 2011 EP, Lovers Holiday, which he featured on.
30.
Dev Hynes contributed music to the 2010 film MacGruber, including the duet "Rock My Body" with Saturday Night Live cast member Kristen Wiig.
31.
Dev Hynes co-wrote and co-produced Solange Knowles' 2012 EP True.
32.
Dev Hynes has co-written the song "Everything Is Embarrassing" for Sky Ferreira.
33.
Dev Hynes worked with Britney Spears on her eighth album, Britney Jean; however, none of his songs made the final cut.
34.
Dev Hynes co-wrote and co-produced Kylie Minogue's song "Crystallize", a charity single for One Note Against Cancer.
35.
Dev Hynes co-wrote "Difficult Phone Call", a track on the extended version of the album.
36.
Dev Hynes was featured on Self Care by Mac Miller, off of Mac's album Swimming.
37.
Dev Hynes co-wrote Blondie's single "Long Time" with Deborah Harry, which was included on the band's eleventh album Pollinator.
38.
In 2024, Dev Hynes composed music for the Broadway production of Job.
39.
Dev Hynes has collaborated several times with composer Philip Glass, performing his piano Etudes for radio, at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center.