Blacklite District | |
Landscape: | yes |
Birth Name: | Kyle Pfeiffer[1] |
Alias: | Blacklite District |
Birth Date: | 9 June 1990 |
Birth Place: | Munster, Indiana, U.S. |
Genre: | Rock, hard rock, alternative |
Instrument: | Vocals, guitar, keyboards, drums |
Years Active: | 2002–present |
Label: | AK19 Entertainment, Silent Majority Group, Ping Pong Music, Roadrunner Records |
Kyle David Pfeiffer (born June 9, 1990), better known by his stage name Blacklite District, is an American rock music, hard rock and alternative rock artist, among other genres. 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.[2] [3] Blacklite District has four songs which have reached Top 40 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart.[4] He is most known for songs such as 'Cold as Ice', 'Living in a Nightmare', and 'Goodbye'.
Kyle Pfeiffer was born on June 9, 1990,[5] and grew up in Indiana before moving to South Dakota at a young age. As both of his parents struggled with drug addiction, Pfeiffer was raised by his grandparents, although he would see his mother occasionally.
On May 3, 1999, his mother passed away from a heroin overdose at the age of 27, when Pfeiffer was 9. Shortly after, Pfeiffer's uncle introduced him to Ozzy Osbourne's album No More Tears at age 10. Since this day forward, Pfeiffer "started Blacklite District... the rest is history."[6] Pfeiffer credits Osbourne as his most significant musical influence and his first inspiration to pursue a career in music.
At the age of 10, Pfeiffer's grandfather bought him a drum kit from a Sears catalog after he expressed interest in a Fleetwood Mac VHS tape. Eventually, he rediscovered and became obsessed with Ozzy Osbourne's band, Black Sabbath. Pfeiffer began to write his own songs around this time.
In 2002, Pfeiffer started a band with his friends while in school. He graduated from Spearfish High School in 2009.
A track in a track list containing "(RM)" means it's "remastered track" from the original.
In 2009 the band teased a debut album called "Red, White and Black" on December 5, 2009. In 2010 the band released the Single "Confessed" on January 1, 2010, and later the EP "Confessed" on January 16, 2010. "Scream Out" was set to release June 25, 2010, but then pushed back in fall of 2010 in an Interview Blogpost by RockTheDakotas.
Pfeiffer stated in that Blogpost "I think over the last few years, it's always been about being something real. Having those classic hard rock influences, but in a fresh way, with our own style marked on it. Blacklite District is the real deal, and this is us literally screaming out -- no pun intended."
In Mid 2024 on the Official Blacklite District Discord Server, Pfeiffer stated that this was "an imaginary album that I wanted to make but never actually existed".
In early 2011, the band met with producer Stephen Short, who produced a 7-song demo EP at Sonic Ranch Studios in June 2011. The band released the EP "This Is Where It Ends" on November 11, 2011.
In 2012, they were discovered by Creed manager Jeff Hanson who signed them with Silent Majority Group. Hanson referred the band to former Creed bassist Brett Hestla, who produced their next EP's and debut album. They released the Singles "Take Me To The Grave" in 2012, followed by With Me Now on July 9 and 10, of 2013. Later the EP "With Me Now Pt.1" was released on October 13, 2013, followed up with the EP "With Me Now Pt.2" on December 20, 2013, and went on tour with the bands Saving Abel and Art of Dying. They released their debut album "Worldwide Controversy" the following year.[7] Their first charting single, "With Me Now", peaked at #34 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Airplay chart in 2013.[8] Pfeiffer considers the release of "With Me Now" and “Take Me to the Grave” a "turning point" for the band.[9] Later in 2014 the single "Higher Life" was released, which then was then put into "Through the Ages" in 2018.
The album was re-released on streaming platforms against Pfeiffer's will around March 12, 2022, and was taken back down within days later. Pfeiffer in response of a (X) Twitter post stating "Worldwide Controversy is back on streaming platforms.100% AGAINST MY WILL!!" and stated that he's not been paid once for the Album since 2014.[10] "I’ve never been paid ONCE from this album since 2014. I know some of the fans like this album, but I am beyond SCREWED by it being out!".[11]
In 2015, former vocalist Roman James continued the band (with Pfeiffer’s approval and encouragement) with a new lineup while Kyle Pfeiffer started a new band named "Paradise Over". Pfeiffer soon rejoined Blacklite District after running into issues with the record label. They released their third album "To Whom It May Concern" on October 7, 2016. Pfeiffer shifted to vocals and the album leaned more towards hip hop and pop. Both "The Struggle" and "Broken Souls" received significant radio play across America.
On October 10, 2016, Rock Rage Radio interviewed Pfeiffer.[12] In the interview, Pfeiffer discussed his newly released album 'To Whom it May Concern' and his song 'The Struggle', saying that the meaning of it relates to him losing his mother when he was a little kid. He also discussed and approved of Nightcore covers of his songs, crediting them as significantly boosting his visibility. He emphasizes the band's commitment to authenticity and their global reach, especially in European and South American markets.
In 2017, Blacklite District released their fourth album, titled "Instant Gratification". "Cold as Ice" reached #35 on Billboard Mainstream Rock Airplay in January 2018. The band collaborated with Minecraft animator Rainimator to produce animated music videos for their songs. The music video for Cold as Ice has over 75 million views on YouTube.
"Hard Pill to Swallow" was released by the band on October 10, 2018, as the lead single for their fifth album "Through the Ages", stating that the song ushered in a "new era" for Blacklite District. The 17-song album featured very little guitar and had both Pfeiffer and James providing lead vocals. The band also began working with DZFX Media for their live-action music videos.
The band released "never came around" on March 22, 2019, followed by "Me Against the World" on September 6, 2019, as the lead single for their sixth album, titled Souled Out. The song was featured on Sirius XM Octane.
In early 2020, Blacklite District announced that Pfeiffer and James would be going their separate ways and Blacklite District would become a solo carrier. Pfeiffer removed the band's old albums (although they are still available on Amazon Music and YouTube channel Crimer HD. "To Whom it May Concern" and "Instant Gratification" were re-released in May 2024 with a slight change to the track list. He released his self-titled album on his 30th birthday. The album features songs from "To Whom it May Concern" and "Instant Gratification". on July 17, 2020, he released "You're Welcome", featuring songs from "Through the Ages" and "Souled Out", as well as various new songs. The single "Falling" peaked No. 34 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock charts. It was accompanied by a Minecraft-themed music video which peaked at #3 trending on YouTube.[13]
Pfeiffer checked into drug rehab on January 6, 2021. While in rehab he continued to write songs, releasing singles for the Deluxe Edition of "You're Welcome". On December 31, 2021, Pfeiffer released the LP "1990", produced by Brett Hestla "Gotta Get Outta Here" was released on October 1 as the lead single. The song spent 16 weeks in the top-40 of the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart and garnered over 10 million combined streams.
In mid 2022, Pfeiffer announced that drummer Graham Spillman would be returning to record drums on the five bonus tracks of "1990 - XL". In November of the same year and January of the next, Pfeiffer and Spillman collaborated with long-time producer Brett Hestla and new guitarist Justin Sundlin to record remakes of old tracks, dubbed "XL" tracks. The band released "Blacklite District - XL" on June 9, 2023, and "You're Welcome - XL" on December 8, 2023.
In late 2023, Blacklite District began recording their 9th album in a studio jointly owned by them and band Judd Hoos. The album is the first to feature new bassist Clinton Cunanan. The album was released on May 3, 2024.
Pfeiffer's genres include "hard rock, hip-hop, alternative rock, trap, and electro-pop". Inspired by artists he listened to as a child, such as Metallica and Ozzy Osbourne, Blacklite District started as a hard rock project. He briefly experimented with pop styles before returning to hard rock in 2021. In a 2018 interview, Pfeiffer named artists like Fleetwood Mac, Linkin Park and Twenty One Pilots as influences.
Pfeiffer began dating Amber Rice in September 2015, proposing to her on Christmas Eve of 2016. They married in December 2017. They raise Pfeiffer's son, Maddox, from a previous relationship and have a son together, Fitz.
Pfeiffer met his father for the first time at his mothers funeral and then never saw him again until he was an adult, when they reconnected. But soon, another tragedy struck, and Pfeiffer’s father committed suicide.
Prior to his suicide, Pfeiffer’s father was sending Pfeiffer text messages saying that he was suicidal. “This one time, I'm at Walmart, and he calls me. He's like, ‘Oh, man, you know, I'm sorry for sending you all these messages. I just never got over your mom. I'm, like, still bummed out,’ Pfeiffer recalled. And keep in mind this was like 15 years later… And then, about two weeks after that phone call, my wife sent me a screenshot of his wife from Facebook, and she posted like ‘Rest in Peace.’”[14]
Pfeiffer has lived in multiple cities throughout his career. He moved to the Los Angeles area in 2012. He lived in Orlando for about six months while working with Brett Hestla on Worldwide Controversy.
From 2015 to 2017, Pfeiffer was hospitalized on multiple occasions for pancreatitis from years of severe alcohol addiction. He also suffered from opioid addiction, describing how he once spent thousands of dollars on fentanyl per month.[15] Pfeiffer is now clean of alcohol and opioid use.
Studio Albums