Bastille

Band

Photo: Ren Hekkonens · CC BY-SA 3.0
Active 2010-present
Origin London, England
Albums 5
Tracks 65
Most frequent collaborator Mark Crew · 63 tracks
Genres Indie PopAlternative RockSynth-Pop
Complete Artist
98%
Authorship

Holds writing credit on 64 of 65 tracks

Who writes Bastille's songs?

Dan Smith, the band's frontman, writes nearly all of Bastille's songs. He is the group's primary songwriter and often works with producer Mark Crew, who co-produced the first two albums Bad Blood and Wild World. Bastille started as Smith's solo project, and songwriting has remained centered on him since.

By the Numbers

5
Studio Albums
65
Tracks Credited
98%
Self-Written
11 million+
Records Sold
16
Years Active
17
Collaborators

Authorship Breakdown 64 / 65 self-written

Who wrote the songs?

Across all 65 tracks: how many Bastille wrote alone, how many they co-wrote, and how many were written by others. The bracket marks every track they hold any writing credit on.

Bastille has a writing credit98%
74%
25%
2%
Sole author48tracks74%
Co-written16tracks25%
Outside writers1tracks2%

Role Fingerprint how they contribute

Lyricist Performer Composer Producer
Bastille's roles across the catalogue

Share of all 65 tracks where they are personally credited, by role.

Lyricist (words)98%
Composer (music)98%
Producer98%
Performer98%

Member Credit Breakdown share of tracks each member is credited on

Percentage of all 65 tracks, across every album, where each member holds a credit - split by role.

MemberPeriodLyricsMusicProductionPerformance
Dan Smith 2010-present
98%
98%
98%
98%
Kyle Simmons 2010-present
0%
0%
0%
77%
Will Farquarson 2010-present
0%
0%
0%
77%
Chris "Woody" Wood 2010-present
0%
0%
0%
77%

Authorship Over Time writing credit per album

Bastille's writing credit per album, in release order. Hover any bar for the album.

avg 98%
100%
100%
100%
92%
100%
2013Bad Blood
2016Wild World
2019Doom Days
2022Give Me the Future
2024&
Early · 100% written
Late · 96% written

Authorship by Decade track-weighted

100%
2010s
Bad Blood, Wild World +1 more
96%
2020s
Give Me the Future, &

Authorship Spectrum pure performer to complete author

Where Bastille sits on the scale from a pure performer (0%, sings songs written by others) to a complete author (100%, writes everything). The bright marker is their catalogue authorship score, plotted against other artists on the site.

Bastille
Other artists on the site

Reference artists spread across the scale, closest by genre and era.

EXO8%
The Pussycat Dolls21%
Josh Groban29%
Carrie Underwood43%
One Direction57%
Selena Gomez71%
Counting Crows83%
98%Bastille
Pure Performer0%
Songwriter~50%
Complete Author100%

Who Really Wrote the Hits signature songs

Bad Blood
Bad Blood
Written by Dan Smith, Daniel Campbell Smith
Wrote it
Flaws
Bad Blood
Written by Dan Smith, Daniel Campbell Smith
Wrote it
Pompeii
Bad Blood
Written by Dan Smith, Daniel Campbell Smith
Wrote it
Things We Lost in the Fire
Bad Blood
Written by Dan Smith, Daniel Campbell Smith
Wrote it
Good Grief
Wild World
Written by Dan Smith, Daniel Campbell Smith
Wrote it
Send Them Off!
Wild World
Written by Dan Smith, Daniel Campbell Smith
Wrote it
Quarter Past Midnight
Doom Days
Written by Dan Smith, Daniel Campbell Smith
Wrote it
Joy
Doom Days
Written by Dan Smith, Daniel Campbell Smith
Wrote it
Those Nights
Doom Days
Written by Dan Smith, Daniel Campbell Smith
Wrote it

Discography 5 albums

Covers all five Bastille studio albums, from Bad Blood (2013) through & (2024). The Other People's Heartache mixtape series and orchestral/live reworkings are outside this studio-album scope.

Collaborator Network who they worked with most

Bastille65 tracks
MC63Mark Crew, 63 tracks MB10Mark Blair Crew, 10 tracks DP9Dan Priddy, 9 tracks RY4Rami Yacoub, 4 tracks RP3Ralph Pelleymounter, 3 tracks 2Ryan Tedder, 2 tracks on OneRepublic's page RB2Ryan Benjamin Tedder, 2 tracks on OneRepublic's page P2Plested, 2 tracks B2Bim, 2 tracks CB2Charlie Barnes, 2 tracks MM1Marty Maro, 1 track RA1Riz Ahmed, 1 track RA1Rizwan Ahmed, 1 track JC1Jonny Coffer, 1 track D1Duxbury, 1 track AA1Abimbola Amoako-Gyampah, 1 track JA1JF Abraham, 1 track

Bubble size = tracks worked on together. MC Mark Crew · MB Mark Blair Crew · DP Dan Priddy · RY Rami Yacoub · RP Ralph Pelleymounter

Photo credits

Portraits in the web and the rail come from Wikimedia Commons. The artist's own photo carries its credit under the picture.

The Authorship Story

Data Insight

Bastille is a songwriting project with one author at its center: Dan Smith writes nearly every song the band records, credited under his legal name Daniel Campbell Smith in the composer column. On the first two albums, Bad Blood and Wild World, the writing is Smith alone, with no co-writers at all. From Doom Days onward he opens the room slightly to his producer and collaborators, most often Mark Crew, and Give Me the Future adds a few outside co-writers like Ryan Tedder and Riz Ahmed on individual tracks. The other three members perform and arrange but rarely appear in the writing credits, which is why the authorship map barely moves across the catalog. Production is the constant partnership: Smith and Mark Crew shape the sound of almost every record, so the credits read as one writer and one producer building concept albums together.

Quick Facts

  • Debut #1Their first album, Bad Blood, debuted at number 1 on the UK Albums Chart in March 2013.
  • Started soloBastille began in 2010 as Dan Smith's solo project before becoming a four-piece band.
  • Pompeii streaming'Pompeii' became the most-streamed song of all time in the UK in 2014 and has since passed two billion Spotify streams.
  • BRIT AwardThe band won Best British Breakthrough Act at the BRIT Awards in February 2014.
  • MixtapesThe band released four Other People's Heartache mixtapes between 2012 and 2018.
  • Grammy nodBastille were nominated for Best New Artist at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards.

Creative Fingerprint

Bastille is essentially Dan Smith's songwriting project, with Smith writing nearly every one of the band's songs, often alongside producer Mark Crew.

The Story

Bastille are a British band formed in London in 2010, built around singer and songwriter Dan Smith. What began as Smith's solo project became a four-piece with keyboardist Kyle Simmons, bassist and guitarist Will Farquarson, and drummer Chris 'Woody' Wood. Their 2013 debut Bad Blood entered the UK chart at number one and produced 'Pompeii,' one of the most-streamed British songs of the decade. Smith writes nearly all of the band's material, usually with producer Mark Crew, and the group has built each album around a theme, from the one-night arc of Doom Days to the technology-and-escapism concept of Give Me the Future and the historical story-songs of & (2024). They won the BRIT Award for British Breakthrough Act in 2014 and have sold more than 11 million records worldwide.

Awards & Recognition

BRIT Award for Best British Breakthrough Act (2014)
Grammy Award nomination for Best New Artist (2015, 57th Annual Grammy Awards)

Frequently Asked Questions Bastille

Who writes Bastille's songs?
Dan Smith, the band's frontman, writes nearly all of Bastille's songs. He is the group's primary songwriter and often works with producer Mark Crew, who co-produced the first two albums Bad Blood and Wild World. Bastille started as Smith's solo project, and songwriting has remained centered on him since.
Who wrote 'Pompeii'?
'Pompeii' was written by Dan Smith. He also produced the track alongside Mark Crew. It became the band's signature hit, reaching number 2 in the UK and number 5 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
Is Bastille a solo project?
Bastille started in 2010 as a solo project by Dan Smith before it grew into a four-piece band. Smith remains the sole constant creative force and writes nearly all the material. The other three members joined to perform the songs live and on record rather than to co-write the bulk of the catalog.
What is Dan Smith's real name?
Dan Smith's full legal name is Daniel Campbell Smith. He was born on 14 July 1986. He founded Bastille and serves as its lead singer and primary songwriter.
How many albums has Bastille released?
Bastille have released five studio albums: Bad Blood (2013), Wild World (2016), Doom Days (2019), Give Me the Future (2022), and & (2024). They have also put out four Other People's Heartache mixtapes between 2012 and 2018.
Who are the members of Bastille?
The four members are Dan Smith (vocals, keys, songwriter), Kyle Simmons (keyboards), Will Farquarson (bass and guitar), and Chris 'Woody' Wood (drums). All four have been in the band since 2010. Charlie Barnes has toured with the band on guitar and keyboards since 2015 as a touring member.
Does the whole band write Bastille's songs together?
No. Dan Smith is credited as the primary songwriter on nearly all of the band's material. Co-writing and production credits most often go to producer Mark Crew rather than the other band members. The three other members contribute mainly as performers.
Who produces Bastille's music?
Mark Crew is the band's longtime producer and co-produced the first two albums Bad Blood and Wild World. Dan Smith also takes production credits on the band's songs, including 'Pompeii'. Later albums brought in additional producers, but Crew remained a core collaborator.
What was Bastille's first hit?
'Pompeii', written by Dan Smith, was the band's breakthrough hit. It reached number 2 in the UK and number 5 in the US, and became the most-streamed song of all time in the UK in 2014. It has since surpassed two billion Spotify streams.
Did Bastille win any awards?
Bastille won the BRIT Award for Best British Breakthrough Act in February 2014. They were also nominated for Best New Artist at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards. Their commercial peak included a UK number 1 debut album and over 11 million records sold worldwide.

Sources

Bastille (band) - Wikipedia Bastille discography - Wikipedia Bastille (band) - Wikipedia Dan Smith (singer) - Wikipedia Pompeii (Bastille song) - Wikipedia Bastille's 'Pompeii' Cracks Two Billion Streams On Spotify - uDiscover Music