Nick Marsh
Place a Wager on Nick MarshBorn on January 31, 1986, in Palo Alto, California, Nicholas Marsh, also known by his stage name “Public,” is an accomplished American songwriter and record producer who has earned critical acclaim and commercial success in the music industry. Garnering nominations for the esteemed Grammy Award and winning an ASCAP award for the “most performed songs of the year” in 2012, Marsh has shaped a career embedded in innovation.
Marsh’s early life was marked by musical and cultural influences from both sides of the Atlantic. Born to a father from Blackpool, England, and a mother hailing from Mountain View, California, Marsh showed an aptitude for music at an early age. He began playing the guitar at only ten years old.
He also displayed an innate attraction to technology and audio production, experimenting with 4-track tape recorders just a year after adopting the guitar. As a youth, Marsh participated actively in local punk bands while balancing his passion for soccer. After a brief period at the reputable Berklee College of Music, he embraced the allure of electronic music and DJing, abandoning his dalliance with garage bands.
Stepping deeper into the realm of professional music production, Marsh shed his attachment to San Francisco, his long-time home and relocated to Los Angeles. Here, he joined with the production team “Free School”. This partnership resulted in multiple high-profile releases, including the Grammy award-winning “FAME” and the Grammy-nominated albums “Graffiti” and “Fortune”.
In the summer of 2011, Marsh launched into a solo career, working under the stage name “Public”. Despite his departure from Free School, Marsh remained involved in the writing and production processes, collaborating with a multitude of songwriters and artists. One of his most successful projects was co-writing Chris Brown’s hit song “Don’t Wake Me Up”. This song won the ASCAP award for the most performed songs of the year in 2012.
Alongside his music production, Marsh has also benefited from sponsorships from Moog Music and the D16 Group. Venturing beyond pure music production, Marsh initiated “Public,” a dance-electronic project where he performed with renowned music entities like The Crystal Method, Afrika Bambaataa, DJ Skeet Skeet, and Deadmau5.
In 2013, Marsh had selective performances in the Identity Festival alongside renowned artists Eric Prydz, Hardwell, Wolfgang Gartner, Chuckie, Bingo Players, Porter Robinson, Adrian Lux, Paul Van Dyk, and Kerli, amongst others. The performance featured a distinctive custom disco ball mask conceptualized and designed by Marsh, which also became a significant feature in Chris Brown’s video “Look at Me Now”.
Marsh’s first single under his Public alias, “THANK U!!!”, made a significant impact on the UK music scene, reaching number 16 on the Music Week’s Club Charts. The Australian Ministry of Sound was responsible for releasing the single, which was accompanied by a video shot in Los Angeles. Marsh’s work further extends beyond the recording studio, providing music for commercial clients such as Scion, Redbull, and Rubber Duck.
This across-the-board engagement with multiple aspects of the music industry is testament to Marsh’s commitment and prowess as an innovative force within it. Today, Nicholas Marsh is known as much for his impressive production credits as he is for his unique musical style – a testament to a career built upon passion and industry.