The band has since released four studio albums: Torches in 2011, Supermodel in 2014, Sacred Hearts Club in 2017 and Paradise State of Mind in 2024.

[8] After graduating from high school in 2002, Foster followed on his father's advice and moved out to live with an uncle in the San Fernando Valley neighborhood of Sylmar, Los Angeles.

In a 2012 interview with The Baltimore Sun, he talked about how he particularly valued bartending and encouraged aspiring musicians to follow in his footsteps: "Kids hit me up on Twitter and I tell them to learn how to bar-tend.

[12] Foster co-composed[13] and performed lead vocals on the Toques' song "Breakdown", featured in the 2006 film Stick It.

[14][15][16][17][18][19] As a solo artist, Foster wrote the song "The Ballad of Andy", detailing the life and tribulations of Dick.

He talked about his previous addiction in 2014, saying, "I work really hard to stay grounded and not let any of that stuff influence how I live my life.

"[22] His roommate, actor and singer Brad Renfro, who was also a drug addict, died from a heroin overdose on January 15, 2008.

Due to issues of writer's block and being unable to focus various elements of his music together, he came to the realization that he needed help in the form of members of a band.

Fink had recently lost his position at a television production company as a result of the recession, so he joined as the bassist.

[30] The demo ended up becoming the full version of the song and "Pumped Up Kicks" was released by Foster online in early 2010.

In May 2010, the band was signed to Columbia Records imprint Startime International for a multi-album deal due to the song's increasing success.

Under this moniker, Foster and Innis released a notable remix of "Blue Jeans" by Lana Del Rey in 2012, featuring Azealia Banks.

[35] Smims & Belle's final (confirmed) release to date was their 2014 remix of a single from Foster the People's second album.

In June 2014, Luke Pritchard – with whom Foster had collaborated previously – revealed that the pair had between three and four unfinished tracks yet to be released.

[38] In 2015, Foster was a producer of the soundtrack for the World War II drama Little Boy[39] (of which one track featured Mark Pontius).

The band has also released two (non-EP) singles, a reworking of a Mobley song, and several collaborations with The Knocks, MØ and Louis the Child.

[44] On December 11, the band released their EP In the Darkest of Nights, Let the Birds Sing, a record based on the concept of love.

[50] Foster has said that he likes traveling frequently because of the break from the special treatment he receives in the U.S. for being famous: "Our society worships the entertainment industry more than at any other time in the history of the planet.

I think artists throughout the history of time have always been controversial and have been a voice to speak to public culture in a way a politician can't because they'll lose their constituency.

"[51] Foster married actress Julia Garner in a December 2019 ceremony at New York City Hall,[52][53] eight months after they got engaged.