Tucker Pillsbury, professionally known as ROLE MODEL, is an American singer-songwriter who initially started as a rapper. He gained prominence after releasing his debut extended play “Arizona in the Summer” in 2017, which led to a strong online following and a subsequent signing with Interscope Records in 2018. ROLE MODEL continued to grow his musical journey, launching two EPs, “oh, how perfect” in 2019 and “our little angel” in 2020, both released through Interscope and Polydor Records. His debut studio album, titled “Rx,” was later released in 2022.
Hailing from Cape Elizabeth, Maine, Tucker Pillsbury grew up in a household where his father, Rusty, worked as a real estate appraiser, and his mother, Susan Pillsbury, served as a special education teacher. As a young child, he found inspiration in Elvis Presley and even entertained his family by impersonating him. During high school, his passion for film emerged, leading him to pursue film studies at Point Park University in Pittsburgh from 2016.
However, an unfortunate skiing accident at Sugarloaf Mountain (Franklin County, Maine) caused a wrist injury, and during his freshman year, another wrist injury occurred due to a skateboarding accident. While confined to his dorm room during recovery, he had access to music equipment left behind by friends, which prompted him to explore music production and record rap mixtapes using Logic Pro. Eventually, due to declining grades, Tucker made the decision to drop out of college.
The artist formerly known as Tucker embarked on his musical journey in 2016 under the name “Tucker” and released his debut mixtape “Since When.” Afterward, he changed his stage name to “Dillis” and independently released his debut album “Moth” in June 2016. He performed at various shows, including a gig at the Maine State Pier and an opening act for Lil Debbie during her 2016 U.S. tour.
In early 2017, Tucker transitioned from rapping to singing and rebranded himself as “ROLE MODEL.” In December 2017, he self-released his debut EP “Arizona in the Summer,” which garnered significant attention online. Rapper Mac Miller was impressed by the EP and invited ROLE MODEL to collaborate in Los Angeles. This encounter eventually led to his signing with Interscope Records in 2018. The music video for his song “play the part” was released in November 2018, and in May 2019, he released the single “minimal” along with its music video.
ROLE MODEL was featured on Julia Michaels’s EP, “Inner Monologue Part 2,” in June 2019 with the song “Fucked Up, Kinda.” He continued to release music videos for his singles, including “hello!” in October 2019. In November of the same year, he released his second EP, “oh, how perfect,” through Interscope Records and Polydor Records. He also embarked on his first headlining tour, the “Far from Perfect Tour,” which took place later in 2019.
In February 2020, ROLE MODEL released an acoustic version of his song “notice me” and followed up with his third EP, “our little angel,” in October 2020 through Polydor Records. The music video for his song “blind” was released in October 2020. He continued to release new music, such as the singles “forever&more” in July 2021 and “death wish” in September 2021.
On February 18, 2022, ROLE MODEL released the single “If jesus saves, she’s my type” alongside its music video, while also announcing the title, tracklist, and official release date of his debut album. In March 2022, he released the album’s third single, “neverletyougo,” along with a music video. Finally, on April 8, 2022, ROLE MODEL’s debut album, “Rx,” was released, and the music video for the title track “rx” was also unveiled on the same day.
On February 17, 2023, Tucker Pillsbury released the single “a little more time” alongside an official music video that he co-directed with Emma Chamberlain.
Regarding his stage name, ROLE MODEL, Tucker initially stated that he took it from Paul Rudd’s character in the 2008 film “Role Models.” However, during an interview with Zach Sang in June 2022, he clarified that it was just a joke.
His music style often involves playing acoustic guitar, and his songs fall under the genres of pop and bedroom pop. Notably, he considers Mac Miller as a major influence due to the impact Miller had on Pittsburgh, and meeting him was a pivotal moment in his life. Critics praise ROLE MODEL’s lyrics for being “relatable” and “confessional,” as he delves into topics such as sex, mental health, and relationships.