Beck, also known as Beck Hansen, was born Bek David Campbell in Los Angeles, California, on July 8, 1970. He was born to Canadian musician David Campbell and visual artist Bibbe Hansen, who was known as one of Andy Warhol’s “stars.”Beck’s parents split when he was young and he stayed with his mother in Los Angeles, soaking up the city’s diverse musical offerings. After dropping out of high school in 1980s, he traveled extensively in Europe, where he began developing his own eclectic sound as a street performer. The songwriter rose to national consciousness with the release of his signature track “Loser” in 1993. Beck had initially recorded the track for the independent label Bong Load Recordings and was quickly signed to Geffen Records after the song earned national radio exposure. Though written spontaneously with producer Carl Stephenson, Beck says the creative statement was a long time coming: "I don't think I would have been able to go in and do 'Loser' in a six-hour shot without having been somewhat prepared. It was accidental, but it was something that I'd been working toward for a long time,” he told Elle Magazine in 1999.