The Prodigy are an English electronic music group formed by Liam Howlett in 1990 in Braintree, Essex. Along with Fatboy Slim, The Chemical Brothers and The Crystal Method, as well as other acts they are pioneers of the big beat electronic dance genre which achieved mainstream popularity in the 1990s and 2000s, and are known for high-quality live performances. They have sold over 20 million records worldwide which is unequalled in dance music history. Various styles ranging from rave, hardcore, industrial and breakbeat in the early 1990s to electronic rock with punk vocal elements in later times. The current band members include Liam Howlett (composer/keyboards), Keith Flint (dancer/vocalist) and Maxim Reality (MC/vocalist). Leeroy Thornhill (dancer/very occasional live keyboards) was a member of the band from 1990 to 2000, as was a female dancer/vocalist called Sharky who left the band during their early period. The Prodigy first emerged on the underground rave scene in the early 1990s, and have since then achieved immense popularity and worldwide renown. Some of their most popular songs include \\\\\\\"Charly\\\\\\\", \\\\\\\"Out of Space\\\\\\\", \\\\\\\"No Good (Start the Dance)\\\\\\\", \\\\\\\"Voodoo People\\\\\\\", \\\\\\\"Poison\\\\\\\", \\\\\\\"Firestarter\\\\\\\", \\\\\\\"Breathe\\\\\\\", \\\\\\\"Smack My Bitch Up\\\\\\\", \\\\\\\"Omen\\\\\\\" & \\\\\\\"Warrior\\\\\\\'s Dance.\\\\\\\" The name displayed on album covers changed from \\\\\\\"The Prodigy\\\\\\\" to \\\\\\\"Prodigy\\\\\\\" between Music for the Jilted Generation and The Fat of the Land in 1997 and back again with the release of Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned in 2004. However, Howlett has stated that the title has always been \\\\\\\"The Prodigy\\\\\\\". The change was made only to fit within the displayed logo, according to Howlett. Background information Origin Braintree, Essex, England, United Kingdom Genres Big beat Synthpunk Rave Hardcore techno Dance punk Breakbeat Drum and bass Years active 1990–present Labels Take Me to the Hospital, Ragged Flag, Cooking Vinyl, XL, Beggars Banquet, Mute, Maverick, Warner Bros., Elektra, SHOCK Records Members Liam Howlett Keith Flint Maxim Reality Former members Leeroy Thornhill Sharky \\\"Firestarter\\\" is the tenth single released by the English band the Prodigy, released on 18 March 1996. It was the first single from the album The Fat of the Land. It was also the group\\\'s first number-one single on the UK Singles Chart, staying on top for three weeks. It was The Prodigy\\\'s first big national and international hit, also reaching number one in Finland and Norway. It featured Flint\\\'s punky vocals which showcased him as the group\\\'s frontman. The title and lyrics were subject of controversy in the UK because of their violent nature. The music video further boosted these controversies.