Bruce Hornsby

Bruce Hornsby

Photo: Sarah Walor

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Bruce Hornsby Talks New Album 'Non-Secure Connection,' Working With Spike Lee And His Ongoing Support Of Civil Rights In His Music

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The GRAMMY-winning singer-songwriter tells GRAMMY.com about how his work with the revered filmmaker and his longtime affirmation of civil rights inform his latest album
Joshua M. Miller
GRAMMYs
Aug 15, 2020 - 2:19 pm

Bruce Hornsby is constantly on the search for new sounds to explore and fresh ways to express his thoughts. In 1986, the GRAMMY-winning singer-songwriter set the tone on The Way It Is, his multiplatinum hit debut album with his original band, Bruce Hornsby And The Range. (The album ultimately helped him and the group score the Best New Artist win at the 1987 GRAMMYs.) He later made an impact during a stint on keyboards with The Grateful Dead and dabbling in a variety of genres on his albums, including ventures into folk, jazz, bluegrass and even classical music.

"It's just a byproduct of a constant search for inspiration, a constant search for the new, a constant search for growing and evolving and improving your craft and your creativity over a long career period," Hornsby says of his wide-spanning musical projects in a recent phone interview with GRAMMY.com. "And so, I'm just intellectually, musically curious or musically, intellectually curious ... I'm doing this for people who are interested in a little bit of musical adventure."

His latest albums—2019's Absolute Zero and the newly released Non-Secure Connection—find him exploring yet another genre: film scores. Thanks to his work on music for multiple Spike Lee films, including 2018's BlacKkKlansman, Hornsby realized he could turn a film score cue into a song. He uses piano as well as instruments like the electric sitar and Chamberlin to create atmospheric, cinematic songs. 

"I think a filmmaker's telling the story, using music to augment the emotional quality of the film, and I'm doing the same thing here," he says.

Released Friday (Aug. 14), Non-Secure Connection features a wide array of guest artists and musicians who further enhance the songs: The Shins singer James Mercer, singer and poet Jamila Woods, Living Colour guitarist Vernon Reid and Bon Iver leader Justin Vernon. Album standout "Anything Can Happen" features the late Leon Russell, who co-wrote the track and appears on it courtesy of a demo that he and Hornsby recorded together more than 25 years ago. 

Lyrically, Hornsby has plenty to say on Non-Secure Connection. He muses on topics such as computer hackers, mall salesmen and the "Darwinian" aspects of AAU basketball. A longtime, ardent supporter of civil rights—his 1986 hit song, "The Way It Is," references the civil rights movement of the '60s—the singer continues to address the social issues of the time across the album. 

"Nina Simone said it best: 'It's the artist's job to reference the time in which we live.' And it's a bit like folk music. Lots of folk music has reflected through the years the world in which those writers wrote. And so, this is me doing my version of taking Nina Simone's charge and running with it," he says.

GRAMMY.com caught up with Bruce Hornsby to discuss his latest album, Non-Secure Connection, his longtime affirmation of civil rights in his music and how working with Spike Lee inspired a new sonic direction.

Songs such as "Bright Star Cast" and "Non-Secure Connection" feel very timely, with lyrics about civil rights and connections with each other.

Certainly. It's all of a sudden timely again, not that it's never not timely. The problems of American racism are always evident; you don't have to look very closely to find them. But certainly, the George Floyd tragedy has galvanized the scene, galvanized anyone who was at all sympathetic to the race issue and Blackness in America.

It's sort of serendipitous … that I wrote this song "Bright Star Cast," which is an attempt at a civil rights anthem. But it should be no small surprise because my career started with a song about racism: "The Way It Is." And this will be now the seventh song I've written that deals in some way with the race issue in our country.

And you mentioned "Non-Secure Connection," which is a song about a hacker, and that's, of course, very much sort of au courant in the current zeitgeist.

Nina Simone said it best: "It's the artist's job to reference the time in which we live." And it's a bit like folk music. Lots of folk music has reflected through the years the world in which those writers wrote. And so, this is me doing my version of taking Nina Simone's charge and running with it.

Read: 'Black Gold' At 50: How Nina Simone Refracted The Black Experience Through Reinterpreted Songs

When it comes to singing about racial equality, do you feel there's a constant search for finding the right words to express your feelings about it?

Well, there's a constant search to find the right words to express really anything. If you're trying to do something of some worth, then that's not easy. I think in everything I write, it's difficult to find the best words, and I struggle with it, just like any songwriter who's serious about it probably would and probably should. But I can make also this statement about what's happening now to me. The George Floyd tragedy is a Bull Connor moment in our history, a second Bull Connor moment. 

How so?

In 1964, during the heyday of the civil rights movement, especially in the South, there was a protest going on in Birmingham, Ala., and the police chief in Birmingham, named Bull Connor, brought out his force and turned hoses on the protestors. It was just a horrific scene, and someone captured this on film … As soon as they could, they showed [this film] on the national news ...

And so, this film of this terrible local response to a civil rights protest, again, it shocked the country when they saw this … that just made the country aware of what was going on, and they previously had not been. And several months later, [President Lyndon B. Johnson] and the Congress passed the Civil Rights Act Of 1964. And I think a large part of what enabled them to do this is that footage from Bull Connor's police-hosing moment.

And so, this is a Bull Connor moment right now, because the video of that terrible, basically murder of George Lloyd—that went viral in a way that they couldn't think of in '64, obviously, [without] the internet. It went around the world and inspired the same response; that's why I call this a Bull Connor moment.

And hopefully, it will have the same effect. I mean, that was a major law passed, the Civil Rights Act Of 1964. I refer to it in my song, "The Way It Is": "They passed a law in '64 to give those who ain't got a little more." 

You wrote the song "Sh*t's Crazy Out Here" about AAU basketball. Can you explain that connection?

If you're a serious basketball aspirant as a child, as a young hopeful, and you have a very solid to great talent, you're probably going to be playing in what's called grassroots basketball, summer basketball, also known as AAU basketball. AAU stands for the Amateur Athletic Union. My son, Keith, went through that crucible from age 10 to 18. This song comes from some of his experiences that he would tell me about. 

"Sh*t's Crazy Out Here" is a song about that dysphoria that occurs in this Darwinian world of summer AAU basketball, but it's also a metaphor for our crazy world now, and I feel strongly about that. But also, what may be of interest to some regarding this song is that to me, it's an odd musical juxtaposition of modern classical meets modern pop. I describe this song as Arnold Schoenberg and Elliot Carter meet The Beatles at the Boo Williams Sportsplex, which is the AAU basketball mecca of our area here in Hampton, Va.

Half of the songs on Non-Secure Connection were originally crafted while you were working on film scores for Spike Lee. What was it like getting exposed to his unique perspective and working with a different kind of music?

Well, I've been being exposed to Spike's unique perspectives for 28 years. We met in 1992 … The first time I worked with Spike, he directed a video for me for a song of mine off my fourth record called Harbor Lights, and the song is called "Talk Of The Town." It was actually one of those seven songs about race that I was previously referring to, and it's about the first interracial romance in my town and all the reaction to that. I've been working with him since '92.

Those five songs to which you're referring, they started off as film cues, as instrumental music, part of my score for various Spike movies in the last decade. I started doing this on my last record, Absolute Zero, and I've continued to do that. It was a new way of writing songs for me and took me to a different, more cinematic place for obvious reasons. I feel these two records, Absolute Zero and Non-Secure Connection, have that connection, that at least half of the songs come from that [film] world, hence the cinematic quality ...

[Spike is] an unswerving artiste, and he will go the extra length to get what he wants. That's always inspiring, and it makes me not want to settle in my own work. He has more stamina than two people in their 60s. He can just go and go all day, every day, from 5:00 in the morning to midnight—and then do it again, like I say, every day. He's a very inspiring person and just a great, longtime friend.

Film music is pretty conducive to storytelling. 

I think that's true. Since I tend to be a storyteller in song, I'm not much of a "woe is me" writer, if you understand what I'm saying. I'm not much into the confessional writing. I love a lot of people who've done that, but they would mine that area a lot better than I would. I've tended to be more of a storyteller, or I guess a commentator, on the current scene. So yes, I think a filmmaker's telling the story, using music to augment the emotional quality of the film, and I'm doing the same thing here.

Read: 'Score': Soundtracks take us on an emotional ride

You invited a wide spectrum of guest musicians to play on the album, including Jamila Woods and Vernon Reid on "Bright Star Cast." How did you get connected with them for that song?

I wanted a woman to sing with me on "Bright Star Cast," and our great friend from Jagjaguwar, Eric Davis, hooked us up with one of their artists named Jamila Woods.

I wasn't familiar with Jamila, but I went and listened to her music and thought, "Wow, I love it. It's a beautiful and great sound." She's also a wonderful poet … She added so much to that track, as did Vernon Reid. 

That track was a Spike Lee cue originally for a movie called Da Sweet Blood Of Jesus from 2014; Vernon played on the film version of that track. So I twisted and turned his performance around just a little bit to fit what we were doing, the song that I created on top of that piece of instrumental music and the film music. I've loved [Vernon] for years, a longtime friend and a great musician.

What did it mean to be able to pay tribute to your friend, Leon Russell, on "Anything Can Happen"? 

Leon Russell was one of the two pianists that I heard when I was younger that made me want to play the piano. The first was Elton John. The second was Leon; he was one of my early heroes.

I met him years later after we had our career going fairly solidly. I met him at The Palomino Club in the San Fernando Valley, L.A., when I lived out in that area in California. We ended up getting together for a Rolling Stone photoshoot that they asked us to be a part of. I asked him if he wanted to try to get back into the crazy music game, and he called me.

About four months later—this is 1988—he called and said, "Well, I'd like to try it if you can help me." I was able to get him a record deal at Virgin Records in 1990. In 1991, we made the record gradually over the course of that year, and it came out in '92. I think the first song that we wrote together was sparked by him asking me to write him a Barry White track.

I tried my best to effect a Barry White feeling on a musical track. Then I picked some words that he'd written for him out of this notebook that he had full of lyrics. He sang it incredibly well, and that was the title song of that record, "Anything Can Happen." 

In the end, I loved the demo we cut. This happens so often, that the demo is not really made much better, or it's actually made worse in the end, by polishing it too much. I always felt that the record we made was not as good as it could have been. I've always wanted to recut the song; this was my time to do it. We sampled a little bit of Leon from the original demo and flew it into the record. He's sort of a ghost behind me in the first part of the song. Then he comes in full force to sing harmonies with me at the end.

He passed about three or four years ago, and I spoke at his memorial service in Tulsa, Okla. Leon meant a lot to me, and we'd become good friends for many years. I guess it is truly a tribute to my old-hero-turned-friend.

Throughout your career, you've written albums in a variety of styles and have said that you're no trend-follower. Why do you feel it's still important to keep exploring in music even after 30-plus years?

I'd say it's not really about what's important. It's just a byproduct of a constant search for inspiration, a constant search for the new, a constant search for growing and evolving and improving your craft and your creativity over a long career period. And so, I guess I'm just intellectually, musically curious or musically, intellectually curious. And I'll deal with a broad range, stylistically, of music—from the most down-in-the-dirt, old-time folk and traditional music to the most avant-garde, atonal, modern classical music.

All of that is all that is used in my records. And some people really hate that, but I guess I'm not playing for that ... I'm not doing this for them. I'm doing this for people who are interested in a little bit of musical adventure. It's just the byproduct of my curiosity and, I guess you could say, insatiable search for new inspiration.

Terence Blanchard On The Music Behind 'Da 5 Bloods,' Working With Spike Lee And The Lasting Impact Of Marvin Gaye

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G.E. Smith & LeRoy Bell

G.E. Smith (L) and LeRoy Bell (R)

Photo: John Peden

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G.E. Smith & LeRoy Bell Talk New Politically Charged Album 'Stony Hill': "It Speaks To This Present Time"

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GRAMMY.com caught up with the music veterans to talk about how their timely debut album offers a nonpartisan, universal perspective on today's societal issues and how their rich individual careers inform their newly formed duo
Joshua M. Miller
GRAMMYs
Aug 24, 2020 - 4:00 am

Even before this challenging year, singer-songwriter LeRoy Bell was getting tired of the negative grind of daily news. He couldn't understand how the United States allowed migrant children to be separated from their families.

His frustration spawned the song "America," which appears on Stony Hill, his new debut collaborative album with veteran guitarist G.E. Smith, out Friday (Aug. 28). In the song, Bell sings, "God only knows how I miss those days / She only knows how I miss the way we were." 

"I just thought that we would be so much farther along as a nation, as a country," Bell tells GRAMMY.com during a recent interview. "And in the last couple of years, it just seemed like it was going to hell in a handbasket. I just wanted to write a song, and it was a healing process for me, and I just thought that a lot of other people can relate to it."

After Bell showed the song to Smith, the two started working on what would amount to a politically charged album full of like-minded songs. Stony Hill is a contemplative and honest look at where American democracy stands today. Rather than angrily pointing fingers, the duo instead offers constructive criticism in a nonpartisan way aimed at finding a more perfect union.

Smith and Bell use the wisdom and experiences they've gained through their long and wide-ranging careers in music to inform Stony Hill.

Best known as the former ponytailed musical director for "Saturday Night Live," Smith is a one-time member of Hall & Oates and a sideman to musicians such as David Bowie, Mick Jagger and Tina Turner. 

Bell has written hit songs for a variety of artists, including Elton John, Jennifer Lopez, Teddy Pendergrass and The Three Degrees. A finalist for "The X Factor" in 2011, Bell has also made a name for himself via his work as a solo artist and with his former soul duo, Bell and James, alongside Casey James. 

For Smith and Bell, their newly formed duo welcomes a pairing that's long been in the works.

"I'd been looking for a great singer for 30 years," Smith says. "And I've been looking for just the right voice. And [my wife] said to me, 'Hey, listen to this guy. This is the voice.' And I heard it. I said, 'Yep, that's him.'"

GRAMMY.com caught up with G.E. Smith & LeRoy Bell to talk about how their timely debut album, Stony Hill, offers a nonpartisan, universal perspective on today's societal issues and how their rich individual careers inform their latest project.

The songs on your new album, Stony Hill, feel like they were written for this moment in time.

Smith: Well, we recorded the record in 2019. We had it finished up by the early fall and then did the postproduction. And it just happened that a lot of the songs that LeRoy had written are very relevant to what's going on now; songs like "America," "Under These Skies," "Let The Sunshine In." It just speaks to this present time as things worked out.

Bell: I don't think this happened overnight, and so a situation we're finding ourselves in, it's not like I predicted anything and saw it coming. I think it was just a feeling that was going on in the last couple of years, the way things were turning. But I had no idea that it was going to end up like it is now and we'd be in this position with the pandemic and the civil unrest that we have at this point. But I think some of the signs were there.

What's the story behind the album's title, Stony Hill?

Smith: We were looking for a band name; there [have] been so many bands at this point, it's really hard to come up with a name. [My family and I] happen to live on Stony Hill Road. And so there that was, and then that image of pushing the rock up the hill just fit right in. That seems like what we're all doing now.

While writing the album, you made a point to make songs such as "America" nonpartisan and from a more universal place. Why was that important?

Bell: I think politics go back and forth, and, depending on who's in power, people use politics as a tool to control other people. And that's why I used those lyrics that way. I think you can interpret it how you want, but I think it speaks to the times that we have right now. But I think it's also a political stigma that can speak to any time, because a lot of it is general, although some of it is specific to this time.

What was the inspiration behind "America"?

Bell: I was kind of down and watching too much news on TV, which I finally just got rid of because it was just messing with my emotions. I saw this one thing where they were separating kids from their parents and putting kids in cages, and I just kind of balled up. This is not where I thought we would be in 2019. I just thought that we would be so much farther along as a nation, as a country. And in the last couple of years, it just seemed like it was going to hell in a handbasket. I just wanted to write a song, and it was a healing process for me, and I just thought that a lot of other people can relate to it.

"Black Is The Color" is a rocking modern take on the traditional folk ballad. Why did it feel like a good time to revisit the song?

Smith: I've always loved that song. I've been playing that song for 40 years at least. And most of the versions that you hear of that song are slow and beautiful. Nina Simone is the famous one that comes to mind. But in the early '60s, a lot of what they called folk artists—Joan Baez, people like that—everybody was doing that song, and everybody did it slow. But I'm kind of a rocker, bar band, guitar-player guy, so I wanted to rock it up. I love the lyrics and I really thought I'd fit in with the rest of the material that we were doing. I've always really enjoyed rearranging traditional songs like that, taking a more modern approach to them, because the lyrics are great in a lot of that traditional stuff. The stories are universal. The stories are timeless.

"Under the Skies" talks about the hopes and fears people have in this country. There's a lyric about the longing for finding the way home. Why was that an appealing metaphor?

Bell: A metaphor to finding the way home to peace and love—that's what I mean by that. Finding a way back home to reconciliation, to getting along, to where we're supposed to be as humans with each other. Like we just got so far off-track of where we should be. I think this is … just about as far away from where we should be that I can remember [in my life].

Read: Bruce Hornsby Talks New Album 'Non-Secure Connection,' Working With Spike Lee And His Ongoing Support Of Civil Rights In His Music

How did the two of you originally meet?

Smith: Taylor Barton, my wife, was listening to LeRoy. I think she found him on Spotify, or one of those places, and I'd been looking for a great singer for 30 years. And I've been looking for just the right voice. And she said to me, "Hey, listen to this guy. This is the voice." And I heard it. I said, "Yep, that's him." 

So Taylor got a hold of LeRoy, and he lives in Seattle. We're on the extreme East Coast, out on Long Island [in New York], and we invited him out January of 2019. And he came and we sat down with our guitars and started playing, and we just had a great time. He had recently written "America." He showed it to me, and within two days, we were in the studio.

Did it feel like a good pairing?

Bell: We're fans of a lot of the same music—that would be old-school music. We played in a lot of different bands that had a lot in common, and we were close to the same age and grew up in the same era. Once we started playing together, we just hit it off. It just felt very comfortable.

Smith: You never know, when you get together with people, everybody can be really talented, but it doesn't always click. Thankfully, this time it did. We got along right away, musically, because, as LeRoy said, we had grown up listening to the same records at the same time— we were [just] in different rooms. You've got to be able to like the people and hang out with them and spend time with them. So that all was very easy and comfortable right away—thankfully.

Each of you has histories of collaborating with others. How have these lessons and experiences carried over to this project?

Bell: I think when you've been collaborating with other people, you learn to listen and pay attention to what that other person has. Music is cool, but you don't want to just play it by yourself all the time; you want to be able to enjoy playing with other people. And so, collaborating with somebody else that's giving you ideas and cool things to work off of is a joy, especially if you get along personally. It's fun. It's creative.

Smith: You don't dismiss your own ego, but you've got to put your own ego aside a little bit and work with the artist, the person that day you're supporting. As a guitar player, sideman, you work with them and you try to make the idea that they have shine. You try to make it good. So LeRoy comes with these songs and then I like the songs, and then I could hear right away what I want it to sound like; it was just a great experience to be able to do it. We're looking forward to recording the next album.

Are you planning to tour together whenever things get back to normal after the pandemic?

Bell: Yeah. We were already planning on touring and then the COVID-19 [pandemic] hit, and then that just pulled the rug out from under us. But we would love to get out there and get to the people and bring them music. There's nothing better than playing in front of live audiences. 

Smith: In the middle of March, when this COVID thing really took off, we were supposed to go to South By Southwest [SXSW], play two or three shows while we were there, introduce the band and the recording. They were going to release "America" right there. But of course, that got canceled, along with everything else.

On "America," you talk about not standing idly by. Have you been involved in the community beyond music?

Bell: Not so much. My main way of being involved is through my music. I'm not out there in the streets, physically, but I try to lend my voice and my time to the causes. Somebody needs me to be there, phone lines or vocally or any way that I can that way with my support; I try to do that. But physically, as far as being out in the streets, I don't really do that. Mainly, it's just through my music and what I can bring that way.

Smith: For me, I've never been political at all. It never seemed to make much difference to me, as a musician, who was president or governor or anything. It was the same for me when Reagan was president or when Clinton was president or Obama. 

But Trump, he came along and just ... To me, he's very wrong on so many things. I hate the way that he's encouraged the white nationalist people. And he seems to thrive on this chaos; he likes it. He thinks it makes him look good to his people, I guess. I've never voted in my life, but I'll tell you what. I'm registered now. And I'm going to vote in November. I'm not going to vote for Trump—you know that.

This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

Fantastic Negrito On How His New Album, 'Have You Lost Your Mind Yet?', Is A Timely Commentary On American Society

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Devon Allman (L) and Duane Betts (R) of The Allman Betts Band

Devon Allman (L) and Duane Betts (R) of The Allman Betts Band

 

Photo: Kaelan Barowsky

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VIDEO PREMIERE: The Allman Betts Band Ride The Desert Sun In "Pale Horse Rider," Talk New Album 'Bless Your Heart'

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The group's founders, Devon Allman and Duane Betts, both sons of members of The Allman Brothers Band, tell GRAMMY.com how their latest double album helps cement their own identity while also honoring their past
Joshua M. Miller
GRAMMYs
Aug 6, 2020 - 7:00 am

While his father, the late Gregg Allman, made an unmistakable impact on his musical growth, Devon Allman recognizes that he can't just coast off his famous last name or his family legacy via The Allman Brothers Band.

When Devon formed The Allman Betts Band several years ago with Duane Betts, son of Allman Brothers Band member Dickey Betts, and a lineup also featuring Berry Oakley Jr., son of original Allman Brothers Band bassist Berry Oakley, it certainly would have been easy to rely heavily on their musical heritage. 

While there are definite shades of the past in their sound, The Allman Betts Band seek to create their own identity. It's evident on their 2019 debut album, Down To The River, and even more so on their latest double album, Bless Your Heart, which is out Aug. 28.

"I don't think anyone can prepare you for the path that you're going to go on. Only your work ethic can prepare you," Devon tells GRAMMY.com. "So at the end of the day, I think we have our own story to tell, and think that story is right there on Bless Your Heart."

Unlike their debut, which marked the first time the group had played and recorded together, Bless Your Heart showcases a much more seasoned band—thanks to a relentlessly busy touring schedule last year. 

"If the debut album was like opening your eyes and waking up, then this record is like sitting up on the side of the bed, standing up [and] stretching out," Devon says of Bless Your Heart. "It's the next phase of the evolution of our conglomerate."

Ahead of the new LP's release this month, the band unveils the music video for album opener "Pale Horse Rider." Filmed at the iconic Joshua Tree National Park, the stunning visual matches the cinematic feel of the song.

GRAMMY.com recently caught up with Devon Allman and Duane Betts to talk about how they're forging a new path as The Allman Betts Band and how their latest album cements their own identity while also honoring their past.

"Pale Horse Rider" has a great cinematic feel. What was the inspiration for writing that song?

Devon Allman: It was really born out of kind of a descending, trippy guitar line of Duane's. And when we started to flesh it out, I think it was just kind of a universal theme having to do with "the man" breaking down this guy and him feeling like the world was out to get him, which I'm sure we can all relate to at some point or another in our lives.

Once the song kind of revealed itself to be that story, it really wrote itself. So it wasn't any kind of eureka moment inspiration. It was just three guys writing songs and sketching out some figures that came to a really cool conclusion.

What was it like filming the video for the song in the desert?

Devon Allman: It was hot. It was a lot of fun. We got to play cowboys for a couple days straight there, on horses and playing guitars out in the desert. Joshua Tree National Park is such a beautiful setting … It's a very photogenic setting, so it was a pleasure.

Duane Betts: It was a long day, but I'm really happy that we did it. And Joshua Tree is a really amazing place, with all the history with Graham Parsons, who's one of my favorite writers. He just has impeccable style, and I loved those records he did. We couldn't have picked a better place to do it. 

How have the past few months influenced your opinion of this collection of songs featured on Bless Your Heart?

Devon Allman: I'm really proud of the band for its growth, for being able to stretch out and really believe in itself and its abilities. And I don't think that the time off has deepened my love affair with our growth. I'm still just as proud of the record as I was when we left the studio. Before it was even mixed, I knew that we had something that was the next step for us as a unit, as a creative force. If the debut album was like opening your eyes and waking up, then this record is like sitting up on the side of the bed, standing up [and] stretching out. It's the next phase of the evolution of our conglomerate. 

Duane Betts: You don't take anything for granted because you see how quickly things can change … Music is supposed to kind of take you to a different place. And if it makes people feel good and does that, then that's part of what we would hope for and what we're trying to accomplish. So now more than ever, people need that medicine.

When you first joined forces as a band, what convinced you that it was a worthwhile endeavor?

Devon Allman: We formed the band out of our friendship, really. We had always kind of talked about the concept of us working together. But what really sent it over the edge was [when] we sat down and tried to write some songs together to see if we were compatible songwriting partners. And when we wrote the first couple tunes of the first record, we were like, "Wow, OK. We really are a pretty good songwriting team. It's pretty effortless, so let's see if we can write more songs."

And then we had enough to make a record. And we said, "Man, this would make a record that we could both be proud of." So it was a few steps into the process, each step solidifying this vibe that we would be a good team.

Duane Betts: I knew we had good ideas, and we had a great group of guys and musicians. I knew it was a worthwhile endeavor. I just didn't know exactly what we were going to create. And just from the first record to this record, I think that it's definitely a worthwhile endeavor. I think that the proof is in the pudding. 

Watch: Gregg Allman recalls joining the Allman Brothers Band

The band's been on a pretty prolific pace of writing songs. What did it mean to record a double album so soon after your debut record?

Devon Allman: I think it means that we were more comfortable. We trusted the process. We trusted our chemistry as writing partners. We trusted the band to bring the songs to life. Having a couple hundred shows under our belt, it just felt right to write as much as we could. And I think there might've been 20 or 25 songs in the works, and we trimmed them down to 13—lucky No. 13. And it felt like those 13 [songs] were the most cohesive that could live in the same space together and complement each other and make one pretty direct story that had focus.

Duane Betts: We were just really grateful to be able to get it all in the can, to get it all completed before the pandemic really took hold and shut everything down.

When the band recorded its debut, it marked the first time when everyone in the group played together. But on the new one, the band is a lot more seasoned thanks to your heavy touring schedule in 2019. What did it mean to be able to stretch your sound even further and try new things thanks to that experience?

Devon Allman: Just again, having the trust in the unit. Having been on tour that long, we know what everybody brings to the table. 

Duane Betts: I think that spirit is kind of in us inherently … I think that some of the most unique stuff that we have to offer is a song like "Pale Horse Rider." It's some of the best, most innovative work that I think Devon and I have done together. It's not always about being pure to that old sound. It's about just doing what feels right in the moment. And we love a lot of music, so there's a lot of influences to pull from besides that, besides The Allman Brothers Band.

What were some of your favorite new things that you tried on the record?

Devon Allman: I think that there are a couple songs that were maybe a little outside of our wheelhouse. It was fun to sing in kind of more of a low baritone, almost [like a] Johnny Cash vibe, for the song "Much Obliged." It was fun to play bass on the track "The Doctor's Daughter," where [bassist and singer] Berry Oakley went over to keyboards, played piano and sang that track. So obviously when he switches over to piano, somebody has to play bass, and I was happy to play bass on that track. So some little maneuvers like that are just fun to keep the spirit of the band elastic and … showing a different face.

Stoll Vaughan, with whom you collaborated on your debut album, wrote the semi-autobiographical song, "Magnolia Road." What was it like having your life story told by him?

Devon Allman: There's certainly a lot to our personal stories to really sum up in four lines. But I think that Stoll Vaughn did a really great job of capturing at least the essence of who we are and where we've been, and he did a really concise way of doing that inside of one song.

Devon has described the album as a band having a love affair with being a band. Why do you think that's important in today's music world?

Devon Allman: I think anyone that does something should do it with love, whether they're a chef in a restaurant or an architect building a new place for people to thrive and work or live. I think you get much better results if you love what you do. So at the end of the day, I think you come out of the gate in a brand-new band when you're seasoned veterans and you're kind of feeling your way and seeing who's going to do what and what the roles are and what the colors and tones and textures are of each person.

And I think once you get comfortable knowing a lay of the land, that's where you can really thrive. And I think that's where we're at in this band. And I think that we're having a love affair with being in a band together … I hope when people hear this record, they really hear a band that's in love with being in a band with each other.

There's a lot of sonic diversity on the album. You don't really know what's going to come next.

Devon Allman: I like that aspect. I think it's good to take people on a journey. Some of my most favorite films are the ones that really take you for a ride and keep you guessing, where you're not figuring out the end 20 minutes in. So I really think that diversity works for us, and we tip our hat to our heroes. Like The Rolling Stones could play blues, they could play something country-tinged, they could play something reggae-tinged. And I think it's important to be able to stretch out and do some things that are maybe not cookie-cutter experiences.

Duane Betts: There's just kind of a wider spectrum of influences, and, on the whole level, it's just kind of a wider palette.

The Allman Betts Band

The Allman Betts Band | Photo: Kaelan Barowsky

I imagine your fathers, who performed together in The Allman Brothers Band, played a vital role in your musical growth. How does having a musician father prepare you for fronting your own band?

Duane Betts: I think a lot of that stuff you learn just by watching people, by observing your environment … I started watching my father [Dickey Betts] front his bands and the dynamics he had with his band members.

You're kind of leading just by expressing what you're hearing to the band, and then the band is there to execute that vision. Being a band leader, per se, like on tour, is a different kind of thing. I definitely learned a lot from watching him on- and off-stage.

There was always music playing [growing up]. I think there were guitars around, and there was kind of a junior-size guitar or ukulele or something around. And I picked it up when I was really young, and it kind of seemed really difficult to me. I decided I didn't want to play guitar, in other words. We went to a warehouse where his solo band was rehearsing at that time. And there were kind of some spare drums, and he kind of made a makeshift drum kit. And I started playing drums from that set that he put together, probably around the age of 5 or 6.

By the age of 13, I would say, I switched to guitar. He was always around, just showing me fundamental stuff in guitar playing, like Chuck Berry licks and 12-bar blues and just stuff like that to get me started.

He was there every step of the way. He was there to kind of guide me, but I didn't really want to take too much advice from him, [me] being a teenager. I kind of wanted to learn stuff on my own, which is kind of a joke to this day that we have with each other.

Devon Allman: I really found music on my own. I had punk rock bands in the garage at age 15. But I think my dad and I had some of the same favorite singers in common, like Bobby Bland and Ray Charles.

I don't think anyone can prepare you for the path that you're going to go on. Only your work ethic can prepare you. So at the end of the day, I think we have our own story to tell, and think that story is right there on Bless Your Heart.

Allman Brothers Band: Lifetime Achievement Award Acceptance

How do you balance tradition and forging a new path?

Duane Betts: I think just by us making art and expressing our true selves, I think that is carrying on the legacy, because that's what they did … We are focused on forging a new path, and I think that this record is a pretty strong statement of that. When we play our dads' tunes, I would say we definitely hold that in high regard, and we try to play that with respect; we feel like we do a good job, and we don't take it for granted. We hold it in a special place.

Guitars have a similar importance in Allman Betts songs. Can you talk about the importance of guitars on your new album?

Duane Betts: It's a song record, but it's also a guitar record … Guitars are very important to our band. That's where we come from … It's in the family, you know?

I imagine everyone is eager to hit the road again whenever things get back to normal.

Duane Betts: Absolutely—as soon as the coast is clear and it's safe and responsible. We're actually doing a show in New Hampshire at a drive-in at the end of August, which is really cool. We're really looking forward to doing that. We're just really excited to put some new music out and make some new fans, and hopefully people dig it.

Devon, I've noticed you've also been doing some livestreams. What's it been like to do these virtual performances?

Devon Allman: It's definitely a different dynamic, but you roll with the punches and you have to connect with your audience in some manner. This [pandemic], if it lasts up to a year—I couldn't imagine not staying in contact with our fan base. So I'm grateful for any way we have to connect.

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Rico Nasty

Rico Nasty

Photo: Jason Carman

News

Welcome To Rico Nasty's 'Nightmare Vacation'

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As she gears up to release her debut album, 'Nightmare Vacation,' this fall, the Maryland-born rapper tells GRAMMY.com about the evolution of her sound, the cultural connection between her music and fashion and the new era of women-led rap music
John Ochoa
GRAMMYs
Sep 29, 2020 - 10:19 pm

Rico Nasty knows how to stand out. In an era filled with gray days and dark skies, she is the rainbow-bright, spiky-haired, fashion-forward loudmouth with nothing to hide and everything to gain. 

Since first breaking out in 2016 with her underground hits "iCarly" and "Hey Arnold," the Maryland-born rapper has become one of the most exciting, singular voices in today's hip-hop scene. Her unique take on the genre—melodic vibes and hard-edged flows over bright, bass-rattling trap beats, a style she's trademarked as "Sugar Trap"—has helped mutate rap music into all sorts of weird shapes and sounds. Rap music is all the better for it.

On her forthcoming debut album, Nightmare Vacation, Rico bridges her raw style with mainstream ambitions. Just take "iPhone" for a ride. Produced by fellow pop weirdo Dylan Brady, one half of experimental electronic duo 100 gecs, the song is an adrenaline rush of distorted hyperpop paired with Rico's washed-out, razor-sharp rhymes. In the middle of the track, she floats into soft R&B coos that can still cut like rusty blades. 

"I definitely feel like this is just a whole new vibe," Rico Nasty tells GRAMMY.com about the vision behind Nightmare Vacation. "It's a whole bunch of that overcoming, that, 'Wow, I didn't think I could do this.' And then actually do it and it sounds amazing. I look forward to that."

As she gears up to release Nightmare Vacation this fall, Rico Nasty checks in with GRAMMY.com to talk about the evolution of her sound on her debut album, the cultural connection between her music and fashion, and the new era of women-led rap music.

You found the name for your new album, Nightmare Vacation, while you were on a trip to Mexico last year. What's the significance behind the album's title?

I feel like life is dated by what a person thinks they should be. They find themselves in a "nightmare vacation." They find themselves surrounded by a bunch of the stuff that they thought they would love once they got it, but they realized that that wasn't what they wanted—it was what somebody else wanted. I felt like I dealt with a lot of that during [my trip] in Cabo, [Mexico]—just a whole lot of minding myself and growing up and realizing that can't nobody makes choices for me. I like what I like, I don't like what I don't like. I want in life what I want out of life.

I was listening to some of your older music, specifically your 2018 mixtape, Nasty, which is raw, it's hard and it's, well, pretty nasty. Nightmare Vacation has that same energy, but then you also have tracks like "Come Over" and "Loser," which show a little bit of a softer side with some R&B melodies. How would you say your sound has changed or evolved over the last couple of years, or since your last couple of releases?

I feel like I've been in the studio more than I ever have in my entire life. I was doing 72-hour sessions, even just literally experimenting and, obviously, drawing inspiration from the people that I love. I love Rihanna. I feel like she makes the best music, she has the best beats and melodies ever. I just tried to pull from my inspirations, but still keep it me, keep everything true to myself and ... everything that's been going on with my life.

You're doing something really unique and interesting with the rollout of Nightmare Vacation. With each of your announcements, you're sharing these personal letters in a series that you're calling the Nightmare Vacation Journal. Tell me about the journal series and the decision behind all of these personal letters.

I feel like before I dropped a song, I would get real nervous and I'd have all these thoughts. I get all tumbled up and emotional ... I never deal with a lot of other things. I can't really compare it to anything. Every time I drop a song, it's a process of letting go. I feel like whatever emotions I'm feeling the night before I drop those songs, I share my feelings. Whether or not they're meaningful messages or like ... I don't really know. It's just whatever comes to my mind, I feel like that's part of it. Every day, I might look back on this sh*t and say, "Why did I say that? Why did I think that? Why did I feel like that?" But it's just important to share that stuff so [my fans] know what type vibe I'm on when I'm releasing it.

In the first letter for the album's debut single, "iPhone," which you sent out in August, you wrote that you felt anxious about the announcement of Nightmare Vacation. Now that we're getting closer to the album's release, do you still feel anxious?

Yeah, I'm always anxious. I'm always anxious or excited ... I don't know what the word is. I'm always high-strung and ready for whatever ... As a child, I would never think that I would make an album, like a real album. I've toured and I've seen the world and I actually have fans—it's a dream come true. I think anybody would get anxious for sharing that with the world.

That's interesting because when I listen to your music, I don't hear a nervous or an anxious person. Your album, for example, has a track called "Own It," which is basically a self-empowerment anthem. Do you consider yourself confident?

Some days I'm confident. Some days I'm not. I feel like I'm confident when I make music.

When I hear you rapping, I feel like you very much are confident and you love yourself for who you are. How did you go about gaining that confidence? How did you learn to love yourself?

It's one of those things that I feel like, when you're born ... You have to just have an early sense of self-worth. When you're a kid, it's just certain choices that you make ... This is something small, but in high school, I was on this health kick, and I was going to the gym and I was in sports. I was serious about it. I was serious about taking care of myself. The older I've gotten, I became more aware of what it took to take care of myself. I feel like, when you strive for self-love and not perfection or all that other sh*t that you strive for, you just strive to be the best you, whatever you like. You gotta finesse it. It just makes you feel better about everything.

But like I said, you don't feel that way every day. I feel like anybody who's feeling great every day is a lunatic. You're a crazy person. There's no way everybody feels good every single day. There's no way, not one person. Everybody feel like sh*t. Some days I feel ugly. Some days I feel like the baddest person in the room. Some days I feel misunderstood. Some days I feel like everybody can relate to me ... It's up and down.

Read: Rico Nasty On Being Fearless & The Importance Of Highlighting Black Women's Emotions

Going back to your letters and journal, it all feels very intimate. They reveal a little vulnerability, and they're written directly to your fans. What's your relationship like with your fans, the so-called Nasty Mob?

I always tell them that our relationship is one-of-a-kind because they've never given me a hard time. I've never had a situation with my fans where I'm out and they're just giving me a hard time. Everybody who I come in contact with is just respectful and polite, dressed cool as hell, and their hair is fire and their makeup is fire. They're just a really cool individual. I always say that I would probably be friends with my fans if I was just a regular person, like if I just seen them out, I'd be like, "OK. You can hang with me. Let's get lit." It's just one big gang, one big mob.

Whenever I'm in the city, I personally invite certain fans that have come out to other shows. I just feel like I watched them growing. We all met when they was like 17 and I'm, like 19. My first time away from home, they first time ever going to a show. Just that human interaction is so important, especially now with coronavirus. I've cried a couple of times about missing them, like literally missing them, their presence, the way how I can get on stage and say, "Guys, I feel terrible today. Today has been the worst day ever." And they just scream at me and throw flowers at me, throw gifts at me, get on each other's shoulders, they mosh for me. It's one-of-a-kind, the love that I have for them. They're the best fans ever, I don't care what anybody says.

Rico Nasty

Rico Nasty | Photo: Jason Carman

It sounds like your fans are really excited about Nightmare Vacation. What do you think they're going to think about the album?

I just imagine a brain that's gray, and I just imagine a colorful brain after they see the album. [They're going] to be stimulated and well-fed and well-behaved. They probably won't be as mad at me as they are now. I feel like they're going to have a lot of fun with this album ... Fun by themselves, fun going for a walk, fun in the shower, fun driving alone. You don't even need a person to listen to this album with. You don't need nobody to party with. It's the party. This is the party. Put this b*tch on and let go. This the party in your room. You don't need nobody.

Read: Princess Nokia Is Making Space For People Who "Don't Have A Voice Yet" In Music

Speaking of having fun, did you have fun making Nightmare Vacation?

Yeah, I had fun making every single song on his album. But you know what I didn't have fun doing? I didn't have fun learning a whole lot of stuff. Obviously, every artist, you learn so much. You learn the ins and outs, you learn the ups and downs, you learn the pauses, the, "This might not be cleared. This might get cleared." This video and these dates and features and people available. You learn so much sh*t. So it definitely takes away [from] the glory of, "Wow this is great, great studio session!"

But that is what it is. It's Nightmare Vacation, man, f**k that. Everything's good, everything's bad—it's life. But you love life, right? You don't want to die. You want to see tomorrow. You might f***ing hit the lottery tomorrow. If you died, you wouldn't see that. You wouldn't see anything.

On an artistic level, does Nightmare Vacation feel different from what you've done before?

I definitely feel like this is just a whole new vibe. I never would have thought I could make a song like "Own It." "Own It" is so smooth, it's just different. The video is so couture and so camp, and it's different. It's a whole bunch of that overcoming, that, "Wow, I didn't think I could do this." And then actually do it and it sounds amazing. I look forward to that.

As you said, your "Own It" video shows some very futuristic fashion. You've got some strong looks on there. You have your hands in fashion: You have your own unique, very colorful look and style. You're going to be appearing and walking in Rihanna's Savage X Fenty show this week. What's the connection between fashion and your music?

I feel like I would not be who I was if the music didn't match the way I dress. [Giggles.] I feel like the music has to match your style ... I don't know, it doesn't have to. Look at J. Cole. J. Cole doesn't really go deep into that fashion sh*t. But his music is crazy, and it's a great reflection of him. But for me, my fashion is out there with big-ass boots, crazy eyeliner, leather, spikes. You listen to my music and that's what will probably be in the room if you were laying in the bed with me. [Laughts.].

I think [fashion is] a mirror almost, and I've used it like that. I've used it like a real-life mirror of how I'm feeling. Because sometimes I dress super hardcore, and some days I dress in dresses and I just look like a girly-girl, a whole lot of pink. Fashion is just one of those things that, honestly, the first thing that made feel accepted in any industry ever. 'Cause music was a little hesitant. I remember music was like, "OK, we like her. It's cool." But fashion was really like, "Oh my God, hop out." I made a lot of friends in fashion and a lot of people that keep me inspired.

Read: Leikeli47 On Honest Storytelling, Performing With A Mask, 'Acrylic' & More | Up Close & Personal

You mentioned spikes and leather, which makes me think about punk rock fashion. You've been called a rock star, a punk rock princess, a pop-punk princess. There are mosh pits at your shows. What's your relationship with rock and punk?

I am a fan of rock and punk music, but I feel like I'm really a fan of rap music. I'm a rapper, and I've used those other references, like rock, to blend with rap music. I feel like people kinda ignore that a little bit, but I love rap music. I always tell my manager and my friends, whenever they say stuff like that—it's been so many different titles for me that they're going to have to come up with my own word at this point ... There's punk, there's rock, there's hardcore.

I don't think there's anything ... It's just getting inspired from things that I've heard growing up. I might make a song that sound like that ... It's the voice and the cadence, I get, could be the rock stuff. But also, there's a lot of rockers that have had that crazy-ass voice. Obviously, the beats draw them in and that's what sticks in their head, like, "OK, she raps on this hard." There's a lot of music that people have fallen in love with that don't have anything to do with rock.

Do you believe in genres? Do you see them as an inspiration or a barrier?

I feel like genres definitely are needed ... But I don't know. This new generation, of course, we are just so obsessed with everything being our own and we being the creators of everything. I call my music "Sugar Trap." That's what I've always called it.

What is Sugar Trap?

You have the soft, beautiful, flowy vibes, melodic, but then you also have trap music like Chicago drill music, Atlanta trap music, Memphis trap music, little bit of California trap music. I mix everything. If the sound catches my ear, I mix it. So when we talk about rock, I just remember, when I made that song, I was listening to a lot of rock. I felt very alone and very alienated, so I made music to reflect that. That's why we get songs like "Rage."

Talking about rock, you've mentioned Joan Jett as a major inspiration to your music and your career. In many ways, you are now on that opposite end where you're inspiring a younger generation of rappers, artists and fans. Do you feel the weight of responsibility as a role model to your fans?

Nah, because I feel more of a weight or responsibility to be a role model towards my son. Just as long as I'm a good person to him, that's what really matters to me. Fans going to like what they like. I know some songs they don't like from me; they're allowed to feel that way. I just feel like, where I think my son is different, because they they always grow with me.

As far as the younger generation looking up to me, too, however they're inspired by me, I just want them to understand that they're their own person and they're going to live their own life. And though there might be a lot of situations that resemble one another, there's a lot of choices they're going to have to make that I ain't had to make, and things they going have to do that I ain't have to do. And they just going to have to respect the hustle. It's hard to get where I am. It's gonna be hard to get wherever they get. That's still weird having people look up to me because I take my pants off one leg at a time, and I'm just a regular person.

Your dad, who was a rapper, introduced you to hip-hop. Are you doing the same for your son? Are you introducing him to your music or rap or any other genres?

He be in the studio with me. He go places with me. He knows, he watch my music videos. He listens to his own stuff, though. It's very important that he's his own person, too, 'cause he's one-of-a-kind just by watching him make his own decisions. He listens to Aminé and Post Malone. His music choice is kinda cute. Justin Timberlake, too; he likes Justin Timberlake a lot.

But you know, he don't really listen to my stuff. He's around, he sees it. He was there for some video shoots. He was there for the "Countin Up" video shoot in New York. He's there for a lot of stuff; he's just behind the scenes, though. I definitely try to incorporate him in my life, but I ain't going to force it. He doesn't have to like music.

We are having a major cultural moment in hip-hop: Women are dominating rap, a genre that's always been very male-driven. You have Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion on top. Does it feel like we're in a new era where women are the new leaders in rap?

Yeah. It's kinda weird watching it become what it is become. This is what the next 10 years is going to look like. I feel like people like women's music more. [Laughs.] I don't know how to say that. A woman's voice, it is what it is. Whether it's rap or whatever it is, the confidence that women give other women, it's unmatched ... I feel like the world needs women's music to heal as well. The early 2000s had so much women's music and girls were so powerful, and the world just felt better. I'm praying for that.

There's a lot of momentum happening for women rappers right now. Where would you like it to go and what needs to happen to take it there?

Well, it's already in a great direction. Obviously, I would wish that people would stop being so judgemental. But it's one of those things where, just like everything else, if you just put it in their face enough, they'll get the point. They'll get it. They'll care. Just like there's a lot of male rappers who talk about certain things, and people just get their point. That's their life. That's what they do. Just give it, like I said, five years and it'll be what it is ... This is the new era of music: women rapping.

In order to make it happen, we just need ... I don't even know what to say. Women already supporting each other. We already cool. We already text each other when great sh*t happens for one another and we're like, "Oh my God, that's crazy!" We are all watching this unfold.

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Tchami

Tchami

Photo: Anthony Ghnassia

 
 
News

Tchami Talks Debut Album 'Year Zero,' New Single "Faith" And Producing Lady Gaga's 'Chromatica'

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GRAMMY.com caught up with the Parisian DJ/producer to talk about how he experimented in the studio on 'Year Zero,' Lady Gaga's fearless approach to music and his ongoing chase to "master the alchemy of making great records"
John Ochoa
GRAMMYs
Sep 29, 2020 - 6:27 pm

Tchami might be having the best year ever, and in 2020 no less. Over the last decade, he's performed at some of the biggest festivals in the world, amassed hundreds of millions of online streams and launched the future house genre. This year, the Parisian DJ/producer upped the ante: As one of the featured producer's on Lady Gaga's latest hit album, Chromatica, he's put his magic touch on one of the year's biggest pop releases. 

After first working with Gaga on "Applause," the lead single from her 2013 album, ARTPOP, the pop queen once again tapped Tchami for Chromatica. He co-produced four of the album's tracks, including lead single "Stupid Love" and mega radio hit "Rain on Me" with Ariana Grande. 

"The vibe in the studio was open," Tchami said of the creative process behind Chromatica. "[In] the end, I was just happy to be there and come back when my help was needed."

As the overwhelming success of his earworm tracks continues to build, Tchami is closing out the year with the release of his forthcoming debut album, Year Zero. Set to release later this year, the album is an "illustration of where I am right now as an artist and also as a human," he explains. 

So far, Tchami has rolled out five singles off Year Zero, including his latest, "Faith," released Sept. 25. The up-tempo house track centers on a haunting sample from legendary soul-jazz singer Marlena Shaw's 1969 song, "Woman of the Ghetto," a stark portrait of Black life in America during the tumultuous decade. 

"There is a fascinating aspect about sampling in the way that you're able to bring something from the past and its aesthetics into a new time and place," Tchami says of the distinctive sample driving "Faith."

GRAMMY.com caught up with Tchami to talk about how he experimented in the studio on Year Zero, Lady Gaga's fearless approach to music and his ongoing chase to "master the alchemy of making great records."

Your new single, "Faith," samples Marlena Shaw's 1969 song, "Woman of The Ghetto." How did you discover the sample in the first place?

About two years ago, during the first studio session for the album, DJ Snake came to me with this idea to sample "Woman of the Ghetto" by Marlena Shaw. I made the first sketches around the a cappella that we extracted from the original version. The creation process around it was really similar to doing a remix.

What drew you to the sample for this specific song? What made you want to use it for "Faith"?

In the early 2000s, I was buying a lot of vinyl records in France. It could be any type of genre, and as far as I can remember, I always liked to incorporate samples in my music. There are ups and downs due to clearances, but it's definitely not new to me. There is a fascinating aspect about sampling in the way that you're able to bring something from the past and its aesthetics into a new time and place. Again, nothing new here, but that's my thinking behind all my sample choices. 

I called it "Faith" to punctuate Marlena Shaw's powerful message in her original song. I don't write lyrics at all, even if I try to, and, like many others, my words often fail to express my intentions. That's why I mainly choose to stick to the musical side to express myself; I have found just that in electronic music. I can't hide the fact that I have been touched by records with a powerful message in my life and I wanted my first album to represent that as well.

Read: Record Store Recs: Chicago House Hero Marshall Jefferson On Representation In Dance Music 

You're releasing your debut album, Year Zero, later this year. How do you plan to make the album stand out from your previous releases and projects? 

I surely went deeper in my sonic explorations, tested new BPMs and song structures. I also wanted to be in a studio creating with songwriters. Since I mainly make music from home, I wanted to shake [up] my creative process a little bit. We had some wonderful moments during these sessions. If I have an obsession in life, it's definitely knowing enough about making a record from scratch, alone or with other people in the room. Everyone's energy is important and I pay attention to everyone. 

The main reason for this album to exist is that I wanted to challenge myself. At some point, I was asking myself, "What's next for you Tchami?" Another EP? Countless singles? [There's] nothing wrong with that, but the challenge wasn't there. And as a listener, I just love the album format. But the main wall I kept hitting was, "How are you going to keep the listener engaged through the whole album?" Well, I guess I'll have the answer soon enough.

The term "year zero" carries a lot of different meanings and definitions. For instance, it's used to describe "the beginning of revolutionary change" or "the beginning of any new system or regime." What does Year Zero mean exactly in the world of Tchami?

I think Year Zero is a good photograph/illustration of where I am right now as an artist and also as a human. I have lost family members during the making of the album, I had to terminate some friendships that were unhealthy. Those who know me know that I can be too agreeable most of the time because I believe in people's vision and want to help them achieve it. The cost is putting myself aside. I also think this is a good reason why I'm a good asset in the studio for other artists. But all this led to an inner revolution that started with the Tchami project and continues with this album. 

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy healthy collaborations; that's what this LP is about. Music is a therapy for me before being a job. I am also conscious that the title can resonate in other ways, especially during these times, and I can't stop people [from thinking of] it. Once the album is out it's up for debate and interpretation. It's meant to be shared, experienced, and maybe be a part of you for some time.

You co-produced several tracks off Lady Gaga's new album, Chromatica. How did that opportunity come about for you?

[GRAMMY-nominated producer] BloodPop and I were introduced to each other by a mutual friend, as simple as that. I think he wanted to work with other electronic music producers to shape the Chromatica [album] with him and Lady Gaga, so I'm glad I was one of them. 

Beyond the fact that this is an exciting project to work on, the vibe in the studio was open, and as far as I know, I had full latitude to work on every song of the album. [In] the end, I was just happy to be there and come back when my help was needed.

Have you always been a fan of Lady Gaga's music? Or is this a more recent development?

What I like the most about her is the big picture she paints, not only with her music, but with all her artistic and aesthetic choices. It always makes sense. She is not afraid to challenge herself in other music genres and makes it look effortless. I think it's powerful not to let people put you in a specific box; if you want to do something else, you should be proud and praised, too. 

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Lady Gaga has always kept one foot in the pop world and one foot on the dance floor. For example, electronic artists like David Guetta, DJ Snake, Infected Mushroom, Zedd and Madeon have produced for her. Does this dance-pop crossover make it easier or harder for your individual sounds and styles to come together when producing for Gaga or a similar artist?

Unless I'm asked to, I never try to bring the Tchami sound forward when I work on somebody else's project. Bringing my best game means sometimes getting Tchami out of the way because we're trying to write a whole other story. I make all kinds of music in my studio that never sees the light of day, so working on other projects is always an opportunity to surprise people. Maybe the most important thing isn't the sound signature, but the creative process and being able to co-create something unique each time.

Do you have plans to continue experimenting and producing in the pop world? Are there any other genres you're interested in exploring or experimenting with as a producer or artist?

Pop music is a vast world, plus it is one of my guilty pleasures. So why not? I'm interested in other genres, too; maybe [working] with live instruments a bit more. I'm also deeply invested in the mixing and mastering aspects of a record. I think it's one of the key reasons why a record is satisfying to one's ear and potentially timeless. [More so] than genres, I'd like to master the alchemy of making great records.  

Your label, Confession, has helped globalize several breakout electronic artists, including Malaa. What's the label working on for the remainder of 2020 and going into 2021?

2020 is definitely a year we take to reflect on the label's direction. We will continue to give a voice and a platform to emerging artists, but also to initiate and engage more in collaborative efforts such as new compilations and live events. 

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