X Ambassadors

Photo by Lauren Kallen

News

X Ambassadors Want To Redefine What It Means To Be A Band

Facebook Twitter Email
Sam Harris sits down with the Recording Academy to talk about X Ambassadors' sophomore effort, 'Orion,' working with mega-producer Ricky Reed on 'For The Throne' and how mind-blowing it is to write songs with Lizzo
Rachel Brodsky
GRAMMYs
May 3, 2019 - 11:00 am

Ever since the release of early singles like "Strangers" and "Litost," X Ambassadors have been a tricky group to classify. When the Ithaca three-piece initially came together in 2009, it would've been easy to dub them as a traditional rock band, but time and a series of surprising partnerships have upended that categorization and revealed a chameleonic sonic range.

Over the last decade, lead singer Sam Harris, brother Casey Harris, and drummer Adam Levin have revealed an extraordinary ability to participate in a number of popular genres. While part of this is imbued in shape-shifting singles like the piano-led ballad "Unsteady" and the rapidfire romp "The Devil You Know," the bulk of their adaptability comes through via some high-profile collaborations. Take the moody 2016 single "Sucker For Pain," which shows up on the "Suicide Squad" soundtrack and features Lil Wayne, plus X Ambassadors, Wiz Khalifa, Logic, Ty Dolla $ign and Imagine Dragons. Then there's the trudging 2017 single "Home" where the trio pops up with hip-hop performer Machine Gun Kelly and pop singer Bebe Rexha. Meanwhile, on 2016's "Low Life," the band subverts genre again with guests A$AP Ferg and British singer/songwriter Jamie N Commons.

Nowadays, X Ambassadors are readying their second album, Orion (arriving on June 14 via IDinaKORNER/Interscope Records) and have released a couple of arena-ready singles ("HEY CHILD" and "BOOM"), which showcase the band's supple, radio-ready sound. But when it comes to alliances, they've gained more visibility than ever. The trio contributed three tracks to Lizzo's most recent album, Cuz I Love You, and Sam even collaborated with mega-producer Ricky Reed (Jason Derulo, Fifth Harmony) in writing and producing for For the Throne: Music Inspired by the HBO Series Game of Thrones, which features Maren Morris, The National, Ellie Goulding, and more notable names

Ahead of Orion's release, we sat down with Sam to talk about his fruitful working relationship with Reed (who also produced their sophomore effort), how he'd like to see X Ambassadors redefine what it means to be a band and a producing/songwriting collective, his immense respect for Lizzo, and the need for diversity in alternative music. 

You’ve said that your single "HEY CHILD" comes from a personal place, specifically it’s about growing apart from a lifelong friend. How did you decide on that angle for the song?

Sam Harris: Yeah, I mean, it's so funny. I like [that] most of these songs that end up being these personal songs. It was not an easy road to go down, but I'd had the chorus written already and I had different verses. I played it for Ricky Reed, who executive produced our record and produced a lot of tracks on it. And he was like, "I love this song. I love the music. I love the chorus. [But] I don't really know what song’s about, you know? I wish you could put a little more of yourself in there."

So, we talked about it and then I told him, "Well, this is a love letter to my friend who I've become so estranged from and really miss, who's really struggling and I can't talk to right now." And he's like, "You should write about that." So I did. I went back and rewrote the verses and told our story. This is one of my best friends since I was five years old. It's the feeling of that love and dedication. I feel like a lot of songs [operate] within the context of a romantic relationship, and this is just as potent, in my view. Friendships are very similar to a lot of romantic relationships. They require work, they require attention. They can break your heart. I care a lot about this person still, even though we aren't really on a speaking basis right now.

I really appreciate you telling me that, and I agree. I actually wish there were more songs that describe how friendships change.

Harris: Yeah. And I know myself, too. I was literally just talking to my fiance about this. I can be a very codependent person. That's my whole life; I've kind of struggled with that and fought against it and given into it again. That's a big part of the song and a big part of why the disillusion of this relationship hit me so hard. Because I realized I couldn't really help this person anymore.

I read that the "BOOM" artwork is written in braille. You know, I actually didn't realize that your brother and bandmate Casey Harris was born with only 10% of his vision. Why did this feel like a good time to lean into that, conceptually?

Harris: Yeah. He's visually impaired, he was born blind. Yeah, it's something a lot of people don't know about.

I think what we're trying to embrace on this album is that it's part of our DNA, and it's the part that maybe we've subconsciously kind of kept hidden, and I don't really know why. Probably because, I think at least for me, I was always afraid of making it about the fact that he has a disability, rather than about the music. I'm obviously very protective of my big brother.

But on this album, the most important thing for us is to really try and show people who we are, not just make a record full of songs that can get on the radio or get a bunch of streams. We want to show people who we are as people and as human beings.

We're doing a lot of yellow on black [artwork]. My brother has a smartphone and has used computers, but he has to adapt it all so that the text is very, very large and bold in Arial black font, which is the same font that we used in all the artwork. And he reverses the contrast of it so that it's yellow on black, so he can see it better. Everything that we're doing now, I run by him. I showed him [the artwork for “Boom”] on a big screen and said, "Hey, can you see what this says or what the shape is?" I remember showing him the artwork for “Boom,” and even though it's not tactile, I showed it to him on the phone, and he was like, "Oh sh*t. That says 'BOOM.'"

Why does this feel like the right time to really show the world who you are? What prevented X Ambassadors from doing that earlier in your career?

Harris: I think we were still figuring it out. I'm 30 now. My brother's 32, and our drummer's also 30. I'm very happy to be this age, and I think I know myself better now. I mean, we made [our first record] when we were 24, 25. And the stuff before that, like, 22, 23. I just don't think I had as good of a sense of self back then, as I do now. It's just feeling a lot more confident in who you are and not being afraid to put that out there. That's why artists like Billie Eilish are so incredible, and she's so young. She's putting all of herself out there which is like so, so scary and so cool to watch her do that. And to be so unafraid to do that.

I mean, I think fear has to be there. But I think she just acknowledges it and says, "Okay, but I'm still going to do it, I'm still going to show people who I am even though it's scary."

Absolutely. You know, I’d also love to know how you got involved in producing and writing songs for For the Throne: Music Inspired by the HBO Series Game of Thrones. That’s huge!

Harris: Yeah! We had a demo of this song called "Baptize Me," which is on the record now. I had sent it to A&R at Columbia, because I was like, it didn't fit the tone of our album that we're putting out. But I thought it was a great song, and I didn't know what to do with it, so I sent it to this A&R, and I was like, "What do you think? Do you think this could work on a soundtrack, or anything?” And then he sent it to Imran [Majid], the head of A&R at Columbia, who then showed it to Ricky Reed. He had already been tapped to executive produce the "Game of Thrones" soundtrack. Ricky was like, "I know Sam. Let me talk to him about this song, and about potentially writing some more stuff for the soundtrack."

He gave me a call and was like, "Would you be interested in this? Maybe we can get in, in a day and try to come up with a few ideas." Before I'd even hung up the phone I was working on something for it, and sent him a demo of another track: the beginning of what ended up becoming “King Of One.” Then I ended up co-writing eight songs on the soundtrack, and I'm listed as associate producer on it. It’s a pretty crazy journey.

Wow. Were you part of the team involved in narrowing down who would be best to sing each song?

Harris: Well, I had some involvement. I threw out suggestions. Every artist who is singing on these songs really contributed to the writing process, and to the creative process as a whole. Really it would boil down to who was willing to come in and help us finish this thing.

Our track "Baptize Me" featuring Jacob Banks—I really pushed hard to have him on that song. When I originally wrote that track, I actually wrote it for him.

Then the Chloe X Halle track “Wolf At Your Door” is one of my favorites on the soundtrack. They are so talented and so, so sweet. When I knew that we were going to be working with a lot of artists in the Sony system and in the Columbia roster, I knew that they were on Columbia. I said, "They would be such a cool addition to the soundtrack. We've got to get them on it." Ricky was like, "Cool, let’s make it happen." We ended up getting in together to write this song all together, and it was me and Ricky and the two of them in the room working on it.

OK, so, now that we’re a few episodes away from the series finale of Game Of Thrones, do you have any theories as to who will—or won’t—survive the war against Cersei?

Harris: You know, I could talk about it all day. I don't know. I go back and forth. Originally I was like, I think that Sansa Stark is going to somehow end up on the Iron Throne.

Yeah, she's going places.

Harris: But I don't know. Or it could just end in total death and chaos and disarray. The incredible thing about this show is that you really just have to stay on your toes. In other words, you can't predict anything. Sometimes the bad guys win. Look [what] we're seeing happen in our political climate in this country and all over the world. Sometimes the bad guys are winning. It's something that the show doesn't shy away from.

Totally. But hey, to pivot back to songwriting for a second, you and the rest of X Ambassadors also collaborated with Lizzo on her new record. No big deal. How did you end up connecting with her?

Harris: Yeah! We co-wrote and produced three tracks on her record, “Cuz I Love You,” “Jerome” and “Heaven Help Me,” and that was so fun. I just was such a f**king fan, she's so good. I'd heard her music a couple of years ago, I was obsessed with the Coconut Oil EP. Then she put “Water Me” out, and I was just like, "Ooh.”

I just told my manager and his team, "Get me in a room with her if there's any way, please." Eventually that ended up happening. [X Ambassadors] was starting to do some production work as a band for some other artists, and felt like this is something we really like, and we're good at, and we want to continue, and let's try it out and get in a session with Lizzo.

So it was the three of us and her in a room all together. That day we wrote "Jerome," which is one of my favorite things I think we've done. Watching her write is ... I've never seen anything like it before. She just is so open and so good, and so, so on f**king point. Everything she was doing was great. She knows herself so well, and that is such a strength when you're coming into a room to write a song.

Then a couple of months later she hit me up, like, "Let's get back in and write some more." So we ended up writing "Heaven Help Me" and "Cuz I Love You" in literally the same day. I met Ricky Reed through her; he was working on her record, and she signed to his label Nice Life, through Atlantic. Ricky was producing her record, and he was like, "Man, I really love what you're doing with Lizzo, we should get in and write some time." And we ended up making our whole album together.

Wow. Is songwriting and producing for other artists something you’d like to keep doing? Do you have any projects in the works, or anyone you really want to work with moving forward?

Harris: Yeah, I mean, we’re always looking to work with more people. We would like to redefine what it is to be a band in today's world. I know a lot of writing teams of people who are all songwriters, and all musicians, and they all get together, and they all write songs together with other artists, and write and produce for other artists. I look at them, and I'm like, "Well, that's a band. They just happen to be making all this music and have different lead singers come in and write with them, and why can't we do that too? We’re a band. We put out our own music, yes, but we can also become a production and writing team, and that can be a part of our signature sound."

And I also just love working with different voices and different perspectives. That's what excites me. That's what turns me on. I love that sh*t. I can't express how important it is I think in general to just have more perspectives and more voices. ... Especially in the world of alternative rock.

I think it's a subject that gets skirted around and hasn't been addressed directly too many times. I think that it is definitely why the genre feels a little stale right now. Not to say that there aren't so many incredible alternative musicians coming out right now, and it’s not a diverse field. It's just, the ones who are getting the most attention are white dudes. [Alternative rock] is a very white male-dominated genre, and that's not really good for a genre. You look at pop, you look at urban, and you look at R&B, and it's all very diverse now. Even country is starting to diversify a little bit.

But that's also a slower climb, too. I think that where, we're at right now, we really love beginning to explore our sound and figure out ways to redefine ourselves. Also, to speak our truth as a band and explore, and also try to elevate other voices that we find really compelling and interesting.

Going back to Lizzo, working with her was just such an honor and a pleasure for that very reason. Because she just is so, so compelling and such a unique voice. From the very beginning we just all thought, "This is someone who is just a star. She's a star."

Music Is Coming: Composer Ramin Djawadi Looks Back On Eight Epic Seasons Of 'Game Of Thrones'

Kiefer Sutherland

Photo by Mumpi Kuenster

News

Kiefer Sutherland Talks New Album 'Reckless & Me' & Contending With The Actor-Turned-Musician Stigma

Facebook Twitter Email
The actor/musician discusses his new music, his love for touring, and what surprised him the most about becoming a recording artist
Crystal Larsen
GRAMMYs
May 6, 2019 - 2:06 pm

In his 30-plus-year career as an actor, Kiefer Sutherland has mastered the art of playing someone else. Whether it was counter-terrorist agent Jack Bauer in the hit TV series “24," the leader of a vampire gang in the cult classic The Lost Boys, or, most recently, as U.S. President in Designated Survivor, Sutherland has built an award-winning career as an actor. But one role that’s taken him by surprise is that of Kiefer Sutherland, the musician.

"I thought my 30 years as an actor onstage and on camera would help me," he says during a phone interview while on set in Los Angeles. "I realized [when playing live] … that there was no character that I had that was separating me from the audience. The joke I'll make is that on my best day, I'm not Jack Bauer. Not even close. But there was always that character."

Sutherland admits he was a bit nervous to play his songs live, songs that revealed personal stories about his own life. But the audience response from the approximately 300 live shows that he and his band have played since 2016 is what inspires him to keep going.

"I was really taken aback by the generosity of people," he adds. "What I found was people really wanted you to do well. And they wanted you to be good. And I found that to be one of the most generous exchanges I’ve experienced in my life. And then being able to tell a lot of the stories was one of the most freeing experiences in my life."

Sutherland’s experience on the road has inspired much of what you’ll hear on his recently released sophomore album, Reckless & Me, a 10-track rollicking collection of songs that were born to be played live. And that's just what Sutherland intends to do with them as he prepares to head back out on the road with his band for a string of U.S. and European dates kicking off May 30 in Texas. Before he heads out on the road again, the Recording Academy caught up with Sutherland to discuss what inspired the songs on his new album, which artists inspired him, and why he decided to launch his music career now.

Reckless & Me came out April 26. But before you released your debut album, 2016’s Down in a Hole, you said you never intended to release an album. You were writing songs for other people. But it was producer/musician Jude Cole who really encouraged you to release them on your own. I'm wondering now, with the second album out, did you know that you would put out a second album after that first one?

KieferSutherland: I did not know that I was going to put a second record out. I loved the process of making a record and Jude was my best friend and it was a really nice way for us to spend time together. And as you said, I just had some songs that I thought maybe I could send off and someone would be interested in doing them. Jude was the one who really pushed me to make the record. I was so acutely aware of the stigma of an actor doing music and just really didn't want to enter into that fray. …  So, we [recorded five songs] and I loved the way [Jude] was making them sound. And I said, "Yeah, let’s make the album." And so, we did. Then what really changed for me [is] how much I’ve enjoyed the writing process, especially with other people. It’s really exciting when you’re with someone else and you start to kind of bounce off each other and feed off each other. I loved that process and I really love, although I felt really quite out of my depth with, the record-making process and that’s where Jude's excellence really stands out as a producer and as a musician.

But [going on tour] was one of the most liberating experiences I've ever had. In the last two-and-half years we've done anywhere from 250 to 300 shows. I did that while I was doing "Designated Survivor," so basically any day off I had we were playing. I love my band and I love the experience of going from town to town. But most importantly, … the songs that I had written were personal. I wasn’t making up stories. All of a sudden, I was telling you really personal stories from my life. And some of them aren't flattering. So, I was nervous about that at first. Especially given the first 40 shows were in bars … [where] no one really wants to listen. But we were playing a show in Ann Arbor, Mich., and the audience was seated. And for the first time I was kind of really honest about where I was at when I wrote this song, what I was going through, why I wrote it, and why I think it might matter to you. And their response was amazing. It was one of the most generous things I’ve ever experienced and so it really encouraged me to do more of that.

How did the process, in terms of songwriting, change when you were thinking about Reckless & Me?

Sutherland: The second record was really finding songs that I wanted for my set. And what I find interesting about that is I wrote towards a goal. And then I also got songs, like for instance "Open Road," [from] Jude Cole. It's one of my favorite songs and it’s his. He wrote that on a road trip that we took to Savannah, Georgia over 20 years ago. And for nostalgic reasons, I really wanted to do that song, and because I love it. [And on] "Something you Love," the chorus for that was Jude.

"Something You Love" is one of my favorites.

Sutherland: That chorus is one of my favorites too. [Jude] was writing it I think for an EP or an LP that he was making for himself. But he wasn’t happy with the verses. And he said, "Hey, maybe we can work on this together." And for whatever reason I wrote the first verse really quickly, and then we kind of worked on the second verse together and then noodled around with the chorus. And then he let me have the song for the album, which I was so thrilled about because [I related to] that chorus in such a heavy way.

You've been very forthcoming about being aware of the stigma that exists with actors pursuing music careers. But I know that you’ve been involved in music for quite some time. You were taking violin lessons at age 4. You started honing your guitar skills at age 10. So, to me, it’s like a longtime music fan pursuing their career in music.

Sutherland: In 2010 Jude and I had a record label called Ironworks. Just as the music industry was kind of imploding and reinventing itself, we started a label. Primarily because we saw … so many great artists that weren't getting signed, that really should have been signed. And so, we had a great studio and we just decided to make songs and records. [During] that tenure there, I got to watch a lot of really fantastic artists coming in and out and they were always writing. Some people would start with a lyric, or some would start with a chorus. You would learn tricks that once you’ve got this one piece, this is what you now have to do. When I wrote songs before it would be like the sky had to open up and something had to fall in [my] lap. But once I started to gain some sense of structure from this person or that person, and primarily Jude, I started writing more. And finally got to a place where I started to like a lot of the songs I was writing. And 10 years later, that's how this started.

So, it was more than a fan. I would say I was a super-fan of music and musicians. Because I watched what they had to go through to just simply get a record out. And it's different for actors. You can get a small part in a show and no one might know your name, but we've got a really good union and you can make a living doing that. It’s not the same for musicians. It’s certainly not the same for songwriters. So, I've always admired the sacrifices they've made.

Do you think that becoming a recording and performing musician changed the way you view or approach your acting career?

Sutherland: Being able to tell stories and feel comfortable in my own skin telling the story honestly about where I was coming from, why I wrote the song, [and] why I might relate to you – I enjoyed that so much. We had been touring for a year and a half, almost two years, by the time I started "Designated Survivor," and I think because of that experience, I allowed myself to probably put more of my own person into that character than maybe any other I had before. I always thought that acting onstage for as long as I have was going to influence my ability to perform music onstage, and it ended up being the opposite.

You mentioned growing up listening to artists like Boston, AC/DC and Aerosmith. And your songs definitely have a rock 'n' roll feel to them, but with a good dose of country and Americana. I’m curious how you gravitated toward writing more in this vein?

Sutherland: Those bands that you described, oddly enough, I was like 4, 5 or 6 [when I was listening to them]. I was listening to everything that my brother was listening to. And then he gave me music, everything from the Jackson 5 to Elton John. When I got a little older, Stevie Wonder. When I got even a little [more] older, Marvin Gaye. So, it was a really wonderful mixture. But the first music that I remember relating to as a young teenager, the first 45 I ever bought, was "Hollywood Nights" by Bob Seger. There was a real country feel in the sense that he wrote a really straight lyric. It was a story that you could follow. But he played it in a rock 'n' roll arrangement.

Then I started roping on the USTRC roping circuit as a cowboy. And I would travel around with a lot of cowboys for almost 10 years. And that’s when I got into country music. They would all play their cassettes. Most of them were mixed tapes. So, they had everything on it from their favorite Johnny Cash song [to] Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard, Kris Kristofferson, [and] Willie Nelson. I just fell in love with those artists.

It’s the storytelling and the authenticity, right?

Sutherland: The joke is it’s three chords and the truth. But if you take it really seriously…it’s never less than five chords and not easy chords. But the lyric is straight. And the lyric is direct and it's honest, whether it's flattering or not.

You’ve mentioned that now, compared to 15 or 30 years ago, you're in a place where it's not as important to you what people might think. What changed over those years? Was it growing up and becoming more comfortable putting your stories out there?

Sutherland: It’s absolutely growing up. In my 20s, not that I'm not sensitive now, but I was really sensitive [then]. And it took enough to get through all of the rejection as an actor the idea of trying music and getting through that…go get me the gun and I'll take my own hat off. [Chuckles.] And confidence. When I first met Jude Cole, he was a guitar gunslinger. He played so well I just put my guitar under the bed for almost two years. And over time I brought it out because I missed it. Being able to spend as much time with other musicians at Ironworks taught me a couple things that made me feel confident about writing about something specific. And then again, I have incredible respect for Jude and his musicianship. And his taste. And that meant a lot to me when he said, “I think you should record these songs for yourself.” None of this would have happened without him.

To Lift Up Young Writers, Dave Eggers Is Auctioning Autographed Setlists

Lizzo

Photo:  David Crotty/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images

News

Summerfest 2019: Lizzo, Brandi Carlile, Rodrigo Y Gabriela & More

Facebook Twitter Email
The massive festival will take place June 26–30 and July 2–7 in downtown Milawaukee and will also feature Billie Eilish, The Roots, The Lonely Island and Atmosphere
Jennifer Velez
GRAMMYs
Apr 10, 2019 - 4:48 pm

Brandi Carlile, Jimmy Eat World, Lizzo and Rodrigo y Gabriela are among the over 100 headlining musical artists that have been announced for Summerfest, the 11-day music festival in Milwaukee, this year.

The massive festival will take place June 26–30 and July 2–7 in downtown Milawaukee and will also feature Billie Eilish, The Roots, The Lonely Island and Atmosphere. The full lineup can be seen at the Summerfest website. 

Last week, the fest announced that Lil Wayne, Snoop Dogg and Schoolboy Q will headline the last day of performances at the American Family Insurance Amphitheater, which will host a series of performances with tickets that can be purchased separately from the Summerfest general admission ticket (but also include G.A. access). A weekday admission ticket can also be purchased. More info on the variety of tickets can be found here.  

Summerfest features 12 stages and over 800 acts in 11 days, according to the fest. For more information on ticket sales, visit the Summerfest website. 

Beyonce To Drop 'Homecoming' Documentary On April 17

Alison Krauss

News

Alison Krauss On Her Many GRAMMY Wins, Working With Robert Plant & The Importance Of "Daydream Time"

Facebook Twitter Email
The bluegrass luminary also goes deep on where she finds musical inspiration and the night she won five GRAMMY Awards
Lior Phillips
GRAMMYs
Mar 25, 2019 - 10:45 am

Though she’s won the third most awards in GRAMMY history, Alison Krauss isn't resting on her laurels or worrying about whether she'll break any records. That kind of thing could change her creative flow, and she's all about the work. "It could infect what I would want to do next, and I have to be very natural," she says from her Nashville home. For a legend of the country and bluegrass world, expecting anything else would be sacrilege.

That kind of golden focus brought Krauss to one of the apexes of Recording Academy history. At the 51st GRAMMY Awards, her collaborative album with Robert Plant, Raising Sand, won Album of the Year, Best Contemporary Folk/Americana Album, Record of the Year for "Please Read The Letter," Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals for "Rich Woman," and Best Country Collaboration with Vocals for "Killing the Blues." That armful of awards made Krauss the sixth female artist to win five GRAMMYs in a single night—the others being Alicia Keys, Beyoncé, Amy Winehouse, Norah Jones, and Lauryn Hill.

Even after winning a GRAMMY or receiving a compliment from a gushing fan, it's telling that Krauss' first instinct is to call her parents. The roots of her work are innately threaded through generations of nostalgia and familial warmth, an energy that hums through any Krauss recording. Raising Sand showcases that vibrance perfectly, especially as it so sweetly connects Krauss' instincts together with those of Plant's and producer T Bone Burnett’s. But in the midst of those legendary voices, Krauss' radiates, bringing everything together in an arc of amber affection.

In the heart of Women's History Month, Krauss spoke with the Recording Academy about connecting to the spirit of bluegrass through memory, working with Robert Plant, and the night she won five GRAMMYs.

Alison Krauss: What top GRAMMY winner record does she hold?

What are you working on at the moment?

I've got some tracks that I'm finishing, and we're deciding whether we're going to use them for a project in 2020, depending on how we feel about the collection! I also have some vocals to do on other projects that I haven't got through yet. I don't know if it's allergies or what, but I caught the flu a few months ago and my throat’s still not clean enough to record something that will be around forever. I'm just going to keep on waiting a little bit.

Absolutely, if you strain your voice, that's going to be incredibly harmful in the long-term. You really do sound so natural on your records, so ensuring you don’t have to force that is important.

Whenever I've compromised my voice, I just never forget. At least for me, if I don’t feel absolutely 100% certain I’m ready, it's always going to feel unfinished and I’ll just want to hide under the table every time I hear it.

How do you find inspiration in Nashville?

I have to be by myself, and I have to see and listen to the things that inspired me as a kid. The themes of bluegrass and traditional music come from a few generations ago, and the romanticism with that kind of music comes from longing for the past. I like going to museums. I like going driving, too, which reminds me of riding around in the car as a little kid. I can't necessarily even set the mood, it just has to come when it comes. But the busier that I've gotten, just with normal life, the less those times show up. As a kid you're nurturing whatever is first on your list. At a certain point, all I thought about was music. But as you get older, your heart is tugged in other places.

That’s especially difficult because as a musician, you're almost required to create. You're very focused on understanding that you need to compartmentalize different versions of your life.

I cannot force my feelings, and I can’t compromise. So going into the studio, if I'm distracted and I have something pulling on my mind, I don't want to end up with a fake version of myself.

I remember my father driving me to a fiddle contest in Arkansas from Illinois when I was 11. I had an album by Tony Rice that I was obsessed with; it was called Cold on the Shoulder. We had a cassette player and he let me play that thing 11 hours in a row. He never asked me to switch it up or to take a break. And then he let me do that on the way home too. He listened to the same album for 22 hours, because he knew for whatever reason that it mattered. I think about how much you are becoming who you are when you're immersed, when you're soaking in something like that. When my son started to have an interest in music, I did exactly the same thing. The CD player was his because I didn’t want to interrupt that process.

There's a reason everybody responds to music: it makes them feel like who they are. When they listen to something from when they were kids, they feel like who they were then. It's too big to interrupt. On that drive, my father knew something was happening, and he allowed it. That freedom to find yourself is really big.

How has your connection to country and bluegrass music changed as you've gotten more experience in the industry and worked with more people? What about that type of music continues to speak to your musical spirit now?

I continue to be someone that longs for the values of bluegrass—the words to those songs and the way that they're written. It's a poetic style and it's a timeless kind of music. The subject matters are home, family, land, and God, and it's just incredibly beautiful and poetic. It's very romantic in its simplicity. Most people who grew up in that music all say they think they were born in the wrong era. Things may have changed over the years, but the poetic kind of abstractness of what we've recorded through the years never lost that message—not to me. Plus, I have a lot of the things that my mother grew up with her house, and we connected on bluegrass, so I think there's a real personal connection to that time. You're romanticizing what makes those people from two generations ago that you’re seeing photos of. Is it what they experienced or is it what they daydreamed about? Young people have plenty of free space to daydream, when you’re figuring out who you are. My whole musical life started looking out the window at cornfields while we drove around. I think of all the teeny people today on their phones, taking that daydream time and breaking it up. And I think, "Gosh, those future musicians don’t get to have that daydream time." For me that was incredibly valuable, that quiet time.

A lot of artists say, “I'm not nostalgic, I don't want to turn back."

Oh, no! I don't want to turn back either—I don't want to turn back on me. You can't recreate who you are. You need to stay honest, or it just doesn't work. People respond to the truth in something. I want to listen to someone where I feel like I'm getting who they are. You've got to be a vessel for your work.

That said, you have to be connected to important moments in your past—like, for example, that life-changing evening when you won five GRAMMY awards! When you started making music, were awards close to your radar?

No, no, no. I didn't even think I'd get to do this for a living. Even though I was passionate and obsessed, I just didn't even think like that. I was thinking about Tony Rice, Ricky Skaggs, Ralph Stanley, and Larry Sparks. I was obsessed with those records. That was all I did, but I didn't think I would get to end up doing it. I didn't think I'd ever look in the audience and see people singing along with our songs. The first time I saw, I was blown away. [Laughs.]

It feels like a very private thing for you. Your passion comes from your family and your history.

It's true, though; there was some isolation. That kind of music in general was not accessible. If you made bluegrass, you were kind of in your own club. You couldn't find it on the radio. People traveled all over the country to get to be with other people who played that music, and they'd play like crazy—play in the parking lot, play in the lobby of the hotel. But it was a lot of fun. I have some really great, sweet memories of that time.

How did you feel going into the awards ceremony that night?

Well, Robert [Plant] is just so much fun, just silly and so sweet. He is such a great personality and person, and I had a lot of fun doing all that stuff with him. T Bone was funny, too. I know people liked the record and we had a great time. Really the funny thing with that album in the first place, when we got together, Robert was like, "Let's give it three days, and if it doesn't work and we don't like it, we can just move on." But T Bone said, "Oh, we'll record the full time."

I've always said that every record you make is like your last and your first. You'll never do another one and you've never made one. [Laughs.] It was like that for me, and I think it was that way for Robert too. That night was fun—but I was mostly concerned about my dress staying up. [Laughs.] I was stepping on it and getting really frustrated. And Robert was like, "Now watch it, because people will see you getting mad!"

That's such a miniscule thing that you forget might bother you, but when you are in public and you're about to win an award that becomes a big thing. Were you nervous?

Nervous isn't the word, but uncomfortable is a more natural word. [Laughs.] It was pretty surreal. We'd been on tour up until that point, and people would come in and say things, like, "Oh, the record's doing good." But it was still a surprise. It was just really sweet, the way it all happened. Robert is such a light, and he's one of those folks where you know exactly why that person has had an effect on so many people as he has. I just thought that he was just a great person. The first conversation that he and I had was about Ralph Stanley. He has such a knowledge of music, and both he and T Bone have incredible musical histories and that made for a great experience. I was really happy to get to have that natural musical experience.

He may have a really expansive career, but was there something that you brought that Robert had never experienced? It sounds like he wouldn't work with anyone if he isn't learning and growing as well, just like you.

Well, he'd never done harmony to that point. The kind of harmony that I grew up with is very consistent. You're doing a very stacked trio, and it's very consistent. Everybody knows where to come in, and the plan is to always come in at the same time. There's not a lot of improvising within that harmony. The high part may do some, but the lead stays straight on those choruses so that everybody has their part to showcase the trio. With Robert, his singing was always so free and changed all the time. It would be really funny for him to have to keep doing it the same way twice. But when we sang together, the more different we were, the more it worked. I just enjoyed my time with him and with T Bone.

By the time the evening was over, you'd joined the ranks of Alicia keys, Beyoncé, Amy Winehouse, Norah Jones, and Lauryn Hill as women who have won five GRAMMYs in one night. Were you aware of the company that you joined in that moment?

Not at all—it's just a surprising life for me. I didn't even think I would do this for a living, let alone win awards like that. It makes me a bit uncomfortable because I don't see myself in that company. They are so strong.

Do you not see yourself though as that voice and that beacon in your industry?

I'd have to say I don't. But I am beyond touched that I would be recognized or have my name with those ladies. Those are very powerful women. When you were reading the list out, I was sinking in my chair. [Laughs.]

I'm sure any of those women would feel the same. It is a strange thing to suddenly be put in that position; you put yourself there through your work.

I don't reflect a lot on it, because I feel like if I were to pay attention to that, I feel like it would possibly affect the next thing I record. It could infect what I would want to do next, and I have to be very natural.

I'm sure a lot of women have come to you and either asked you for advice or just told you how inspiring you are.

I've had some incredible women say they were inspired, or had moments of inspiration by what we've done in the past, and I’m so grateful for that. I just think, "Really?" It’s a really humbling experience, and I'm so touched when somebody shares one of those moments. Even just talking about it is making me a little bit weepy. Those are the kinds of things I don't tell anybody about, but I'll call my mom and dad. It's really a beautiful thing to think your work might have inspired someone.

Beyond that night, you now stand as having won the third highest number of GRAMMYs in the Academy's history, which is just phenomenal. Are you hoping to catch up to Quincy Jones and the classical conductor Georg Solti?

I have experienced more than I could've ever dreamed of. It’s been a good plan to keep as much of that work process separate from thinking about the outcome or the results of it.

Who Are The Top GRAMMY Winners Of All Time?

Janet Jackson

Janet Jackson

Photo: Anthony Kwan/Getty Images

News

Glastonbury Festival 2019 Announces Headliners Janet Jackson, The Killers & More

Facebook Twitter Email
Other performers include the Cure, Diplo, Sheryl Crow, Lauryn Hill, Janelle Monáe, Tame Impala, and Vampire Weekend
Philip Merrill
GRAMMYs
Mar 15, 2019 - 12:05 pm

England's Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts revealed their initial lineup for 2019's June 26–30 event, held at Worthy Farm outside Pilton, Somerset. In addition to five-time GRAMMY winner Janet Jackson and previous nominees the Killers, 2019 Glastonbury is filled with a curated combination of the famous and emerging. Other GRAMMY winners on the lineup include the Chemical Brothers, Sheryl Crow, Diplo, Lauryn Hill, Mavis Staples, and Vampire Weekend.

In addition to the Killers, previously nominated artists performing this summer include Bastille, Neneh Cherry, the Cure, Miley Cyrus, Fatoumata Diawara, Liam Gallagher, Jon Hopkins, Hot Chip, Hozier, Janelle Monáe, Jorja Smith, Tame Impala, and Wu-Tang Clan.

One of the joys of a curated festival like Glastonbury is experiencing new acts, from the established to those just on the radar. Two accomplished artists who stand out are the band Interpol and British rapper Stefflon Don. Others include Anne-Marie, Billie Eilish, Michael Kiwanuka, Lizzo, Pale Waves, Cat Power, Latin GRAMMY winner Rosalía, Sharon Van Etten, Kurt Vile & The Violators, and Kamasi Washington.

Although Glastonbury 2019 has already sold out, the festival encourages those wanting to attend to register at their website for an April ticket resale.

Janet Jackson Announces Metamorphosis Residency At Las Vegas' Park MGM