After four decades of making music with Aerosmith, Steven Tyler wanted to try something new. For years, the GRAMMY-winning frontman has dreamed of crafting a solo record. And after meeting Big Machine Records President and CEO Scott Borchetta at a MusiCares event, Tyler decided it was the right time.

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He hit pause on Aerosmith, went down to Nashville, worked with some phenomenal songwriters, and recorded 15 songs. Teaming up with Southern hitmakers like Rhett Akins and Hillary Lindsey, it is no wonder his new album, We’re All Somebody From Somewhere, came out a bit country. Tyler is currently on the road, spreading his new country sound around North America with the help of backing band Loving Mary.

GRAMMY.com caught up with Tyler to discuss his decision to make a solo album, the magic behind the album’s songwriting sessions, and the process of sprucing up classic Aerosmith tunes with the help of a little banjo.

You’re out on the road now in support of your debut solo project, We’re All Somebody from Somewhere. How is touring on your own different than when you’re out on the road with Aerosmith?
My first and foremost love is with Aerosmith. They are my bitch. They are my band. They are my brothers. I never feel better than being home at Christmas with the kids or on stage with Aerosmith. It’s just the way it is. It’s a little harder doing two hours and doing all the singing. I’m still doing all the singing with Loving Mary but there is so much background and beauty and fun and love. My God, we all kiss on the lips before we go on stage. We’re all such good friends, it’s ridiculous. It’s just a different animal. With 40 years being in a band, you always have to put up with 40 years of caca. And the country band is a new band, it’s a new album, it’s all new. New is good man!

What inspired you to do a solo project?
The band inspired me to go do a solo project because Joe Perry has done about four of them, Brad [Whitford] has done a couple of solo projects. And I’ve always wanted to. Every time I write something, I put it into Aerosmith. And I thought, “What if I write something and put it into a band that I created?” So Marti [Frederiksen, a frequent Aerosmith collaborator,] put together [Loving Mary] and it was something we talked about for years. And they are country. Rebecca Lynn Howard sings bluegrass and Suzie McNeil had an album on her own and she sings so good, so much like me. I want to take her on tour with me and Aerosmith. Marti and I wrote “Jaded” together and Marti and Joe Perry and I wrote a bunch of songs together. It’s the same kind of family but we put together a band down here to deliver it differently. We’ve got banjo and ganjo and I’ve got a violin player in the band now, Jenee Fleenor.

Why country?
It came from who I cut my teeth on. My first album was Johnny Horton and The Battle of New Orleans. “All for the Love of a Girl” was a huge song to me when I was 13. I didn’t know what sex was and I wasn’t really looking at girls at that age. I kind of felt that funny feeling, the way he sang that song about women. It was like, “Whoa. What?” And then the Everly Brothers, their harmonies. That’s what I learned from.

I met Scott Borchetta at a fundraiser for MusiCares with Carole King and he came up and he introduced himself. He said, “What are you doing?” And I said, “Well I’m thinking about doing a solo project.” And he said, “Well it just so happens I have a label down in Nashville and if you ever want to do something, come on down.” And I went down and I did a couple of shows for CMT and I fell in love with this place. I felt a vibe. Something drew me there. And I thought, “Maybe I can write with a bunch of people.” I just started meeting some crazy people and feeling and hearing great songs and thought, “Shit. I’d love to write with some of these people.” So I rented a house and springtime came and the songs started coming. It was just one magic moment after another. I ended up buying a house there. I just fell head over heels in love with Nashville.

Did you have any initial hesitations about going country?
I just wanted to do a solo record. When I started writing, I wasn’t going to go down and start yodeling. It wasn’t “Tyler goes country!” In fact, I didn’t want to tell anybody that I was doing a country record. I don’t have it in me to be one genre. That was one of the magic things of Aerosmith was that I could write a song like “Dream On” and then have other rock and roll songs like “Movin’ Out” and “Make it” and “One Way Street.” While I was writing these songs, it wasn’t to write a country record; it was just to write a song with somebody that I had never written with before really.

What was it like working with all those Nashville songwriters?
I sat in a room with Chris DeStefano, great songwriter, and Rhett Akins. Rhett picks up this guitar and says, “I’ve been playing the same lick for 30 years, every time I pick up a guitar.” And I said, “Well did you ever put it in a song?” and he goes, “No.” And I said, “Well we’re going to wrap a song around that.” And the next thing you know, we’re in a room and throwing lyrics around and an hour later, we’ve got “Only Heaven.” And when Rhett walked out for a minute to take a pee, I said to Chris, “Get me a mic. Let me nail this sucker.” And Rhett was walking in and within 20 minutes, we had a song and it was just unreal. The magic of it all. So I’m enamored by any kind of a process that will allow me to be creative and literally come out of a room with a song that’s new and no one has and write lyrics and put my own passion into it. Instead of arguing with people about my passion, I can sing it into a song and have it come out good.

Your first single, “Love is Your Name,” is written by Lindsey Lee and Eric Paslay. How did you stumble upon that one?
I went to a club called The Bluebird [in Nashville]. It was Music in the Round so there are new songwriters that get to play. I play a song, you play a song, he plays a song, she plays a song. This girl started playing this song. And a year later I came back and Marti had it on his laptop. I said, “Did we write that?” and he said, “No. Lindsey Lee wrote it with Eric Paslay.” And I said, “Has anyone done it?” and he said, “No.” And I said, “Good. I am. Get on the phone. I want it. I want that song. I don’t give a shit if I didn’t write it. I don’t care. I think it’s a great song.” And that’s how it went down there.

I didn’t write any of those songs by myself; I wrote them with a lot of great musicians. And as soon as I walked in the room, the magic happened. There are 14 songs with 12 different songwriters and in each one, I went in the next time with a bunch of strangers and I walked out of there with the same thing, like “Holy shit. What just happened today?” I think it’s my talent and their talent and the magic of the town and Scott being down there and the great recording studios there, Blackbird Studios and House of Blues, so many different places. I’m still in awe of this record. It's kind of scaring me. I figured these songs are either too good or I’ve missed the mark (laughs). And it wasn’t until we sequenced it that it started sounding really good to me. I heard the magic and went, “What?”

One thing that I love about your solo live show is that you played some Aerosmith songs but with new arrangements and a myriad of different instruments, like banjos and violins.
When I walk on stage, people heckle me to death anyway, “Walk this Way.” And we knew that there were going to be three or four that people ask for. I get it. I’m certainly going to do “Jaded.” I’m certainly going to do “Dream On.” I wrote that myself. It’s an Aerosmith song in that Aerosmith played that but I wrote that. It came out of my head. So it’s not so much an Aerosmith song as something that I just thought, “What can I do in the set that I wrote?” just to personalize it. ”Janie’s Got a Gun,” I wrote that. “Cryin’” I wrote the melody and all the lyrics with Joe with another guy, Taylor Rhodes. So I wanted to take things that I was thinking about a long time ago and put it together with some country musicians and see how that would work. I got some great people in the band. The way Elisha [Hoffman] plays mandolin and banjo and ganjo and throw that on top of “Train Kept a Rollin,’” that is sick. Then we do six of my songs. It was so fun. It’s one of those things where we started rehearsing and I just thought, “Why not?”

Do you see yourself after Aerosmith or maybe intermittently doing more solo albums?
I’m sure we’re going to do another Aerosmith album at some point. We’re doing another Aerosmith tour. I’m sure of that. I don’t know how to do anything other than that. That’s what I do the best. I love making music, whether it’s called a farewell tour or a brand new beginning country career or whether I do a talk show in the future, or become executive producer of some grand television show.

"Dream On": 7 Facts About Aerosmith's Classic Song | GRAMMY Hall Of Fame

The Recording Academy has partnered with leading online learning platform Coursera on GRAMMY GO, a new online initiative to offer classes tailored for music creators and industry professionals.

This partnership empowers the next generation of the music community with practical, up-to-the moment digital content that provides wisdom for both emerging and established members of the industry. Continuing the Academy’s ongoing mission to serve all music people, courses cover a variety of specializations tailored to creative and professional growth. 

GRAMMY GO on Coursera includes courses taught by Recording Academy members, featuring GRAMMY winners and nominees and offers real-life lessons learners can put to work right away.

Starting today, enrollment is open for GRAMMY GO’s first Coursera specialization, "Building Your Audience for Music Professionals," taught by Joey Harris, international music/marketing executive and CEO of Joey Harris Inc. The course features Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee and five-time GRAMMY winner Jimmy Jam, 10-time GRAMMY nominee Janelle Monáe and three-time GRAMMY winner and the 2024 GRAMMYs Best New Artist Victoria Monét. This foundational specialization will help participants gain the skills, knowledge and confidence to build a strong brand presence and cultivate a devoted audience within the ever-changing music industry. 

The partnership’s second course, launching later this summer, aims to strengthen the technological and audio skills of a music producer. "Music Production: Crafting An Award-Worthy Song" will be taught by Carolyn Malachi, Howard University professor and GRAMMY nominee, and will include appearances by GRAMMY winner CIRKUT, three-time GRAMMY winner Hit-Boy, artist and celebrity vocal coach Stevie Mackey, five-time GRAMMY nominee and Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason jr., and 15-time GRAMMY winner Judith Sherman. Pre-enrollment for "Music Production: Crafting An Award-Worthy Song" opens today.

"Whether it be through a GRAMMY Museum program, GRAMMY Camp or GRAMMY U, the GRAMMY organization is committed to helping music creators flourish, and the Recording Academy is proud to introduce our newest learning platform, GRAMMY GO, in partnership with Coursera," said Panos A. Panay, President of the Recording Academy. "A creator’s growth path is ongoing and these courses have been crafted to provide learners with the essential tools to grow in their professional and creative journeys."

"We are honored to welcome GRAMMY GO, our first entertainment partner, to the Coursera community," said Marni Baker Stein, Chief Content Officer at Coursera. "With these self-paced online specializations, aspiring music professionals all over the world have an incredible opportunity to learn directly from iconic artists and industry experts. Together with GRAMMY GO, we can empower tomorrow's pioneers of the music industry to explore their passion today."

GRAMMY GO also serves as the music community’s newest digital hub for career pathways and editorial content that provides industry insights for members of the industry; visit go.grammy.com for more. For information and enrollment, please visit the landing pages for "Building Your Audience for Music Professionals" and "Music Production: Crafting An Award-Worthy Song."

Meet 5 GRAMMY Nominees Who Started At GRAMMY U: From Boygenius Engineer Sarah Tudzin To Pentatonix’s Scott Hoying

As a founding member of the National Recording Preservation Board, the Recording Academy was instrumental in lobbying and getting the board created by Congress. Now, the Library of Congress has added new treasures to the National Recording Registry, preserving masterpieces that have shaped American culture.

The 2024 class not only celebrates modern icons like Green Day’s punk classic Dookie and Biggie Smalls' seminal Ready to Die, but also honors vintage gems like Gene Autry’s "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and Perry Como’s hits from 1957. These recordings join over 650 titles that constitute the registry — a curated collection housed within the Library’s vast archive of nearly 4 million sound recordings. 

Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden announced these additions as essential pieces of our nation’s audio legacy, each selected for their cultural, historical, or aesthetic importance. This selection process is influenced by public nominations, which hit a record number this year, emphasizing the public's role in preserving audio history.

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"The Library of Congress is proud to preserve the sounds of American history and our diverse culture through the National Recording Registry," Hayden said. "We have selected audio treasures worthy of preservation with our partners this year, including a wide range of music from the past 100 years, as well as comedy. We were thrilled to receive a record number of public nominations, and we welcome the public’s input on what we should preserve next."

The latest selections named to the registry span from 1919 to 1998 and range from the recordings of the all-Black 369th U.S. Infantry Band led by James Reese Europe after World War I, to defining sounds of jazz and bluegrass, and iconic recordings from pop, dance, country, rock, rap, Latin and classical music.

"For the past 21 years the National Recording Preservation Board has provided musical expertise, historical perspective and deep knowledge of recorded sound to assist the Librarian in choosing landmark recordings to be inducted into the Library’s National Recording Registry," said Robbin Ahrold, Chair of the National Recording Preservation Board. "The board again this year is pleased to join the Librarian in highlighting influential works in our diverse sound heritage, as well as helping to spread the word on the National Recording Registry through their own social media and streaming media Campaigns."

Tune in to NPR's "1A" for "The Sounds of America" series, featuring interviews with Hayden and selected artists, to hear stories behind this year’s picks. Stay connected to the conversation about the registry via social media and listen to many of the recordings on your favorite streaming service.

For more details on the National Recording Registry and to explore more about the selections, visit The Library of Congress's official National Recording Registry page.

National Recording Registry, 2024 Selections (chronological order)

1. "Clarinet Marmalade" – Lt. James Reese Europe’s 369th U.S. Infantry Band (1919)

2. "Kauhavan Polkka" – Viola Turpeinen and John Rosendahl (1928)

3. Wisconsin Folksong Collection (1937-1946)

4. "Rose Room" – Benny Goodman Sextet with Charlie Christian (1939)

5. "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer" – Gene Autry (1949)

6. "Tennessee Waltz" – Patti Page (1950)

7. "Rocket ‘88’" – Jackie Brenston and His Delta Cats (1951)

8. "Catch a Falling Star" / "Magic Moments" – Perry Como (1957)

9. "Chances Are" – Johnny Mathis (1957)

10. "The Sidewinder" – Lee Morgan (1964)

11. "Surrealistic Pillow" – Jefferson Airplane (1967)

12. "Ain’t No Sunshine" – Bill Withers (1971)

13. "This is a Recording" – Lily Tomlin (1971)

14. "J.D. Crowe & the New South" – J.D. Crowe & the New South (1975)

15. "Arrival" – ABBA (1976)

16. "El Cantante" – Héctor Lavoe (1978)

17. "The Cars" – The Cars (1978)

18. "Parallel Lines" – Blondie (1978)

19. "La-Di-Da-Di" – Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick (MC Ricky D) (1985)

20. "Don’t Worry, Be Happy" – Bobby McFerrin (1988)

21. "Amor Eterno" – Juan Gabriel (1990)

22. "Pieces of Africa" – Kronos Quartet (1992)

23. Dookie – Green Day (1994)

24. Ready to Die – The Notorious B.I.G. (1994)

25. "Wide Open Spaces" – The Chicks (1998)

21 Albums Turning 50 In 2024: 'Diamond Dogs,' 'Jolene,' 'Natty Dread' & More

Following a two-year hiatus, the GRAMMY Museum and Recording Academy are reinstating the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame on its 50th anniversary. The momentous event will be celebrated with an inaugural gala and concert on Tuesday, May 21, at the NOVO Theater in Los Angeles; tickets and performers for the event will be announced at a later date. As part of the return, 10 recordings, including four albums and six singles, will be newly inducted into the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame later this year.

The GRAMMY Hall Of Fame was established by the Recording Academy's National Trustees in 1973 to honor recordings of lasting qualitative or historical significance that are at least 25 years old. Inductees are selected annually by a special member committee of eminent and knowledgeable professionals from all branches of the recording arts with final ratification by the Recording Academy's National Board of Trustees. There are currently 1,152 inducted recordings in the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame. View the full list GRAMMY Hall Of Fame past inductees.

This year, the GRAMMY Museum’s GRAMMY Hall Of Fame Gala will be the first of what will become an annual event, and includes a red carpet and VIP reception on the newly opened Ray Charles Terrace at the GRAMMY Museum, followed by a one-of-a-kind concert at the NOVO Theater in Downtown Los Angeles.

The inaugural gala and concert is produced by longtime executive producer of the GRAMMY Awards, Ken Ehrlich, along with Chantel Sausedo and Ron Basile and will feature musical direction by globally renowned producer and keyboardist Greg Phillinganes. For sponsorship opportunities, reach out to halloffame@grammymuseum.org.

Keep watching this space for more exciting news about the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame!

2024 GRAMMYs: See The Full Winners & Nominees List

In the midst of GRAMMY Week, The Recording Academy, Gold House and Pacific Bridge Arts Foundation came together for the first-ever Gold Music Alliance reception — an intimate, yet powerful celebration of the Pan-Asian community's vast contributions to the music industry.

"This is the first gathering, but it's definitely not going to be the last," promised Harvey Mason jr., CEO of the Recording Academy, in opening remarks at the Jan. 31 event, which was held at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Century City, California. "We're going to continue to grow, we're going to continue to evolve. This organization and this group of constituents, music makers — it's going to be a powerful platform to make a difference. The importance of this group is so the Academy can listen and learn and understand."

As the son of Harvey Mason Sr. — the acclaimed jazz drummer from Fourplay and original drummer of Herbie Hancock's The Headhunters — Mason jr.'s entire life has revolved around music. Even though he's always been immersed in sound, Mason jr. understands that he needs to keep his ears open to other perspectives within the industry.

"We don't know everything that's going on in every group of music makers or music people," he said, "so having different groups being able to get together, have insight and give us feedback — how can we serve better? How can we represent your group, your constituency, your community better? We need to understand what's missing, what's lacking, how can we get it better?"

Harvey Mason jr. speaking with guests at the Gold Music Alliance Reception on Jan. 31, 2024 | Anna Webber / Getty Images

"Thank you, Harvey, for listening," said Jonathan Yip, who is currently serving as a Trustee, and is the first AAPI+ Trustee elected to the Recording Academy's National Board of Trustees from the Los Angeles Chapter. "You nailed it! That is exactly what we need. We need allies and, with you and the Recording Academy backing us and what we're trying to do here, it means everything to us. So thank you very much for that.

"When I first moved out to LA in 2001, I worked at a couple different record labels, and when I would go in there, I didn't see anybody that looked like me," Yip, a two-time GRAMMY winner for his producing work as part of Stereotypes on "That's What I Like" by Bruno Mars, which took home golden gramophones for Song Of The Year and Best R&B Song in 2018, added. "But, what I did notice 20 years forward, I see a lot, and I think the growth of our community within the music industry is something to be proud of."

Yip acknowledged how important it is to have the Recording Academy's support in pushing the Gold Music Alliance initiative, which he said will "help bridge the gaps in the future and the younger people in our community to give them opportunities to be creative." And the GRAMMY Week reception wasn't just impactful because of the promise in the room, but because it's a moment that the community has long hoped for. 

"We've all been in the music industry where we've always wanted a voice, we've always wanted that visibility," Yip noted. "So for us to be here, to be able to reach out to the community and let them know that it's accessible, that we're here and we have a voice — that to me is a huge moment."

With its mission grounded in lifting Asian founders, creative voices, and leaders, Gold House has played a pivotal role in working with major media companies to help reshape screens in TV and film, with successes like Beef and Everything Everywhere All at Once. Now, the nonprofit organization is bringing its passion to the music business by sponsoring the Inaugural Gold Music Alliance GRAMMY Week reception.

"We all know that awards are so critically important to all of our creative industries, and voting bodies have historically looked very singular," noted Gold House CEO Bing Chen. "So we are so excited to be able to diversify, not just for representation, but for creative excellence, the next waves of artists, producers, musicians and companies."

DJ Virman at the Gold Music Alliance Reception on Jan. 31, 2024 | Anna Webber / Getty Images

As Frankie Yaptinchay, Amazon Music's Senior Product Manager, Audience Development & Creative Partnerships,  added, the hope and vision of the Gold Music Alliance is that it will be around for generations to come.

"I think the big thing the Gold Music Alliance is doing is we want to build accessibility," said Yaptinchay, who also serves as governor of the Pacific Northwest chapter of the Recording Academy. "We want to build accessibility, for not only us and the creators, and executives, but for the next generation. We want to use the vehicle that the Recording Academy has built and the prestige and share that with our community. I think this is our time to be visible, our time to speak up, and I'm really really excited we can do this.”

"We are all about uplifting the next generation in music," agreed Annie Lam, executive director of Pacific Bridge Arts Foundation. The nonprofit was founded by Far East Movement, the first Asian-American group to top the Billboard Hot 100 charts with their 2010 party hit "Like a G6". The group's Kev Nish is integrated in every aspect of the event, serving as PBA's Chair of the Board and founder, a Gold House board member, and the Recording Academy's Los Angeles Chapter Governor; his bandmate DJ Virman provided the musical accompaniment for the reception.

"The work that we do is really shaped by their journey and experiences," Lam continued, highlighting some of their programs, including The Bridging Arts Talk, which features GRAMMY nominees, GRAMMY winners and music executives. "We are so proud that all of these leaders are part of our network to give back, because we know the value of mentorship and how important they are and we are working step by step to knock down those barriers. We're still fighting the good fight and hope that you will continue to work with us to keep up with the movement."

Before the event came to a close, Grace Jun Baca, Recording Academy Director of Governance, Member & Industry Relations, expressed her thanks for those who helped make the event a success.

"Tonight was made possible because of the support of Ryan Butler, VP DEI and DEI's DREAM (Diversity Reimagined by Engaging All Musicmakers) Initiative, serving underrepresented groups at the Academy, and of course the ultimate green light from CEO Harvey Mason, jr. Like Harvey said, this is only the beginning. There's much more to come!"

The Recording Academy's Los Angeles Chapter Honored Its Musical Family At 2024 GRAMMY Nominee Celebration