with @justinmj - thanks donnie pic.twitter.com/5Xz6LsiMk7

— Beck (@beck) August 10, 2015

I get to heat up the stage with one of my favorite peeps in the world @Avicii - See you soon bro @nilerodgers pic.twitter.com/tomala9jql

— Nile Rodgers (@nilerodgers) August 7, 2015

This is my girl right here! @Ledisi, ladies and gentlemen. What a beautiful young lady with a voice out of this world pic.twitter.com/JzFs13Cv69

— Gladys Knight (@MsGladysKnight) August 12, 2015

And we're out!!! Big thanks to everyone who came out and to those who watched from home! #KeithUrbanTODAY pic.twitter.com/BJnZPOngHK

— Keith Urban (@KeithUrban) August 7, 2015

Sean Evans @deadskinboy photo.. visuals @tarikbarri pic.twitter.com/eOwxf8KNhb

— Thom Yorke (@thomyorke) August 6, 2015

A photo posted by Elton John (@eltonjohn) on Aug 10, 2015 at 1:43am PDT

A photo posted by Ciara (@ciara) on Aug 12, 2015 at 3:20am PDT

A photo posted by @macklemore on Aug 6, 2015 at 11:29am PDT

A photo posted by Zac Brown Band (@zacbrownband) on Aug 9, 2015 at 8:14pm PDT

A photo posted by Jennifer Hudson (@iamjhud) on Jul 30, 2015 at 7:03pm PDT

While in a studio, Andrew Watt bounces off the walls. Just ask Mick Jagger, who once had to gently tell the 33-year-old, "Look, I can deal with this, but when you meet Ronnie and Keith, you have to dial it down a little bit."

Or ask Pearl Jam's Stone Gossard. "He really got the best out of [drummer] Matt [Cameron] just by being excited — literally jumping up and down and pumping his fist and running around," he tells GRAMMY.com.

As Watt's hot streak has burned on, reams have rightly been written about his ability to take a legacy act, reconnect them with their essence, and put a battery in their back. His efficacy can be seen at Music's Biggest Night: Ozzy Osbourne's Patient Number 9 won Best Rock Album at the 2023 GRAMMYs. At the last ceremony, the Rolling Stones were nominated for Best Rock Song, for Hackney Diamonds' opener "Angry."

On Pearl Jam's return to form, Dark Matter, due out April 19. Who was behind the desk? Take a wild guess.

"You want to see them live more than you want to listen to their albums, and they have the ability to look at each other and play and follow each other. I don't like my rock music any other way, as a listener," Watt tells GRAMMY.com. "All my favorite records are made like that — of people speeding up, slowing down, playing longer than they should."

As such, Watt had a lightbulb moment: to not record any demos, and have them write together in the room. "They're all playing different stuff, and it makes up what Pearl Jam is, and singer Eddie [Vedder] rides it like a wave."

If you're more of a pop listener, there's tons of Watt for you — he's worked with Justin Bieber ("Hit the Ground" from Purpose), Lana Del Rey ("Doin' Time" from Norman F—ing Rockwell) and much more. Read on for a breakdown of big name rockers who have worked with Andrew Watt.

Pearl Jam / Eddie Vedder

Watt didn't just produce Dark Matter; he also helmed Vedder's well-received third solo album, Earthling, from 2022. Watt plays guitar in Vedder's live backing band, known as the Earthlings — which also includes Josh Klinghoffer, who replaced John Frusciante in the Red Hot Chili Peppers for a stint.

The Rolling Stones

Dark Matter was a comeback for Pearl Jam, but Hackney Diamonds was really a comeback for the Stones. While it had a hater or two, the overwhelming consensus was that it was the Stones' best album in decades — maybe even since 1978's Some Girls.

"I hope what makes it fresh and modern comes down to the way it's mixed, with focus on low end and making sure the drums are big," Watt, who wore a different Stones shirt every day in the studio, has said about Hackney Diamonds. "But the record is recorded like a Stones album."

Where there are modern rock flourishes on Hackney Diamonds, "There's no click tracks. There's no gridding. There's no computer editing," he continued. "This s— is performed live and it speeds up and slows down. It's made to the f—ing heartbeat connection of Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood and Steve Jordan.

"And Charlie," Watt added, tipping a hat to Watts, who played on Hackney Diamonds but died before it came out. "When Charlie's on it."

Iggy Pop

Ever since he first picked up a mic and removed his shirt, the snapping junkyard dog of the Stooges has stayed relevant — as far as indie, alternative and punk music has been concerned.

But aside from bright spots like 2016's Josh Homme-produced Post Pop Depression, his late-career output has felt occasionally indulgent and enervated. The 11 songs on 2023's eclectic Watt-produced Every Loser, on the other hand, slap you in the face in 11 different ways.

"We would jam and make tracks and send them to Iggy, and he would like 'em and write to them or wouldn't like them and we'd do something else," Watt told Billboard. "It was very low pressure. We just kept making music until we felt like we had an album." (And as with Pearl Jam and Vedder's Earthlings band, Watt has rocked out onstage with Pop.

Ozzy Osbourne

You dropped your crown, O Prince of Darkness. When he hooked up with Watt, the original Black Sabbath frontman hadn't released any solo music since 2010's Scream; in 2017, Sabbath finally said goodbye after 49 years and 10 (!) singers.

On 2020's Ordinary Man and 2022's Patient Number 9, Watt reenergized Ozzy; even when he sounds his age, Ozz sounds resolute, defiant, spitting in the face of the Reaper. (A bittersweet aside: the late Taylor Hawkins appears on Patient Number 9, which was written and recorded in just four days.)

Maroon 5

Yeah, yeah, they're more of a pop-rock band, but they have guitars, bass and drums. (And if you're the type of rock fan who's neutral or hostile to the 5, you shouldn't be; Songs About Jane slaps.)

At any rate, Watt co-produced "Can't Leave You Alone," featuring Juice WRLD, from 2021's Jordi. Critics disparaged the album, but showed Watt's facility straddling the pop and rock worlds.

5 Seconds of Summer

When it comes to Andrew Watt, the Sydney pop-rockers — slightly more on the rock end than Maroon 5 and their ilk — are repeat customers. He produced a number of tracks for 5 Seconds of Summer, which spanned 2018's Youngblood, 2020's Calm and 2022's 5SOS5.

Regarding the former: Watt has cited Youngblood as one of the defining recording experiences of his life.

"I had started working with 5 Seconds of Summer, and a lot of people looked at them as a boy band, but they're not," Watt told Guitar Player. "They're all incredible musicians. They can all play every instrument. They love rock music. They can harmonize like skyrockets in flight. They just were making the wrong kind of music."

So Watt showed 5 Seconds of Summer a number of mainstays of the rock era, like Tears for Fears and the Police. The rest, as they say, is history.

Elton John

A year after Britney Spears was unshackled from her highly controversial conservatorship, it was time for a victory lap with the God of Glitter. What resulted was a curious little bauble, which became a megahit: "Hold Me Closer," a spin on "Tiny Dancer," "The One" and "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" that briefly launched Spears back into the stratosphere.

"Britney came in and she knew what she wanted to do," Watt recalled to The L.A. Times. "We sped up the song a little bit and she sang the verses in her falsetto, which harkens back to 'Toxic.' She was having a blast."

Blink-182

Watt has also worked with pop/punk heroes Blink-182 — but not after Tom DeLonge made his grand return. He produced "I Really Wish I Hated You" from 2019's Nine, back when Matt Skiba was in the band.

Where in the rock world will this tender-aged superproducer strike next? Watt knows.

Songbook: The Rolling Stones' Seven-Decade Journey To Hackney Diamonds

Country fans first got to know Tyler Hubbard as the voice of Florida Georgia Line. Upon his solo debut in 2022, they got a deeper look into his life as a devoted family man. Now, the chart-topping singer/songwriter wants to show his skills as the genre's feel-good party starter.

Hubbard's second album, Strong, turns up the energy with 13 tracks that focus on spreading the joy he's feeling in his own life. There's several parallels to his self-titled debut, including another tribute to his late father on "'73 Beetle" and reflections on his small-town Georgia upbringing with "Take Me Back" and "Back Then Right Now." Yet, every narrative feels more celebratory — buoyed by Hubbard's purposeful delivery, his hopeful lyricism, and uptempo melodies.

It's a natural evolution for Hubbard, who has projected positivity in his music and his image since his FGL days. And now that the world has welcomed him as a solo act — including two No. 1s at country radio with "5 Foot 9" and "Dancin' in the Country," and several sold-out shows in 2023 — he felt it was only right to bring good vibes with his second LP. 

"I was carrying the momentum from last year — the first album, being out on tour, the energy from the fans," Hubbard shares. "If you come to my live show, it's a lot of happy, fun dancing energy, and that's what I've really enjoyed kind of leaning into right now."

Ahead of Strong's release, Hubbard sat down with GRAMMY.com to chat about his album process. Below, he breaks down the most important components, from writing nearly every song on his tour bus to happily riding in the "good time lane."

Building On The First Album

The first album was more of an introduction to who I am, and this album is more settling in. It's inspired by the live show more than anything, and the fans themselves, as opposed to me and my story. 

I kind of want [these songs]to feel like distant relatives to the first album. I'll use that analogy a lot of times in sessions and just say, "Let's elevate, and let's move forward and progress, but let's keep it in the same family." 

When I was writing both these projects, it was a tough time. You know, going through the pandemic and all that brought along, transitioning into different careers and not knowing what was gonna happen with FGL for a while. Obviously, my marriage really inspired the song "Strong," but there's sort of that principle [from album one to album two] of going through a hard season that you come out on the other side of it stronger. 

Writing On The Road

Last year, I was getting in front of my audience for the first time [post-pandemic] and really getting to see what they wanted, what was resonating, what was working, maybe what was missing in the set. So I was able to pull that energy from the fans right back to the bus. The majority of this album I wrote on the road last year, which is where I love to write songs. I love to write in town too, but [there's] something about being out on the road — you just feel a little extra creative and a little less distracted. 

Back in the day, when we were starting off and really roughing it, we didn't have anything else to do but our careers, so we'd come home from the road and we'd write three or four days a week, and then we would go hit the road and play shows. But now that I'm a husband and a father, I try to compartmentalize it, so when I'm home during the week, I can take some time off to be with the kiddos and my wife.

And fortunately, now, I have my own bus, so I can bring writers out, and we can just hunker down on my bus all weekend and write songs. It's pretty fun because you kind of feel like you're binge writing a bit. But once you get in that creative space and your wheels are turnin', it's nice to stay there for more than four or five hours like we do in Nashville, turning it off at 4 o'clock and going home. It keeps it fun.

Creating Music For The Stage

We were mainly thinking about the live show [when we were writing]. It just felt like [we were writing] songs I couldn't wait to play live. 

There's some heart, there's some depth, there's emotion and vulnerability in a lot of these songs that I like to play live, but overall, I want it to just feel fun. There's enough stuff in our world to make us sad, so I'm just like, if I can put music out that makes people feel good, that's what I want to do. 

Especially in the context of our genre and our culture — it feels like there's a lot of sad boy country going on right now. You know, nothing wrong with that, I like to get real and emo a bit. But I think if everybody's doing one thing, I try to lean to the other. And right now I love where we're headed, in the good time lane.

I was soaking up everything Keith [Urban] was doing [while touring with him last year]. I watched his set most nights. He's kind of the king of fun tempo live energy. [We were] either [trying to] make Keith jealous or make Keith want to record one of the songs we write. So some of these songs are probably inspired by trying to get a Keith Urban cut. 

"Park," "Wish You Would" and "Vegas" are [three] of those songs. They go really well live and have been really, really fun. The crowd starts moving in a weird way when ["Wish You Would"] comes on. It looks like they're just, like, lettin' loose and not really coordinated at anything. [Laughs.]

"Back Then Right Now" is the single, so people are knowing that one [more] and it's cool to see them singing it and engaged. "BNA" is gonna be a lot of fun to play live. I could probably play this whole album top to bottom and be pretty happy with that being the set.

Honoring Where He Came From

I wanted this album to still be dynamic — as uptempo as it is, I still wanted the fans to be let in a little bit more into who I am and deeper into my life. Hopefully with each project I put out, I have some songs that let people in a bit more and tap into a vulnerable place, and challenge me as a person and a writer to just continue to go there. 

I have a unique relationship with my hometown. I love where I came from, and I'm proud of where I'm from, but it's not somewhere that I'm still living — I've been in Nashville longer than I was in Georgia, I've been here for over 18 years. A lot's changed since then. The house I grew up in is not there, my dad's gone, my mom's moved to Alabama. 

It's an interesting dynamic, because in our genre, it's cool to be really proud of where you're from, and really pay homage to where you're from. And I still do — a lot of these songs are literally born because of where I came from. But at the same time, I don't have that same relationship with where I'm from. I just thought it was a little bit of a different approach on the relationship with the hometown with ["Take Me Back"]. I hope people can relate to it.

Recruiting Trusty Collaborators, Like Producer Jordan Schmidt

The collaborators and songwriters on this project, there's a couple of new ones, but there's a lot of guys that I have a big history with. A lot of that's just due to the fact that if I'm bringing writers out on the road, it's guys that I know and trust, and that I've had success with. I'm not speed dating on the road — it's just very intentional, efficient time.

They've proven themselves, and so there's no reason to not go back to 'em. I just can't reiterate enough how thankful I am to be in this city, in this songwriting community. I have so many people that make me a better songwriter and push me as an artist and come with great ideas. It makes it that much more fun to write songs and do what I love.

Also, to know me, and who I am, and where I'm headed, and what I want to do and say, that helps tremendously because we're not just shooting in the dark. I think "Wish You Would" is a song that's a little unique and feels really fun. If I was going to pick a direction, that's a cool, fresh sound that I'm really enjoying right now.

Leaning Into Feeling Good

I'm in a really sweet season. Not just with the work stuff, but my family is in such a good spot. My kids are 3, 4 and 6, so they're in a really fun, just joyful season. I can have a bad session or a tough day, and I can go home and get overwhelmed with joy and love in the house. It's just awesome energy. I'm really grateful for that, and I'm really kind of leaning into it. 

I hope [fans] understand how grateful I am to be here to be still doing this 13 years later, and to be able to have another opportunity to experience a lot of firsts again, and get to continue to connect with them. I just love what I do, and I gotta give the fans a lot of credit for allowing me to do it. 

8 Artists Bringing Traditional Country Music Back: Zach Top, Randall King, Emily Nenni & More On Why "What's Old Becomes Beloved Again"

This year, the Special Merit Awards ceremony was not for the faint of heart. 

The 2024 GRAMMY Week event, held Saturday at a capacity Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles, presented Lifetime Achievement Awards, Trustees Awards, the Technical GRAMMY,  and the Music Educator Award to a dazzling gallery of musical innovators whose work has generated deep emotional connections across decades. In a world currently ensnared in a pattern of global conflict, the presentation of the award for Best Song for Social Change for the first time at the Special Merit Award ceremony this year added an extra layer of poignancy.

The presentation was touching from the very beginning, with a video montage of previous winners set to the historic recording of Aretha Franklin singing the Puccini aria "Nessuna Dorma." Glimpses of many legendary faces and performances on the screen underscored the Academy’s empathy for impactful music history: from Marvin Gaye to Janis Joplin; Billie Holiday to The Carter Family; The Beatles and Tina Turner to Dolly Parton and The Supremes.

The 2024 Music Educator Award was then given to Annie Ray, a music teacher and orchestra leader from Annandale, Virginia selected for her relentless positivity and inclusive energy. "Orchestra is much more than a class — it’s a family," said one of her students during a brief video chronicling her work. Ray, whose classrooms include students from 66 different countries — put together, they speak 59 languages — was visibly touched as she received the award. "I am thankful to share with the world what my students have taught me," she said.

The year’s Technical GRAMMY belonged to Tom Scott and the late Tom Kobayashi, who met at Lucasfilm’s Skywalker Sound in 1985 and together launched the Entertainment Digital Network (EDnet), which allows the sharing of high-quality video and audio. An estimated 250,000 musical collaborations have been facilitated by their innovations, including many GRAMMY performances. 

Next up were the three Trustee Awards: British pop legend Peter Asher, member of Peter & Gordon, prolific A&R executive, producer, manager, and a self-professed "admirer and member of the Recording Academy for almost 60 years"; legendary entertainment attorney and former Recording Academy Chairman Joel Katz, known as "the dealmaker who thinks outside of the box"; and Jamaican American DJ Kool Herc, renowned as one of the founders of East Coast hip-hop in ‘70s. He received the award joined by his sister Cindy who promoted his initial series of parties in the Bronx, noted for his groundbreaking use of two turntables and the extension of funky breaks in songs. 

It was time to honor the Lifetime Achievement recipients, and a sprightly Laurie Anderson stepped onstage and gave a witty assessment of her reputation as an uncompromising song alchemist. "They say my music is experimental, which sounds like doing something in the lab that might explode," she said. From her wonderfully robotic, left-field 1982 hit "O Superman" to her poetic concept album Homeland in 2010, Anderson has created her share of aesthetically explosive works of the art-pop and avant-garde variety.

"I love music so much, and I married a musician," she said acknowledging her husband, the late Lou Reed. "Wouldn’t it be great if there was a piano on every corner?"

The best-selling female gospel group in history, Detroit-based The Clark Sisters are known for their soaring vocal harmonies and powerhouse hits like "You Brought The Sunshine." 

"We thank our Lord and Savior for allowing us to do what we do: singing," they said, adding words of gratitude for their mother — "the lady who paved the way" — the late choral director Dr. Mattie Moss Clark.

The importance of a rich spiritual life was also emphasized by Motown legend and Soul empress Gladys Knight. The singer known for classic hits such as "Midnight Train to Georgia" and a raucous rendition of "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" beamed onstage as she recalled her beginnings in music, before she became an international star with The Pips. "We had to go to church every Sunday, and it did make a difference," she said. "Everybody was singing around me when I grew up. And my mom would never allow me to do it easy. It had to come from the heart."

It was time to witness the strength of street knowledge. Delving into the very core of hip-hop identity, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony presented the Lifetime Achievement Award to N.W.A, the revolutionary Los Angeles collective that transformed the landscape of popular music with its 1988 debut Straight Outta Compton. The group was joined by the mother and son of late rapper Eazy-E, who passed away in 1995 at age 30. The surviving members of the group – excepting Dr. Dre, who was celebrating his daughter’s birthday and sent a text greeting – looked vindicated. "We always knew that a GRAMMY was not in the cards for us, but we still wanted to express ourselves," said Ice Cube. "When you do your thing, the world will come to you."

Donna Summer, the ethereal and visionary singer who took disco music into progressive territory during the ‘70s, passed away in 2012. The "I Feel Love" star received a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award on Saturday — and her husband Bruce Sudano and their three daughters were there to collect it. "Her voice and music are omnipresent in the [cultural] zeitgeist," said Sudano. "Donna continues to inspire people worldwide. She always referred to herself as an ordinary girl."

Last but not least, GRAMMY winning country star Tammy Wynette, who died in 1998, was also honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award — accepted by her daughters, Georgette Jones and Jackie Daly.

"Mom would feel very humbled to be in such a talented group of people," Jones said. "She always thought that the GRAMMYs were the biggest accomplishment in music. And she never fully understood her own impact."

When rapper and singer K’naan was a child in Mogadishu, his mother managed to get the family out of Somalia on the last commercial flight before the civil war erupted. Together with songwriters Gerald Eaton and Steve McEwan, K’naan was honored with the Best Song for Social Change award for "Refugee," a track about the plight of political refugees around the world.

"In the Somali language, the word 'home' derives from the word 'mother,'" explained K’naan as he received the award to a standing ovation. "I dedicate this GRAMMY to my home — my mother."

2024 GRAMMY Nominations: See The Full Winners & Nominees List

It’s been more than seven years since Radiohead released their last album, A Moon Shaped Pool, and the band continues to make no promises about what — if anything — will be next for the quintet.

But that doesn't mean its members haven't been busy. In fact, the musicians behind the GRAMMY-winning English alt-rock band have been active outside of it since the mid ’00s. 

One of these notable projects is The Smile, formed in 2021 by Radiohead lead singer Thom Yorke and lead guitarist Jonny Greenwood. The group will release their second studio album, Wall of Eyes, on Jan. 26 before touring Europe this spring and summer. 

Other independent endeavors have also been critically celebrated: Beyond The Smile, Jonny Greenwood composed soundtracks for films including Daniel Day Lewis’ romance/thriller Phantom Thread. Bassist Colin Greenwood (Jonny’s older brother) was recently part of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds' touring band. Drummer Phil Selway released a solo album, Strange Dance, in Feb. 2023, while guitarist Ed O’Brien made his first foray into writing and recording during the early days of the pandemic on his album, Earth. 

Selway believes these other pursuits are vital to Radiohead's reputation as one of the most innovative bands in history. "It’s such a healthy process when we step outside of Radiohead and reach beyond that," Selway told SPIN in 2023.

Still, there is a glimmer of hope Radiohead will soon return to the studio — perhaps encouraged by the success of 2021's KID A MNESIA, a reissue of their albums "Kid A" and "Amnesiac" along with previously unreleased material.

During a recent livestream with Crow Hill Company, as reported by NME, Selway said, "We’re all coming back around to that point now of thinking, Right, we’ve had a break — this is it. This feels like something to dive back into and really explore and see what other directions it can take us in." 

No matter how the future unfolds for Radiohead, their dedication to maintaining everything in its right place remains certain. 

Ahead of The Smile's new album, press play on 10 releases from Radiohead members' catalogs that showcase their affinity for musical exploration.

Thom Yorke - The Eraser

Though the title of Thom Yorke’s first solo album is The Eraser, he didn’t erase his esteemed musical legacy. Rather, he took it even further into his exploration of electronic styles on the 2006 album. Where collaborative instrumentals were prominent with Radiohead's melodic rock sound, Yorke leaned hard on synthy sounds and techno beats. 

Through his solo work, Yorke had complete freedom to develop comprehensive digital backdrops for his shuddering croon with longtime Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich. The band worked with Godrich to incorporate electronics on their albums Kid A (2000), Amnesiac (2001), Hail To the Thief (2003), and In Rainbows (2007). 

The title track opens with a looping piano hook, teasing a familiar instrumentalism. But Yorke quickly takes things in a more synthetic direction with affected drums and mechanical arps. "Cymbal Rush," the album’s closer, features a jittery low-frequency rhythm section alongside haunting ambient washes. The track "Atoms for Peace" utilizes a similar underlying jitteriness, but with the warm and optimistic energy of bright pads and an uplifting synth bassline. 

Atoms For Peace - Amok

Amok is the only studio album from Atoms For Peace, the band Yorke originally established to tour The Eraser as a full live experience. The group features Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers on bass, Godrich on keys and programming, and seasoned session players Joey Waronker on drums and Mauro Refosco on Latin percussion. 

Unlike The Eraser, Atoms For Peace made the music for Amok together with Yorke who described himself as the band's "conductor" in a Rolling Stone interview. After producing music on his computer, Yorke would bring it to the other band members to reimagine for production in a live space.

This collaborative edge is immediately apparent on Amok, released in 2013. Album opener "Before Your Very Eyes" implements the nonconventional rhythmic layering that Yorke applied throughout The Eraser, but the individual voice of each instrument shines through. Refosco’s percussion taps complement Waronker’s light cymbal play while the quickfire intro guitar line from Yorke shares that percussive quality. Interplay between Flea’s affected bass and Godrich’s programmed melodies, like a call and response, infuses the music with a human touch.  

There Will Be Blood 

Even when Radiohead is active, Jonny Greenwood moonlights as a film composer. The guitarist made his first foray into film scoring with the 2003 documentary, Bodysong. 2007's There Will Be Blood was his second score, launching his (and the rest of the band’s) persistent, fortuitous relationship with director Paul Thomas Anderson. 

Greenwood has composed the soundtrack for four of Anderson’s last five films. Beginning with There Will Be Blood in 2007, then The Master (2012), Inherent Vice (2014), and Phantom Thread (2017). Anderson returned the favor, directing many works for Radiohead's A Moon Shaped Pool, including the music video for "Daydreaming," and live recordings of "The Numbers," and "Present Tense." 

Greenwood’s score for There Will Be Blood demonstrates the fruitful nature of his relationship with Anderson. Matching the emotional dread of star Daniel Day-Lewis’s descent into madness, Greenwood weaves hauntingly tense string arrangements throughout the film, including the use of string bows as percussion instruments to shift the mood from melancholic to one of frenzy and discombobulation. 

Philip Selway - Strange Dance

Phil Selway releases his music under his full name, and plays an entirely different role on his independent work than he does with Radiohead. As a solo artist, he writes all the songs and serves as the singer and guitarist instead of drumming. Released in February 2023, his third album, Strange Dance, features Portishead's Adrian Utley and electronics-focused multi-instrumentalist Hannah Peel.  

On Strange Dance, Selway takes what he learned honing his writing skills as a film composer and applies it to a pop-infused setting with producer Marta Salogni. He adeptly layers guitar parts with opposing rhythms to build the foundation on notable tracks like "Picking Up The Pieces." The title track uses expressive alternative percussion instruments and Selway’s airy voice as a perimeter, contrasting with expansive string and horn passages. 

Selway similarly ventured into film scores, composing the music for Polly Steele’s 2017 drama, Let Me Go. 

Thom Yorke - ANIMA

Yorke transformed the electronic sounds of his third album, 2019's ANIMA, into a soundtrack for a music film of the same name, produced with Paul Thomas Anderson. Yorke is the film’s protagonist, and the film focuses on movement as much as it does the music. Dozens of dancers (including Yorke) engage in choreography that matches the unconventional sounds and rhythms throughout three songs from the album: "Not the News," "Traffic," and "Dawn Chorus."

During "Not the News," dancers cycle around Yorke, responding to his own movement as he stumbles his way from a subway station into an underground cavern. His steps follow the song's breakbeat kick while eerie squeals at the peak of the frequency range hang above his falsetto. 

Eventually, he makes it back to the surface with the sun rising over an unnamed European city. When the melodious song, "Dawn Chorus" fades in, he is reunited with a woman he saw on the train earlier. He glides through the city alongside the song’s electronic backdrop while he states his lyrics with grounded confidence.

Dudu Tassa & Jonny Greenwood - Jarak Qaribak

Israel was one of the earliest countries to embrace Radiohead. The country's audience was the catalyst for the explosion of their now-mythical song, "Creep," when DJ Yoav Kutner frequently played it on his radio show. Since, the band has performed in Israel multiple times and brought Israeli artists on tour with them.

One of the Israeli artists who joined Radiohead on tour is Dudu Tassa, a celebrated rock musician and film composer. He and Jonny Greenwood first worked together on Tassa’s 2009 album Basof Mitraglim Le'Hakol, and in 2023, they recorded Jarak Qaribak, an album of nine Middle Eastern love songs.

The musical chemistry between them is palpable, enriched by their shared experience in both pop and film composition. Yet the songs also gracefully maintain harmony between their individual heritages. For example, Tassa produces sweeping strings and other Middle Eastern sonic hallmarks on "Taq ou-Dub," while Greenwood programs synthesized drums that could be spliced into a Radiohead song with ease.

EOB - Earth

Released in 2020 under his initials EOB, Earth was the first time Ed O’Brien wrote lyrics and recorded his own voice. He had been playing around with solo ideas since the days of OK Computer, and an extended trip to Brazil with his family in 2012 inspired him to create full songs. 

O’Brien initially thought about bringing those songs to Radiohead or having Yorke provide vocals with different musicians. He was also concerned with what the rest of the band would think of his solo effort, but he didn’t let that deter him:

"Of course you want the approval of your bandmates but it’s not the be-all and end-all. This is my own thing. It’s different to Radiohead," O’Brien told Noise11 in April 2021. 

O’Brien’s own thing is more guitar-driven than other side projects from Radiohead, but still features a wide range of influences. The album’s opener, "Shangri-La," is a hard rock tune built off heavy chords. The next track, "Brasil," is an eight-minute suite of organic house music. Serving as an homage to his inspiring trip there, this song contains a multitude of colors and soundscapes that flow in and out in perfect balance.

The Smile - A Light For Attracting Attention

The Smile is the first side project that includes two members of Radiohead: Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood are joined by Tom Skinner, previously the drummer for the now-defunct modern jazz ensemble, Sons of Kemet. With The Smile, Yorke and Greenwood once again return to their primary instruments: guitar and vocals 

The group's debut album, A Light For Attracting Attention, was released in 2022 to critical acclaim and spawned a world tour. Following two guitar-light Radiohead albums — King of Limbs (2011) and A Moon-Shaped Pool (2016) — Jonny doubles down on his expert fretwork on A Light For Attracting Attention. Thom’s vocals fuel the sharpness of the guitar with pointed consonants and a noticeable lack of rhymes. 

On "The Smoke," Jonny’s dialed-in guitar picking is the foundation, but he quickly begins playing with the meter, making 4/4 feel like something completely different (comparable to the intense syncopation of the Radiohead song "Myxmatosis"). Yorke and Skinner match this minimalism, creating space for an ensemble of horns and strings, a byproduct of Greenwood’s time as a composer.

"You Will Never Work In Television" sees Jonny and Thom rock harder than they have since In Rainbows. Open hi-hats from Skinner complement Jonny’s cruising, distorted strums that back Yorke's angsty cursing vocals.

Colin Greenwood's Myriad Bass Work

Colin Greenwood is the only member of Radiohead who doesn’t have a solo album to his name. Like plenty of bass players throughout time, Colin’s career mirrors that of his instrument: He’s rarely in the foreground, but his band members and musicians around the world respect his skills to the highest degree. It's no surprise Far Out Magazine describes Colin as "Radiohead’s secret weapon."

Within the Radiohead universe, Colin recorded bass for the EOB album, Earth, and Jonny Greenwood’s soundtrack for Inherent Vice. He is also electronically talented, providing beat programming on Yorke’s second solo album, Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes.

Outside of Radiohead, Colin played on two albums from the Belgian-Egyptian singer Tamino: Amir (2018) and Sahar (2022). One standout track from Colin’s work with Tamino is the single "Indigo Night," which he performed with Tamino at SXSW in 2019. Colin proves his versatility in this romantic R&B song by serving as the vehicle moving the chord changes forward with skillful runs. 

The Weird Sisters

This Radiohead side project has a minimal catalog of just three songs; they only convened for one performance, and they will probably never play live again. Yet millions of people have seen their one performance, because it took place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

The Weird Sisters is the band that performs at the Yule Ball in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. In the 2005 film, Jonny Greenwood plays the role of lead guitarist Kirley Duke, providing pick-heavy riffs on the song "This is the Night," while the drummer Orsino Thurston (played by Phil Selway) helms a four-on-the-floor beat.

Greenwood and Selway weren’t the only members of major UK bands to convene for a bit of magical fun. Jarvis Cocker and Steve Mackey of Pulp joined the Weird Sisters on vocals and bass, respectively. To kick off the night, Cocker beckons the students to be "ready for some real music" before launching into the hard rock banger, "Do The Hippogriff."

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