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Breaking Benjamin | Audacy Check In | 10.30.24

Breaking Benjamin | Audacy Check In | 10.30.24

Joining host Abe Kanan today for a special Audacy Check In is Breaking Benjamin's Benjamin Burnley – along with his son Ben Jr. -- giving us details about the band's brand new music, upcoming album plans, and plenty more. Although Breaking Benjamin has not dropped a full length since 2018's 'Ember,' the longest span of time they have had in between albums, they have kept themselves quite busy in the meantime. The band just wrapped up their most recent co-headlining tour with Staind and special guest Daughtry, and at the start of the month released their brand new single "Awaken," which landed at the top of several Billboard charts. Before discussing new music, Abe wanted to know from Ben Jr. what it’s like having a mega rockstar dad who performs in front of tens of thousands of people at his concerts each night. “It's like something special to me because, you know, I play on stage. I entertain like thousands of people and I'm grateful for that,” he tells us. “Every time he's with me, he plays on stage with us,” Ben’s dad explains. “And also too, I want to mention, for real, the last chorus of ‘Awaken,’ there's like a pad vocal that's going on in the background and he's singing that. So, he's singing on the record. Yeah, he's singing on that song.” Giving us a taste of the raw audio featuring his son, Ben proudly says, “Not many people know, but, I mean, I'm kind of just spreading the word that he's singing on that track.” The new single’s runaway success has, in a way, passed Burnley by since the band has been busy on the road since its release earlier this month. “I had no idea,” he tells us, “because I'm out on tour and just doing my thing out here. We have so much going on during the day… I haven't really checked in. I didn't know it was doing so well. I'm very, very thankful and grateful for that.” “Our day to day out here on tour, we do a meet and greet and then we do the concert and we're not really, because we're traveling so much -- today is the last day of the tour -- the only kind of interaction that we get with actual people is at our meet and greet,” Ben explains. “So, we've gotten some good reactions from that and out here on tour, in the wild, that's really the only gauge that we get, because the rest of the day is stuff like this and the concert.” The positive reaction he admits is “definitely gonna give us a little bit of a pep in our step,” to finish the rest of the album, “but we are already the type of band that we're going to give it our all no matter what,” he says. “That's what's taking so long… that and COVID.” Taking his time writing music during what he considers such an uninspiring period, felt like the best course of action, he believes. “Everybody has a different personality, everybody works best under different conditions, and I'm just the type that I can have the negativity of COVID and all of that be turned into a positive thing. But I'm the type that it has to be after it's over and I reflect on it, not while I'm in it -- and that's like with anything. Like, if something bad happens and I'm hurting or whatever the case may be or even if I'm happy it has to be at a time, which is weird, I guess, but it has to be at a time when that's over and I'm looking back on it, not during. I'm too busy going through it during.” Looking back now as a major headliner, Ben still remembers the early days quite fondly, playing at 11AM when the festival gates officially opened. “Yeah, I'm kind of surprised we're not doing that,” he says humbly. “I'm surprised we're not playing 11 o'clock. I'm really grateful that we're where we are, but I definitely do. I was just talking about that recently, you know how we've all been there, we've all done that. We all do the same things out here, and every step of the way is its own fun, its own allure, because I miss those days kind of in a way, because the climb, you know, the climb is fun. Reaching thin ...

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Breaking Benjamin | Audacy Check In | 10.30.24

Breaking Benjamin | Audacy Check In | 10.30.24

Joining host Abe Kanan today for a special Audacy Check In is Breaking Benjamin's Benjamin Burnley – along with his son Ben Jr. -- giving us details about the band's brand new music, upcoming album plans, and plenty more. Although Breaking Benjamin has not dropped a full length since 2018's 'Ember,' the longest span of time they have had in between albums, they have kept themselves quite busy in the meantime. The band just wrapped up their most recent co-headlining tour with Staind and special guest Daughtry, and at the start of the month released their brand new single "Awaken," which landed at the top of several Billboard charts. Before discussing new music, Abe wanted to know from Ben Jr. what it’s like having a mega rockstar dad who performs in front of tens of thousands of people at his concerts each night. “It's like something special to me because, you know, I play on stage. I entertain like thousands of people and I'm grateful for that,” he tells us. “Every time he's with me, he plays on stage with us,” Ben’s dad explains. “And also too, I want to mention, for real, the last chorus of ‘Awaken,’ there's like a pad vocal that's going on in the background and he's singing that. So, he's singing on the record. Yeah, he's singing on that song.” Giving us a taste of the raw audio featuring his son, Ben proudly says, “Not many people know, but, I mean, I'm kind of just spreading the word that he's singing on that track.” The new single’s runaway success has, in a way, passed Burnley by since the band has been busy on the road since its release earlier this month. “I had no idea,” he tells us, “because I'm out on tour and just doing my thing out here. We have so much going on during the day… I haven't really checked in. I didn't know it was doing so well. I'm very, very thankful and grateful for that.” “Our day to day out here on tour, we do a meet and greet and then we do the concert and we're not really, because we're traveling so much -- today is the last day of the tour -- the only kind of interaction that we get with actual people is at our meet and greet,” Ben explains. “So, we've gotten some good reactions from that and out here on tour, in the wild, that's really the only gauge that we get, because the rest of the day is stuff like this and the concert.” The positive reaction he admits is “definitely gonna give us a little bit of a pep in our step,” to finish the rest of the album, “but we are already the type of band that we're going to give it our all no matter what,” he says. “That's what's taking so long… that and COVID.” Taking his time writing music during what he considers such an uninspiring period, felt like the best course of action, he believes. “Everybody has a different personality, everybody works best under different conditions, and I'm just the type that I can have the negativity of COVID and all of that be turned into a positive thing. But I'm the type that it has to be after it's over and I reflect on it, not while I'm in it -- and that's like with anything. Like, if something bad happens and I'm hurting or whatever the case may be or even if I'm happy it has to be at a time, which is weird, I guess, but it has to be at a time when that's over and I'm looking back on it, not during. I'm too busy going through it during.” Looking back now as a major headliner, Ben still remembers the early days quite fondly, playing at 11AM when the festival gates officially opened. “Yeah, I'm kind of surprised we're not doing that,” he says humbly. “I'm surprised we're not playing 11 o'clock. I'm really grateful that we're where we are, but I definitely do. I was just talking about that recently, you know how we've all been there, we've all done that. We all do the same things out here, and every step of the way is its own fun, its own allure, because I miss those days kind of in a way, because the climb, you know, the climb is fun. Reaching thin ...

LISA | Audacy Check In | 10.23.24

LISA | Audacy Check In | 10.23.24

Back on the music scene with three new solo singles, “Rockstar,” “New Woman” featuring Rosalía, and the latest “Moonlit Floor,” LISA checked in with Audacy’s Mike Adam at the Hard Rock Hotel New York to chat all about the new tracks, who's on her collab wish list, and what’s next. LISA’s latest trio of singles, away from BLACKPINK, follows her first solo project, LALISA, a two-song set released in 2021 featuring title tune “LALISA,” and fan favorite “MONEY.” Delving right it, Mike started the conversation discussing LISA’s latest single “Moonlit Floor,” asking her if she was familiar with the Sixpence None The Richer song “Kiss Me,” before she sampled it in the song. “Yeah, actually I remember when I was young, I don't know, five or six, my dad always played that in a car,” LISA recalled. “So I [was] kind of familiar with that song.” Already stacking up an impressive list of collaborators like Ryan Tedder, Max Martin, and Rosalía with the three tracks she’s released thus far, LISA revealed she has a wish list of “a lot” more rockstars she’d love to work with, but at the moment, at the top of that list is Doja Cat. Sharing some things she’s learned and picked up from the people that she’s worked with, LISA expressed, “when I did a music video with Rosalía… I learned something from her. She's amazing, she’s a professional, like every single take, that like action, she's just doing her thing. So I learned that confidence and identity, she just maintains her identity with her music, with her art and everything. So, yeah, I wanted to be someone like her that can maintain my identity.” With dancing being such a big part of her career, LISA also shared a bit about starting dance lessons at the young age of four or five. Recalling her first day at dance school, which her mom dressed her for in a skirt, LISA said, “I just went in and they just tell me to kick… and I was like, I'm in the miniskirt.” Noting, that dancing was something she had a great passion for and worked really hard on, “because I love it,” and “want to be good,” LISA went on to say, “I improved a lot when I moved to Korea, when they give me like intense dance lessons.” Especially through the power of repetition. “I just keep repeating it until my body memorize it." Also discussing how she has the rights to her solo music, which Mike rightfully acknowledged is “just huge,” LISA concurred, saying, “I’m just so lucky, to have that on my own, I'm just so thankful… I’m so lucky.” In addition to new music, also on the horizon, the K-Pop star is set to make her acting debut in season 3 of the hit HBO anthology, 'The White Lotus.' And while she didn’t share any scoop about the super secretive series that’s set to hit the small screen in 2025, she did share that she reached out to friends like band member Jennie, who also starred in an HBO series — 'The Idol,' for some guidance. “Yeah, I actually asked, like how do you memorize all the lines? Revealing the slightly unimaginative, but still helpful advice she received was, “you just memorize it.” To catch the entire conversation, check out LISA's entire interview above. Words by Maia Kedem Interview by Mike Adam

Kylie Minogue | Audacy Check In | 10.21.24

Kylie Minogue | Audacy Check In | 10.21.24

She’s an icon, she’s a legend, she is Kylie Minogue, and she checked in with Audacy’s Mike Adam at the Hard Rock Hotel in New York to chat all about her new album, Tension II, her upcoming TENSION Tour, and more. From putting together her setlist to touring North America again, while gaining new fans, and reflecting on the days of cassettes and CDs -- Kylie covers it all. Starting off expressing her excitement to be touring in North America after “too, too, too long,” Kylie admitted that putting together the setlist for, as Mike put it, “a show of this magnitude,” currently “lives rent free” in her head. “Obviously it’s the TENSION Tour, so we're going to have songs from 'Tension' and 'Tension II,' even 'Disco,' my previous album I didn't get to tour,” Kylie noted. "But," she added with a smile, “we’re going to serve you ‘Can’t Get You Out of My Head,’ and ‘All The Lovers,’ and even take you back to ‘Locomotion.’” Pointing out how Kylie’s influence spans generations, Mike mentioned how “it's gotta be mind-blowing,” to have songs on the setlist like ‘Locomotion’ that have “the eighties babies dancing,” but also have a song like ‘Padam Padam’ that has their kids’ heart rates rising, Mike asks Kylie if she expects her shows to be a family affair. “I'm so glad that you've recognized that,” Kylie responded, adding, how “because that’s been… such a buzz. That the OGs fans that have been around… they’re having a blast. And then the newer fans, new people who come to the Kylie party… I know they've been introduced, a lot of them with ‘Padam Padam’ or 'Tension,' whatever -- but they lose their minds over ‘Locomotion,’ which is just brilliant. So it means I can encompass the scope of my career, which is over five decades.” When asked if there is a key to longevity in this crazy business, Kylie expressed, “There's a few things that definitely count,” listing them off, “persistence, tenacity, passion, luck.” Noting he’s nostalgic about the long-ago days of cassettes and CDs, “when you would find the secret song at the end when you would just let the final track play.” Mike asked Kylie if there was anything she missed about the industry, from when she was first getting into it. “Just the thrill of, you had to make the effort, go to the shop… that was like your kind of own private Idaho is to have put that record on, "Or, have to argue with your brother and sister, like, ‘what are we playing?’, Kylie answered. Also noting that “until I got a Walkman… You didn't have music on the move. So, I guess I can be nostalgic about all of that, but cut to now and it's great to go, ‘What do I want to listen to? What's new?' So much has changed.” Talking about the changes she’s seen for women in the industry since her start, Kylie expressed, “It’s very encouraging that I'm proof, I'm sat here,” ...

Grace VanderWaal | Audacy Check In | 10.15.24

Grace VanderWaal | Audacy Check In | 10.15.24

It’s been eight years since Grace VanderWaal was the bashful 12-year-old girl who wowed and won America’s Got Talent with her ukulele playing and textured, breathy vocals. Now 20 and all grown up, Grace is back with brand new music and a scandalous Megalopolis role, and she’s checking in with Audacy’s Bru to chat about it all. Despite some admitted “ups and downs” throughout 2024 thus far, Grace told Bru she currently feels “like I have some strong footing right now, I feel very confident in what we're brewing up.” Newly signed to Pulse Records, Grace shared a bit of insight into some of the changes this year brought, that had her feeling those “ups and downs.” Starting off with a positive, Grace admitted the decision to sign with Pulse has been “the best thing that ever happened to me.” Going on to note, “There were so many things that happened that was like so destined and just me writing ‘What's Left of Me,’ and then Columbia dropping me, and got rid of everyone around me,” which she admitted, “wasn't planned.” “I was already getting rid of everyone around me,” she continued, “and then I got that call and they were like, ‘oh you can't have any of the music that you've made in this long time.’” Which Grace revealed was around “40 songs.” Feeling determined to rise above, Grace decided, “I’m going to f***ing write an album, I'm going to write an album and I'm going to do this right… the way that I knew it always should be.” Comparing the way things went down to a bad relationship that you’re being gaslit about, Grace expressed, “I feel like every single day for the past six months, at least once a day, I'm like, ‘I f***ing knew it was real. I knew it was real, and I'm doing it right now, and I knew that people could work like that.'” Feeling invigorated in this new chapter, Grace confessed, “I was so afraid of change for a really, really long time because I've been doing this for so long,” so much so that the people she surrounded herself with evolved to feel more like family, “like I've known you since I was like 12 years old.” “So you can feel so trapped and stuck… but I knew that a change needed to happen because things weren't really working. Also my personal life was weirdly exactly mirroring this as well," Grace added, “like the similar parallel of things are going wrong because I can't let go of things and staying in places for the mere fact of staying there, but not for any other benefits.” Deciding to “pull the trigger,” and make a change, “five great things happened,” and she realized, “good things are happening when I do that,” and she understood it was time to let go. Delving into those exciting things she’s got brewing, which includes that album she ment ...

Gwen Stefani | Audacy Check In | 10.11.24

Gwen Stefani | Audacy Check In | 10.11.24

Joining Bru for an Audacy Check In, Gwen Stefani is here to fill us in on her forthcoming album Bouquet. From finding the right sound, to feeling inspired by the “group of amazing songwriters” she worked with, the “spiritual” recording process, and more. Following Bru wishing Gwen a happy belated birthday, (it's October 3), Stefani shared some deets about this year’s memorable celebration, after feeling a bit lonely during her birthday last year. “A year ago… I had a show in Hawaii on my birthday and I was like, oh, yeah, I'll go get a little pile of money and come home and I don't care about my birthday.” However, as Gwen revealed, “I went on my own and I, like, spiraled into this like place. I was like, everybody needs to have a birthday I think like a celebration.” That being said, something good came out of it. “I ended up writing this song called ‘Swallow My Tears,’ which is on the new record,” Gwen offered. “But this birthday, I was like, OK, no, we got to do something,” she continued, sharing all about the Colorado trip her hubby Blake Shelton took her family on. With Gwen’s upcoming fifth studio album, Bouquet, set to drop on November 15, the singer shared her current emotional state about everything as a whole, saying, “I feel so grateful… it was one of those like… all I can do is look back at all of the whole career and be like, wow, how did that happen?” After 2020, Gwen felt the want to start writing again, but also felt that she had so many things going on. “I'm a mom… I felt guilty to even go to the studio and try to write music because a lot of times you go and nothing happens,” Gwen shared. “But I started working on it and I think I went down like a lot of like, weird cul-de-sacs musically, because I didn't really know what I wanted to be or who I was. I was trying to chase the old me like, okay, I want to do reggae or I'm gonna do this, and nothing was landing.” After a few failed attempts, and less than stellar reviews when she’d play the material for people, Gwen came to the realization that, “it really just comes down to, you have to like it, you as the person doing it.” “I wanted to always be real and truthful and honest and I just had to find that real honest place.” Noting it also has a lot to do with “the people that I actually end up writing the songs with, like finding the right chemistry, the right everything to make it all come together.” “Once I wrote ‘Purple Irises’… that was like, finally, okay, I landed in the spot, and then the record kind of happened pretty quick after that.” Discussing the sound she landed on for the album, Gwen said, “I knew I wanted to make something that I wanted to listen to. The older I get, the more I go back to the songs that I grew up with as a kid. Which I think we kind of call it yacht-rock now, but ...

Hozier | Audacy Check In | 10.1.24

Hozier | Audacy Check In | 10.1.24

Hozier joined host Bru backstage at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles for a special Audacy Check In while on his 2024 Unreal Unearth Tour, revealing he's ready to get back into creative mode once his overseas dates wrap up. Currently taking a break at home before bringing his show to Australia and New Zealand to wrap things up by the end of November, Hozier tells us the tour so far has been “super rewarding… the crowds have been amazing,” especially after releasing brand new music while out on the road. Now a decade since the release of his first album, Hozier finds it funny how he doesn’t seem to have felt that time went by very quickly. “It's so weird,” he admits, “maybe 6 to 7 years of that was me on the road, or promoting, or touring or something, and life on the road kind of becomes this blur -- it feels like no time passes and it feels like a lifetime as well.” Once the tour wraps overseas, Hozier is “super eager to get back creating. I really enjoyed making the last record,” he says of 2023’s Unreal Earth. “I'm kind of at that point now where I'm hungry again to have space and time to think about new music, and I've pretty much emptied all of my pockets now at this point… I'm kind of hungry to feel my way through new work again.” “We start fresh,” he adds, revealing he does have some tracks from previous writing sessions that will never see the light of day. “Everything that I felt like, ‘this nearly made the record, that this could have made the album, or if we'd finished it in time, or this was battling out for another song,’ I feel really glad that I've released a lot of that after-work, or work that didn't make the album proper. That's been super-rewarding, but yeah, I'm just at the end of that.” Choosing which songs make it onto a release can be “like picking which children go on the right boat,” he admits. His latest hit "Too Sweet," is just one example of a track that almost didn't make the cut on his 2024 Unheard EP. “It can be tough. There's ones that you really feel so close to and you feel very protective of certain songs -- you really want them to see the light of day because they mean so much to you," he adds. "Everybody has their favorites; Your producer or the team that you work with are gonna have their thoughts, you have your thoughts… it's a whole process.” Hozier also got a chance to work with Noah Kahan recently on his “Northern Attitude,” and aside from sharing incredible songwriting prowess and similar luscious locks a beard, Hozier joked that they also share fashion senses. “Noah's amazing and he's having such an incredible couple of years, and this wild kind of hurricane is going on around him. He's so cool, he's so grounded, he's just so down to earth. He's a really nice guy as well too, and he carries it very lightly. Jumping on ‘Northern Attitude,’” he adds, “I remember first hearing that song before they'd reached out, I f***ing loved that track and was so delighted to hop on.” Don’t miss Bru’s full Audacy Check In with Hozier above -- and stay tuned for more conversations with your favorite artists on Audacy.com/Live. Words by Joe Cingrana Interview by Bru

Tate McRae | Audacy Check In | 9.26.24

Tate McRae | Audacy Check In | 9.26.24

On the heels of releasing “It’s ok I’m ok,” her latest hit in a procession of many, Tate McRae checked in with Audacy’s Bru to chat all about having fun working on what’s next, her focused studio session behavior that inspired the lyrics to her new bop, the vulnerability of the writing process, and a whole lot more. Sharing that “creating the world of my next” project is what she’s currently having the most fun with right now, Tate noted, “my next songs and all the music videos and the treatments, I love that part, it’s one of my favorite parts. So, it's been fun to start to carve that world out and see what it looks like.” Of course, our first introduction to this “new world” arrived earlier this month with the release of “It’s ok, I’m ok,” another banger Tate can add to her ever growing collection. The track which lyrically assures her ex’s new boo that she’s more than fine with no longer being with a walking red flag, actually “started from a conversation of me being like, 'It's ok I'm ok' - and we were like, 'That would be a crazy pop song,’ Tate previously told Rolling Stone. That conversation, as she went on to reveal to Capital Breakfast's Jordan North, Chris Stark and Sian Welby, earlier this month, actually had nothing to do with relationship woes at all. "I have this thing in [music writing] sessions where I just won't eat unless I finish the song. It's honestly just like if I'm in the studio I have to finish the song and then I'll eat my meal, I can't eat in the middle of writing," she explained to the UK radio morning show. "So then Ilya and Savan would be like, 'Hey do you want food?' and then everyday for like two weeks straight I'd say, 'It's okay, I'm okay’” Tate revealed. "Then we were like, 'We should just put that down as a joke', and then it ended up turning into a song.” Expanding more on the reasoning for her focused studio session behavior during her chat with Bru, Tate said it’s “because you never know when you're going to crack the song, like you're sitting there sometimes it can be like nine hours before you crack the best idea." In addition to the delayed gratification of a meal, Tate also isn’t a fan of yapping in the studio. “I mean, a lot of people treat sessions like a yap fest,” McRae said, noting “it’s me and Amy Allen, who's an unbelievable songwriter,” that prefer quiet creative spaces. “She did ‘Greedy’ with me, and she's in the majority of my album… Me and her have the same thing… everyone yaps around us and we're just laser focused.” Sharing why her new track didn’t make the cut for her sophomore album, Think Later, Tate said, “I think like ...

Halsey | Audacy Check In | 9.11.24

Halsey | Audacy Check In | 9.11.24

Halsey checked in with Audacy’s Mike Adam at the Hard Rock Hotel in New York, to chat all about her new single “EGO,” forthcoming album The Great Impersonator, arriving October 25, and more. With her 30th birthday coming up, Halsey started the conversation off by reflecting on just how much has happened in the last decade, both personally and professionally. “I'm excited for this birthday… because it means a lot to me. It's been a hard couple of years and I'm about to turn 30. It's a big, big birthday. It's also, you know, 10 years since I put out my first album, Badlands." She continued, “so… that decade from being 19 turning 20, putting out my first album, now being 29 turning 30 about to put out my fifth album. It all just feels mystical… feels like a lot of synchronicity in that.” As for feeling her age, Halsey admitted, “I’ve felt 30 since I was like 15. I’m catching up now." “Sometimes, there's certain people in this life who are the age they are and then they stay that way… Like my mom, for example, is just perpetually 21. She had me when she was 20, and has just been 21 for as long as I've known her. She's 51 and she is like tatted up, tongue piercing, like super cool girl, but she just gives off the energy of someone who's like 21. I've been 35 since I was born.” Halsey who outwardly loves Halloween, also shared she has some costume ideas for this year, but didn’t feel like sharing them. Noting, “I’m a big gatekeeper about Halloween,” not wanting to give any ideas away. “I love Halloween, every couple of years I throw a huge Halloween party in LA, and we do it to benefit My Friend's Place, which is a charity organization and a resource center for unhoused youth in Los Angeles. It’s super awesome, super close to my heart, and I love it,” Halsey expressed. “I prepare for my costume for like months.” Ultimately deciding to share her idea after all, Halsey revealed the costume idea she wants to do with her son. “I really want to do The Shining, and I want to get him on his little tricycle as Danny, and I want to be Shelley Duvall and I just want to like take these pictures with my creepy little kid on a tricycle and his hair is like the perfect, he's got those long bangs.” Naturally shifting the conversation from Halloween to parenthood, Mike asked Halsey if having a child has changed her relationship with her parents. “Oh my gosh, I'm actually really glad you asked me this question because there's a lot of this on the album actually,” Halsey answered. “So when I was writing The Great Impersonator, I was going through a lot in my personal life, a lot of those changes were becoming a new mom, and I also, I got really sick. I got the kind of sick that makes you think about your life and look at it in that way,” Halsey reflected. “I started thinking about my childhood, and there's a lot of songs on this album that kind of touch on that, touch ...

Khalid | Audacy Check In | 9.11.24

Khalid | Audacy Check In | 9.11.24

Checking in with Audacy’s Mike Adam at the Hard Rock Hotel in New York, Khalid chatted all about his new album Sincere, song samples, possible collab project pairings, and more. With five years between his last and most recent album, Khalid spoke to why he knew now was the time to finally drop his third album. “Well when I started off, I started writing music at 17 years old. So to go from being a high school student to a multi-platinum career in a matter of 2 to 3 years… it was insane,” Khalid began. “It’s nothing that they can teach you, it’s nothing that they can prepare you for. So I really feel like I had to take some time off to write, to understand what I wanted my true impact as an artist to be on this earth. What ways I wanted to connect with my fans, and so it took a lot of lived experiences, and walking life, and seeing the world… seeing different sides of the world for me to get to this point where I finished this album… and I feel like I’m putting something out that is rooted in my core, it’s exactly the name of the album, it’s Sincere.” The album’s lead single "Please Don't Fall in Love with Me,” samples the Alicia Keys and Drake 2009 bop “Unthinkable (I’m Ready).” A song millennials need no introduction to, but perhaps the Gen-Zs listening do. A thought that got Mike thinking to ask Khalid if he can remember the first song he heard that he didn't know was a sample, that introduced him to an old song or even a recent song that he might have not known about before. “I would say it was this song, one of my favorite songs actually that I've loved for years, ‘Feel It All Around’ by Washed Out," Khalid shared. “I didn't know that the whole baseline of that song is a sample from another song." After some internet research, it turns out the sample is Italian singer Gary Low's "I Want You,” released in 1983. Khalid also mentioned “Changes,” by Tupac as an example, noting “I love the sample now,” adding that he’s “been listening to ‘The Way It Is,' Bruce Hornsby, for a minute now, I’m addicted to that song.” Having sampled Drake and being, as Mike put it, “a lifelong die hard Kendrick fan as well, he wanted to know Khalid’s thoughts on if he feels that “in 2024 rap beef is still important for the culture, for Hip-Hop." Admitting that he while definitely believes “that competition in any sport is important to thrive, to create, for the culture,” he went on to say, “Me, I'm a little Pop star that stays out the way and minds my own business. So I don't really get too much in other people's business or anybody else's altercations. I kind of try to choose a low profile, chill, relaxed life over here.”Adding, “as long as people are looking at it for their benefit, to thrive in creativity… I don't necessarily see it as a problem.”

Gracie Abrams | Audacy Check In | 9.3.24

Gracie Abrams | Audacy Check In | 9.3.24

Back for another Audacy Check In now that her album has dropped, Gracie Abrams stopped by to chat with Bru all about The Secret of Us, and share what fans can expect from her upcoming headlining tour, plus a whole lot more. Released June 21, Gracie’s sophomore album features lead singles, “Risk” and “Close To You,” as well as the standout track, “Us,” featuring Taylor Swift, who Gracie opened for on The Eras Tour last summer. Set to rejoin Swift for some additional dates this fall, Gracie also has tour plans of her own. Hitting up theaters across the United States from September 5 through October 10 with special guest, Role Model. Filling us in on what she’s most excited about on The Secret of Us Tour, Gracie shared, “Honestly I’m just excited to be back with everyone, I feel like the heart of tour is the people that you get to do it with both backstage and also the people that show up and make up the audience.” “I've missed the community, and I feel like touring is such a specific environment and brings out like a very chaotic, beautifully chaotic side in people. So I've missed that kind of chaos and I'm excited to kind of just have a really fun loose tour.” Sharing what fans can expect, and what makes this tour different from the previous, Gracie noted, “This is like a different scale for us… I mean, even seeing the stage yesterday for the first time was pretty mind blowing. I didn't even anticipate, even after having seen renders of the stage, it's just really wild when you're actually standing there and everything exists and is tangible.” That being said, Gracie is no stranger to big stages, having opened up for artists like Noah Kahan, and of course, Taylor Swift. Revealing that stepping onto their stages inspired her when putting together her own show, Gracie revealed, “I think it's like infectious to be around artists that are great at what they do. And I think, you know, Noah and Taylor are both incredibly talented performers and both are so connected to their audiences. So I think more than anything, it just contributes to the itch of wanting to be back on stage.” A feeling, that as an introvert, Gracie found surprising to crave. “I never thought when I started playing shows that I would miss it, just because it is… intense. And also even just socially for someone that leans kind of more on the introverted side, it can feel like a lot of almost overexposure. But then it's funny, I totally fell in love with what it is, to connect with people in that way.” Though it might seem like The Secret of Us just dropped, because it kind of just did, Gracie, while enjoying it’s success and spoils, naturally already has her mind on what’s next. “I think after something's been released, I tend to just get this anticipatory anxiety around making the next thing. So I've started to feel that creep up.”

Zedd | Audacy Check In | 8.28.24

Zedd | Audacy Check In | 8.28.24

Following the release of his summer singles singles "Out of Time” featuring Bea Miller and “Lucky” featuring Remi Wolf, and ahead of dropping his forthcoming album, Telos, out August 30, Zedd checked in with Audacy’s Mike Adam at the Hard Rock Hotel in New York to chat all about both, plus a whole lot more. Curious about how the final work comes together, Mike asked, “Were you able to get in studio with the majority of these people or does that just not happen that much anymore?” “It depends,” Zedd admitted. “What I will very frequently do is I will ask singers to record a little demo for me just so I can feel the tone on a record and see if this is something that I think will fit.” Adding, “Now, when it matters, I will usually be in the studio and record them.” “I think that's one of my strengths,” Zedd continued, “to get the best out of a singer and to make them feel comfortable and confident to sing they're heart out. So when it matters, when I record the final vocal, I will in 99% of cases, record the singers myself.” Admittedly very demanding, and the type of producer to want to get as many takes to have the most amount of options possible, Zedd said, “Every singer temporarily hates me at the end of a session and I typically will stop just before the voice gives up. But the reason is because in the past I recorded a song where I had to have a singer come back to sing one singular word and I don't want to do that. Honestly, I do it for for the singer because I want them to be super happy.” “I record an obscene amount of takes of everything in octaves and doubles and harmonies. But then in every case, when I then send them the final result, they're always so happy.” Zedd recalled working with Bea Miller in the studio on his new album’s first single, as a prime example of a demanding studio sesh. “I think Bea Miller was one of the artists that I've probably pushed the hardest because the song is not easy to sing and it's in a really high range and she already was kind of unsure if she could do it.” “I knew she could do it without a question,” he continued, “but I think there's so many vocals, vocal parts, and octaves… that like we really went up until the voice gave up.” Facetiously adding, “I think she still to this day has severe PTSD of recording with me.” “She's funny because she's so good and she's such an incredible singer but she doesn't think of herself that way. I mean, she's very humble about her voice, but genuinely saved the song we did together because she brought an energy to the song that really was missing.” Mike then recalled a time after Zedd’s 2018 hit track “The Middle” came out, there were many headlines reporting that “there were 5,000 demos from everybody from Camilla Cabello to Demi Lov ...

Katy Perry | Audacy Check In | 8.26.24

Katy Perry | Audacy Check In | 8.26.24

On the precipice of her brand new era, Katy Perry checked in with Audacy’s Bru to chat all about her upcoming performance plans, as well as receiving the Video Vanguard Award at the MTV VMAs, reflecting on everything she’s accomplished, and more. By bidding adieu to her American Idol judging days, Katy has been able to make time and space for other things. "We're developing a big show. I'm going to be playing big, big shows on the album release on September 20 I'll be in Rio de Janeiro and playing Rock in Rio, and it's like over 100,000 people," Katy shared. "And then I get to go to Australia to play the Australian Football League game. It's kind of like the Super Bowl there, but their version of it.” But before all that Katy will be attending the MTV VMAs to receive the Video Vanguard Award, revealing, “I get to just do a celebratory show,” where we’ll “get to hear the familiar songs and be introduced to some new ones.” While Katy’s Vegas residency experience is great to have under her belt, the singer expressed how “totally different” it is than a tour, when it comes to coming up with creative concepts for the show. Explaining, “because with a tour show you have to move, you're on the go every single day. Vegas, you actually get to play with more toys and there's less restraints.” “But… we’re trying, we're figuring some things out,” she continued. “I'm just excited to go out into the world again. It's been a minute… 2018 was my last tour. Then everything was on pause, and then I had my child and I was raising a whole human being very responsible for it, wanted to get it right. So far so good,” Katy jokingly added. “I want to go tour and visit all of my fans who have come out so hard, and so supportive, and they have ridden so hard for me and, not to like be cheesy, but we have really loved each other for lifetimes,” Katy noted, plugging her latest single “LIFETIMES.” “The truth is I’ve grown up with them and we've grown up together and we've kind of leaned on each other. I've seen photos of them when they're 13, and now 26, 28… It's amazing, they all have lives, families, some of them and it's so cute, it’s adorable and I really appreciate it. So I got to go give my love out and that's what I'm going to go do.” For those of us, like Bru, who started listening to Katy in our formidable pre-teen/teenage years, we truly have grown up with her, and she’s grown up with us. Reflecting on what it’s like coming from her Warped Tour and “I Kissed a Girl” days to now receiving the Vanguard Award and reaching that icon status, Katy said, “I don't know… I mean, I still crowd surf… Look, I just, I’ve got some fun toys to play with now, and I’m very proud of everything I accomplished, and I really don't feel like I have anything to prove.” “I’m creating from this abundance space and this artistic space… I said I always wanted to make a dance pop record, and so I feel like ...

Coldplay's Chris Martin | Audacy Check In | 8.23.24

Coldplay's Chris Martin | Audacy Check In | 8.23.24

Joining host Bru for a special Audacy Check In today is Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, giving us details about the band’s forthcoming 10th studio album, Moon Music, their current record-breaking world tour, and more on the release day of the band's brand new single, "WE PRAY." It’s a bright and shiny Friday for Coldplay fans with the arrival of their new track, "WE PRAY," the band’s collaboration with UK rapper Little Simz, Nigerian Afrobeats superstar Burna Boy, Palestinian-Chilean R&B phenomenon Elyanna and chart-topping Argentine TINI, from 2024's highly-anticipated follow-up to 2021’s Music Of The Spheres set to arrive on October 4, Moon Music. Things are certainly coming together quickly, as the band just revealed the tracklist for the new offering just last week. Pre-orders for the upcoming release -- which will set new standards for sustainability, with each LP made from 100% recycled plastic bottles (nine per record) -- are available now on EcoCD, EcoRecord LP, and digital download. “’WE PRAY’ sort of wrote itself like some of the good songs do,” Chris tells us of how the new single came about. “In Taiwan, in the middle of the night, I woke up and the song was in my head, and I don't know where it came from. So the sound of it sort of dictated itself and that's all. I just sort of followed the road map that it said.” When choosing to include features on any project, he says, “You have to let the song decide; the song sort of says what it needs, and I think that the song ‘WE PRAY’ probably arrived from wherever it arrived from because I've been thinking a lot about all of these conflicts and people that hate each other. We're all praying for the same things, and we’d probably all get along if you just sat down long enough. I think that was the field into which it landed, and then it felt very natural that I wouldn't do all the verses or wouldn't sing it all on my own.” “It felt like it's a song about different types of people, so we should have different types of people singing it,” he explains. “Burna Boy, Elyanna, TINI, Little Simz, they're all from different continents and different languages, and that's what just felt really right.” Coming up on the band’s tenth studio album, Bru wondered what Chris thinks a pre-“Parachutes” era version of himself would think of the success the band has seen over the years. “It's funny, because maybe you have this in your own life, or athletes have it,” he says, “You have what's in front of you, and then a sense of where you're going in the bigger picture, and you also become more and more aware that everything you're doing and have done is all a gift. You're sort of doing it, but sort of not doing it too. Everything is given. So, I think the younger version of me would be surprised,” he admits. At the same time, he acknowledges by paraphrasing Liam Neeson, “I don't know why I got given this particular set of specialist skills. So, yeah, I think it'd be a mixture of, ‘Yeah, that sounds about right,’ or ‘No way!’” Music continues to inspire and surprise Chris as “infinite and unknowable like life itself,” Chris says. “I think as some people, as they get older claim to know less and less, and I think that's how I feel about music,” he adds, which has become, “more and more of a mystery, and more and more amazing and magical.” “You realize you're just so lucky to be able to do it,” he says, “and there's so many great young people coming through -- and older music you haven't heard. If you stay a fan, there's more and more things to be fans of -- which in itself is inspiring and humbling.” As genres bend and mesh together with fans’ tastes, Martin explains, “I feel like music -- if I can speak in a boring way for a minute -- music kind of shows where culture co ...

MC Lyte | Audacy Check In | 8.12.24

MC Lyte | Audacy Check In | 8.12.24

Joining us for a special Audacy Check In is Hip-Hop icon MC Lyte chatting with host DJ Scratch from 94.7 The Block in NYC about her brand new 2024 album 1 of 1, inspiration, and a whole lot more. We’re celebrating a Queen from the county of Kings today as GRAMMY-nominated Hip-Hop legend MC Lyte is set to return almost a decade since the release of her previous album with 2024’s 1 of 1, which includes her new single “King King” featuring Queen Latifah, "Woman" with Salt, Big Daddy Kane, and Raheem DeVaughn, and more. MC Lyte's forthcoming 1 of 1 will mark the rapper and actor's first full-length since her collab-filled 2015 release Legend, and promises to be a deeply personal journey. "What I'm saying is real. And it's important," Lyte told GRAMMY.com about the new offering, also featuring collaborations with Stevie Wonder, KRS-ONE, and more. "It's just real talk, and I think we haven't had that for some time." Diving into how Hip-Hop first became a part of her life, MC Lyte tells us, “My first exposure was in Spanish Harlem where my grandma, my nana lived, and all of my cousins who were maybe 5-6 years older than me, they were all listening to cassettes. I remember hearing the Funky Four Plus One, the Treacherous Three, and of course, I think Curtis Blow was doing some things at that time. It was a big deal because one of my cousins knew his brother, Kim. It's like, ‘Oh my cousin knows Curtis Blow's brother!’ You know, it was a big deal… that was my introduction. Also, of course, I want to highlight Sha-Rock being the first female MC that I heard.” Though she recalls listening to the likes of Reggae legends Yellow Man and Shaba Ranks growing up in Brooklyn, “When Hip-Hop finally landed,” she says, “I remember being at a block party and listening to Sucker MCs -- but wait, before that it was The Sequence and [The Sugarhill Gang’s] ‘Rapper's Delight.’” Fast-forward to her very first whirlwind record deal, Lyte remembers being in high school when her friend and lyrical coach Eric Cole called asking if she wanted to meet with a label looking for a female emcee. “Of course, I had to ask my mom,” she says, “and literally the decision as to whether it would happen or not was all hers, because she had to allow me to get on the Staten Island ferry to go to Staten Island. And you know what, I later knew was an audition. I thought I was just gonna meet somebody -- I don't think I had ever been on an audition, much less even knew what it took to audition. I just went with my little rhyme book and once I got there, they were like, ‘Oh, this is the Tascam four-track.’ They listened to me rap, I guess they were all checking me out and then they were gonna talk about me later as to whether or not I passed the test.” “So, I kicked out these rhymes or whatever, and Milk made up the beat for 'I Cram to Understand U' right there on the spot. I said this rhyme that I had in my book I think since I was 12, and then later on they called and said, ‘We'd like to sign you to the label.’” MC Lyte’s first album, Lyte as a Rock, came soon after she says, with the help of producers King of Chill and Milk D, “I think Prince Paul was on that album and I think Puba was on that album as well,” she says. “It didn't take long. They had the tracks and I had a book of rhymes… I don't even know that I had to really write anything for that album. It always was pretty much my whole life up until that point waiting to record.” Lyte says she learned her craft as a storyteller by listening to pioneers like Slick Rick

The Smashing Pumpkins' Billy Corgan | Audacy Check In | 8.2.24

The Smashing Pumpkins' Billy Corgan | Audacy Check In | 8.2.24

Joining us for a special Audacy Check In today is Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins on the release day of the band’s brand new album, Aghori Mhori Mei, to give us some insight about the making of the record, his idea of not being able to go home again, and plenty more. The Smashing Pumpkins' Aghori Mhori Mei is out everywhere today, August 2. “We're difficult in our own weird way, but we really wanted to make an album that people just felt really warm about,” frontman Billy Corgan tells us of the new record. “It was just that time in our lives to sort of make peace with a bunch of stuff, including our past, and somehow this record seems to bring all that together.”Released on the heels of the band’s ambitious, three-part rock opera, ATUM, and while on the road, most fans couldn’t have imagined another full-length would arrive before 2025. Why the quick turnaround? Billy explains, “When I was making ‘ATUM,’ we started during the pandemic and you know, like everybody, we were all locked inside and we were freaking out about what was gonna happen, and how long is this gonna last. So, in making the record, you know, the whole concept, we ended up doing some kind of more, I guess, 'traditional' Pumpkin style Rock on the record. But it was really in the character of the story.““But doing the music,” he adds, “I found I still really enjoyed playing guitar like this, this kind of old school-ish thing. And so even before I finished the record, I told my, my partner in crime, which is Howard Willing, who makes the records with me, I said, ‘We gotta go right into another record and we gotta make the Rock record. I just feel that. The minute then when I started meditating on it, I was like, 'we really need to go back to the way we used to play.' Not to try to recreate it, but to sort of redefine It, to put ourselves in the right frame of mind or something. It just took a life from there.”“On paper, you would think you pick up a guitar and go, ‘Let's do like a ‘Siamese Dream’ type song,” Corgan explains. “Not at all. You gotta get back into the mindset that you were in when you wrote those types of songs, and then those types of songs start coming out of you naturally. It takes a hot second. If you've ever -- I'm trying to make people laugh -- but if you've ever done a thing where you dated somebody for a while and then you broke up for a while, but then you get back together… the relationship's not quite the same because you've broken up. You’ve gotta almost kind of figure out like a new version of the old version.” That kind of process can come up with positive results, he says, “Because you bring with you the lessons that you've learned. So you go back to the old school but with a new version of yourself. It does take a second to get your footing, because there are some stuff that we did that, you know, it doesn't age well. Somehow over time, it felt like, you cross the street and kind of pick up one thing and then go to the other side and try it, which is really how those records were made back in the day. It was a lot of experimentation and then it just kind of took on a life of its own.”The idea of not being able to go home again is prevalent throughout the new release, which according to Billy, stems from the success the band achieved in the ‘90s. “I had money and I had status,” he explains, “and I fell into that temptation to go back to where I grew up, thinking that somehow people would treat me differently, or look at me differently. And I learned really quickly that nobody gave a s***. It was weird. Like when I put out a poetry book, I think in 2004, I was doing these autograph signings and I would do autograph signings. In Boston, like on the night there was a playoff game with the Red Sox, the guy from the bookstore would come and say, ‘This is the biggest autograph signing we' ...

Saweetie | Audacy Check In | 7.19.24

Saweetie | Audacy Check In | 7.19.24

Saweetie stopped by the Hard Rock Hotel in New York for an Audacy Check In with 97.4 The Block’s Jen to chat all about how she always knew she wanted to rap, the inspiration behind “Richtivites” and “NANi,” the deeper meaning behind cutting off all of her hair, and more. Starting off the conversation talking about her reasons for opting for a more intimate birthday party this year, her Filipino and Chinese culture on her mother’s side, and being a first generation kid, as well as her college experience, Saweetie spoke about the transition of going from school kid to bona fide rapper. “So I always wanted to be a rapper,” Saweetie expressed. “I actually have a clip, I found my old MacBook and I have tons of videos of me talking to myself and I would just, I would pretend I was a rapper. I would pretend like I was interviewed by someone like you, no one was on the other side though. And this was happening as early as my senior year in high school girl, lots of videos.” Noting “that was one of the main reasons why I did want to stay at home because I was like, maybe I should just work on a mixtape, but then I eventually went to college,” which she previously explained was due to a plethora of inspiring and convincing reasons, one of which was J.Cole getting his degree at St. Johns. Referring to another one of her sit down interviews, Jen praised Saweetie for how open she is about her journey to finding success. Noting, “a lot of these artists, they only show the good side when they make it… But you are so transparent with where you were and where you are now. Specifically what stuck out to me was that ‘broke’ video,” adding, “I don't mean to say it like that, but that's what it was.” Going on to say, she “mentioned it because, you know, a lot of people are going through rough times right now and they want to hear words of encouragement, things are going to be OK.” Jen then asked Saweetie to reflect on that time in her life, and more than just not having money, but about the mental and psychological affects that time had on her life. “I would say what was difficult for me was having to figure out how I was going to pay my bills each month because after I pay my bills, my account would go down to whatever the amount would go down to, that was stressful.” Also finding a glass half full outlook on that time, Saweetie, noted, “my body was really in shape because all I would eat was like ground turkey rice, peanut butter sandwiches… because that's all I could afford.” Next, Saweetie dove into the topic of music, discussing her singles “Richtivities” and “NANi,” and how as Jen put it, she makes tracks that “very women empowerment centric.” Sharing the thought process that goes into putting together a record, Saweetie expressed, “It depends on what kind of record it is. For ‘Richtivities,’ that was very topic based and it actually came from an experience where I was on a yacht with me and my homegirl ...

G-Eazy | Audacy Check In | 6.21.24

G-Eazy | Audacy Check In | 6.21.24

It’s officially Freak Show release day, so obviously G-Eazy had to Check In with Audacy’s Bru to chat all about it -- touching on his new music era, his favorite track off the album, going viral with a throwback song, and a whole lot more. After a whirlwind week of debuting his new era, announcing a new album, dropping its lead single “Anxiety,” (with a music video), and sharing the news of his world tour, G-Eazy took some time out of his busy schedule to fill us in and welcome us all into the Freak Show. After taking some time to “live some life, to be able to tell the stories... find the inspiration,” and "get the perspective,” G-Eazy is now back with new music. “You know, I traveled a lot, I spent time in Paris, I spent time in London. That's where the album really started," he tells Bru. "You know, I started refining the inspiration, and then obviously moved to New York,” Eazy shared of his album-making process this time around and switching from West Coast to East Coast living. That’s not the only thing that’s changed. With all of his newfound inspiration, G-Eazy has shifted gears into a new musical era as well. Describing his new sound, he says, “Sonically, musically, I'd say it's more eclectic, it’s more diverse. It’s drawing from a lot of my different influences and inspirations musically. “I mean… there's a Clash sample on the album, there's a song with Burna Boy… there’s a song with Leon Bridges. You know, it taps into some of the kind of cabaret, dark circus style of music that I was listening to a lot," he explains, "that sonically kind of shaped the world of 'Freak Show.'” Sharing his favorite song off of the album, Eazy admits, "‘Anxiety’ is the one I'm most proud of. It was really raw and real, from a really honest, human perspective and place. It’s like the subject I'm talking about, and then I'm cutting myself open and pouring it out, revealing hard truths about myself. I'm asking myself tough questions, owning up to s***, you know?” G-Eazy also went on to discuss what it was like working with Coi Leray (another featured artist on Freak Show). “Coy is incredible, you know, super talented and it was an honor to get to work with her. And she just walks on that beat, she just floats, you know. So she killed it,” G-Eazy noted, referring to her contribution to “Femme Fatale,” which also features Kaliii. Towards the end of the conversation, Eazy quickly dove into what it’s been like having his 2012 track “Lady Killers” go viral over a decade after its release. “Oh man, it's just one of those full circle… just like, dude, what is life? It’s kind of surreal, you know. But you just take it in stride, and you take it with a thank you. A thank you to the universe… however that happened and just count your blessings.” Also in their chat, G-Eazy shared with Bru the special meaning behind his ...

Bryson Tiller | Audacy Check In | 6.10.24

Bryson Tiller | Audacy Check In | 6.10.24

With a cleansed IG feed, a brand new self-titled album out, and a current North American tour underway, Bryson Tiller Checked In with Jen From BK of Audacy NYC's 94.7 The Block at the Hard Rock Hotel in New York to catch us up on this latest phase in his career, and a whole lot more. After sharing his favorite cities to perform in and his usual pre-show ritual, Bryson spoke on his love for video games -- which he’s very into developing -- and actually was the inspiration for his new album’s cover art. Tiller went on to discuss the evolution of his musicality and admitted his reason for delving into new sounds on his latest album came from the natural drive of not wanting to stay stagnant. “Well… I’m just bored making the same stuff over and over," Bryson expressed. "It just gets so boring and repetitive, same stuff... I’m just like... I love all music, I’m trying to do everything. So, I think that’s the main reason, well, no, one of the reasons.” “The main reason,” Bryson continued, “is just because I really wanted to show people my versatility as an artist and where I could take it -- and just kind of take my creative control back ‘cause I feel like a lot of fans and people thought that they had creative control over my life and what I do, what I create. So, I’m a rebel, always have been, and… nobody can tell me what to do. I like to do my own thing.” Another way in which Tiller decided to take control of the discourse was with the title of the album. While usually it’s an artist's first album that gets the self-title treatment, Bryson shared why he dubbed his fourth album after himself. “I just feel like people just keep talking about this album and that album and… they would just make that my identity. My only identity is that I’m Bryson Tiller, you know what I mean? I know how to do everything, you know? And I’m gonna try new things and things that I’ve never done before. You know, I can hang with the people who do that type of stuff. I just wanna be able to prove that. And if I didn’t prove it this time… just know that I will continue to do stuff that will shock you for sure…” Discussing the sequencing of the album, and sharing why he decided to start with an instrumental intro, he says, “I wanted to give people some time to think, you know, and give them a cool sound to think over,” Tiller expressed. “Every time I heard that… it would just put me in a zone and a vibe and I would just start thinking and reflecting on everything that I've done thus far and what's about to happen." “I just wanted to create that kind of somber build-up for the album… I had to start that and take it back to like R&B that I've studied for so many years,” Bryson added about the wordless track that he admitted was very Trapsoul coded, before delving his different and various songwriting processes. Bryson also shared that he recorded a Christmas son ...

Billie Eilish and FINNEAS | Audacy Check In | 5.31.24

Billie Eilish and FINNEAS | Audacy Check In | 5.31.24

Billie Eilish and FINNEAS dropped by the KROQ studios in Los Angeles for a special Audacy Check In with the Klein.Ally.Show, diving deep into their brand new album HIT ME HARD AND SOFT, what to expect on their upcoming world tour, and much more. HIT ME HARD AND SOFT, Billie Eilish's highly-anticipated follow-up to 2021's GRAMMY-nominated Happier Than Ever is available now, taking listeners through a rollercoaster of emotions as the record progresses through its 13 tracks. There was no defined road map that the brother and sister team decided to stick to when compiling the new collection, though Billie admits, “Honestly, I wish we had because then we could recreate it, but it was such a mess -- we didn't know where we were gonna go, or what we were gonna do, or how it was gonna turn out until we had most of the songs already floating around. That was when we put them together.” “I mean, they also had similarities,” she acknowledges. “We were thinking about them the whole time… thinking about calling back and having some lyrics on some songs that refer to other songs, or melodies that refer to other songs, but we didn't have a plan of like, ‘This is gonna be this, and this is gonna be this.’ It kind of just happened, which is frustrating because I don't know how to do that again. It just was so natural.” Touching on the many twists and turns throughout the new album, Billie reiterated her thoughts on the concept of musical genres being “such a funny thing,” especially seeing the way other artists she enjoys are categorized. “I'm always shocked. I don't know what that is,” she says. “I've really never cared about the idea of a genre. If someone says, ‘What kind of music do you listen to?’ I'm like, ‘Dude, everything.’ I love music so much and I really don't have lines like, ‘Oh, I don't listen to this genre or this genre.’ It's just music, you know? So, I think we try to do that with our own stuff too.” As the duo began to put songs together for HIT ME HARD AND SOFT, FINNEAS tells us when things became “messy --sub that in for if I wasn't feeling inspired anymore, if we were feeling like the momentum was slowing down a little bit, we'd just kind of like, get up and walk away, change gears. Maybe go on a hike or something or just start something completely different.” “I think it was about always feeling as engaged as possible,” he explains. “Sometimes as a producer and as a songwriter, it feels good to finish something and sometimes you have a great little chorus or great verse and you think, ‘Let's just write a bridge so that the song is done.' It was an effort on this album to be like, ‘If we don't have a good idea for a bridge today, let's write a bridge next week.’” Allowing themselves that space, he says, rewarded them with songs like “The Greatest.” “We came back to that song a week after starting it and Billie was like, ‘I think we should write a bridge for this,'" FINNEAS says "Then we had this whole fresh idea because we were approaching it on a different day, with different circumstances. There's just no way we would have written that bridge.” Billie adds, “Then that bridge then became the throughout melody of the album.” Though they're both unable to choose a favorite track, “I think if I were going to give an answer, ‘The Greatest’ was a really important process,” FINNEAS says. "Us making that song meant a lot to me. It was a big hurdle that we crossed in the process of writing all these songs. That was a song that I felt like we'd been looking for for a long time.” Suffering for her art is something Billie has never shied away from, even going to great lengths for the new album cover, which shows her almost drowning in dark waters -- eerily similar to something that happened to her when she was younger. “It felt like I was gonna drown,” she explains of her childh ...

Twenty One Pilots | Audacy Check In | 5.24.24

Twenty One Pilots | Audacy Check In | 5.24.24

Twenty One Pilots’ Josh Dun and Tyler Joseph joined host Brad Steiner for a special Audacy Check In at the Hard Rock Hotel New York to celebrate the release of their 2024 album, Clancy, upcoming tour dates, and more. The duo’s new offering, Clancy, is named after the protagonist introduced on 2018's Trench, and marks the final chapter in Twenty One Pilots' intricate story told across multiple albums, beginning with the band's 2015 breakthrough, Blurryface. Throughout the four album series -- which also includes 2021’s Scaled and Icy -- everything from art details to music videos had been specifically chosen for a reason. “The story, I guess it was a bit of a hybrid in the overall arc of it was written out from the beginning, but there were a lot of twists and turns inside of the journey that we made,” Tyler says. “I guess in a way, we were really inspired by our own fans. As the story was being told, there were certain details that came out of the story because of watching how people reacted to it and what they were drawn to.” “We knew what we were gonna say and what we wanted to accomplish with the story,” he adds. “Basically, the album ‘Blurryface’ is a reference to a character in the story that we've been telling, who's kind of the antagonist. We find out his real name is Nico and he's constantly -- basically, the lead character of ‘Clancy’ is constantly hunted down by this character. A lot of details go into where they're from and how they got there, and I'm really excited to tell how it all ends -- and that's what this, this album is gonna do.” The idea to build a world around their music, Tyler says, arose when he realized that inside of his and Josh’s common goal of making music together, there were “so many artistic opportunities, whether it's the colors you use to tell the story, the font that you use, the band name, the album title, the album cover…. So, where it just starts out as ‘I just wanna make music and maybe perform some of it in front of some people,’ you quickly realize, ‘Oh wait, there's a ton more opportunity to be creative other than just making the music.'” “We have some awesome people on our team too,” Tyler adds. “They've been helping us on the creative side for a long time. Shout outs to our crew of creatives that help us. ‘We'll be like, OK, hold on, what is the weather supposed to be like in this world in the city of Dema?’ I’ll remember we established that, you know, it's cloudy here and there's a sound that happens at night -- there's a lot of details of the world that you create, and sometimes you need to be reminded of, ‘What was this character's motivation, and what were we trying to do again?’ To have a few people to help you kind of collect and archive all of the story that you've been telling has been really important.” “Like Tyler said earlier,” Josh adds, being inspired by fans has been a major driving force, “because when we started, we were playing in clubs so we didn't know. We had kind of like visions and dreams of what this would turn into, but we didn't know how deep we could get into it. Even starting the story, it's kind of just like, ‘OK, well, I hope people care enough to look into the story.’ As time's gone on and we've seen people do like find things and understand things, then that gives us more freedom really to be able to expand on that and have different areas in which we can share those visuals.” As far as intricate fan theories go, Tyler admits, “Sometimes we'll text each other, we'll see something where someone's theorizing… they spend a lot of time coming up with that theory, you want it to be right for them. So I would say, ‘Should we tell them that's not right?’ There have been times where we've wanted to jump in and be like, ‘It's close, but not right.’” “I can't think of anything particularly ...