David Byrne has shared 'What Is the Reason for It?' featuring Hayley Williams, from his new album 'Who Is the Sky?'
World tour features orchestral arrangements, AI-animated visuals, and multiple-night theater residencies.
David Byrne has released a new single, 'What Is the Reason for It?' featuring Hayley Williams, taken from his forthcoming album 'Who Is the Sky?' via Matador Records.
Marked by the interplay between Byrne and Paramore’s Williams, the track considers love beyond logic. Speaking to People about the collaboration, Byrne said, "When we were finishing up the record, the producer Kid Harpoon and I were wondering, 'Oh, maybe this song, it's a love song, or at least it's asking what is love, what it's about? Why do we do this? Why do other people do it? Do we know anything about it? (...) And I knew that she was in town, so I just texted her and said, 'Do you want to come by and sing on this?' And she said yes. And she killed it."
A video for 'What Is the Reason for It?' arrives from a collaboration between Byrne and artist Dustin Yellin, using AI techniques to animate more than 20 of Byrne’s original line drawings.
'Who Is the Sky?' is Byrne’s first album since 2018’s 'American Utopia', later adapted for Broadway and a Spike Lee-directed HBO film. Produced by Grammy winner Kid Harpoon, its 12 songs are arranged by New York chamber ensemble Ghost Train Orchestra, with guests including Hayley Williams, St. Vincent and The Smile drummer Tom Skinner. The album was first introduced by 'Everybody Laughs', accompanied by a video directed by Gabriel Barcia-Colombo.
“At my age, at least for me, there's a ‘don't give a shit about what people think’ attitude that kicks in,” Byrne says about the spirit behind 'Who Is the Sky?'. “I can step outside my comfort zone with the knowledge that I kind of know who I am by now and sort of know what I'm doing. That said, every new set of songs, every song even, is a new adventure. There's always a bit of, ‘how do I work this?’ I've found that not every collaboration works, but often when they do, it's because I'm able to clearly impart what it is I'm trying to do. They hopefully get that, and as a result, we're now joined together heading to the same unknown place.”
Marked by the interplay between Byrne and Paramore’s Williams, the track considers love beyond logic. Speaking to People about the collaboration, Byrne said, "When we were finishing up the record, the producer Kid Harpoon and I were wondering, 'Oh, maybe this song, it's a love song, or at least it's asking what is love, what it's about? Why do we do this? Why do other people do it? Do we know anything about it? (...) And I knew that she was in town, so I just texted her and said, 'Do you want to come by and sing on this?' And she said yes. And she killed it."
A video for 'What Is the Reason for It?' arrives from a collaboration between Byrne and artist Dustin Yellin, using AI techniques to animate more than 20 of Byrne’s original line drawings.
'Who Is the Sky?' is Byrne’s first album since 2018’s 'American Utopia', later adapted for Broadway and a Spike Lee-directed HBO film. Produced by Grammy winner Kid Harpoon, its 12 songs are arranged by New York chamber ensemble Ghost Train Orchestra, with guests including Hayley Williams, St. Vincent and The Smile drummer Tom Skinner. The album was first introduced by 'Everybody Laughs', accompanied by a video directed by Gabriel Barcia-Colombo.
“At my age, at least for me, there's a ‘don't give a shit about what people think’ attitude that kicks in,” Byrne says about the spirit behind 'Who Is the Sky?'. “I can step outside my comfort zone with the knowledge that I kind of know who I am by now and sort of know what I'm doing. That said, every new set of songs, every song even, is a new adventure. There's always a bit of, ‘how do I work this?’ I've found that not every collaboration works, but often when they do, it's because I'm able to clearly impart what it is I'm trying to do. They hopefully get that, and as a result, we're now joined together heading to the same unknown place.”
Related Articles
LIKE THAT? READ THESE✦LIKE THAT? READ THESE✦LIKE THAT? READ THESE✦LIKE THAT? READ THESE✦
LIKE THAT? READ THESE✦LIKE THAT? READ THESE✦LIKE THAT? READ THESE✦LIKE THAT? READ THESE✦
