djfrosty

26 Apr 2024

Metro Boomin and Future’s Mastering Engineer Reveals Their Secret Sauce

Watch Latin American Music Awards

Joe LaPorta understands the fast-paced nature of rap music. “[When I left New York University], the industry was completely different,” says the 44-year-old mastering engineer who has worked with everyone from Imagine Dragons to Miley Cyrus to, most recently, Future and Metro Boomin. “It was still a physical medium. There were a lot more planned releases. There wasn’t this freedom of being able to release things within a day of creating it.”

Future and Metro Boomin are both comfortable moving at today’s pace. The longtime collaborative duo recently released two albums less than a month apart, We Don’t Trust You and We Still Don’t Trust You. The GrandStand engineer began working with Metro Boomin nearly a decade ago, when the latter made his collaborative album Savage Mode with Atlanta MC 21 Savage. From there, LaPorta was consistently tapped to work on several other projects by the in-demand producer thanks to Metro’s “right-hand man,” Ethan Stevens, a recording engineer with executive producer credits to his name.

LaPorta says the two artists wanted their latest full-lengths to feel like throwback Future releases, incorporating dusty soul samples and ’80s boom bap while retaining Future’s classic trap sound. “We have this cool collaborative process where he hears how I master it, he may make some adjustments, I might have some suggestions for him,” LaPorta says. “We work really well like that.”

It’s a good thing to be that dialed in because whenever a project pops up, LaPorta says it’s usually coming out soon. His goal with the Future and Metro projects — both of which debuted atop the Billboard 200, with We Don’t Trust You charting a multiweek Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 with “Like That” — was to make sure “everything is very consistent from track to track … There’s nothing more boring than a record that doesn’t have those ups and downs. [It’s] a good ride, and it’s constantly changing. That’s what’s so cool about these records.”

This story will appear in the April 27, 2024, issue of Billboard.

26 Apr 2024

Friday Dance Music Guide: The Week’s Best New Tracks From Justice, Hyperbeam, Salute & More

Watch Latin American Music Awards

This week in dance music: We talked to current Billboard cover star Peggy Gou about her ascent and forthcoming debut album, we talked numbers with Steve Aoki, we learned the value of the global dance music industry in 2023 amid IMS Ibiza and we saw Dua Lipa make history over on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs.

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

And of course, we heard fresh music. These are the best new dance projects of the week.

HYPERBEAM, “Okay Fine”

Hyperbeam, the collaborative project from Australian producer Odd Mob and L.A.-based artist Omnom, releases its debut EP today via Insomniac Records. The Unexplained is a four-track amalgamation of tech house and bass house that’s steeped in a generally ravey late night vibe, which will surely work wel during the duo’s upcoming sets at festival’s including EDC Las Vegas, Hangout Fest, Ubbi Dubbi, The Concourse Project and Electric Forest. The previously released “All Day, All Night” and “Mind Awake, Body Asleep” have both become scene hits, with the equally hypnotic “Okay Fine” likely to become the same.

Justice, Hyperdrama

After months of hype, along with debut of a new live show at Coachella earlier this month and a Billboard cover story preceding it, the fourth studio album from Justice has arrived via the duo’s longtime label, Ed Banger Records. The French duo’s first studio album since 2016 — “Because the album cycle is so long every time, we’re both like, ‘OK, is there going to be anybody that’s still interested?’” the pair’s Augé jokingly told us — Hyperdrama is an often intense, sometimes lightly psychedelic and altogether satisfying 13 track collection that contains elements of classic Justice while also pushing their catalog forward into a kaleidoscopic future.

The album includes high-caliber collaborators like Miguel, Thundercat, Conan Moccasin and Kevin Parker, with the latter artist appearing on the album’s lead single “One Night/All Night” and the just-out “Neverender” — a gliding, punchy, lightly psychedelic melody-forward production on which the Australian singer-producer’s voice takes on the same string quality as the disco stabs the track is structured from.

salute & Rina Sawayama, “saving flowers”

Vienna-born, Manchester-based house producer salute — a 2023 Billboard artist to watch — sets the stage for their debut album, True Magic, with the project’s lead single, “Saving Flowers,” a lush jacking house production outfitted with silky vocals from Rina Sawayama. Coming in July via Ninja Tune, salute’s forthcoming album also features Disclosure, Empress Of, Karma Kid, Sam Gellaitry, piri, Léa Sen, LEILAH and Nakamura Minami, with the producer posting up at a house in the English countryside to work with this crew. “In dance music there always seems to be this focus on doing everything yourself,” they say, “but I wanted to get a team around me to develop the ideas I had. One thing I’m really proud of is how organic the work with the collaborators is.”

Chris Lake & Sammy Virji, “Summertime Blues”

It’s only April, but Chris Lake, British producer Sammy Virji and The Boxer Rebellion vocalist Nathan Nicholson already have the summertime blues. A subtly bumping ode to letting go of the kind of memories that haunt, the track makes an interesting key change in its final phase, like when the summer sun finally burns away everything that’s been bumming you out. “We wanted a drop that felt like the warmth of sunshine and that’s how it makes me feel,” Lake says of the track, which is out via Astralwerks and his own Black Book Records.

Kasbo, “Resenären”

In our hyperspeed era, seven minutes can feel like an eternity. We suggest that you stop what you’re doing, close your eyes and devote that amount of time to the latest from Swedish producer Kasbo, who on “Resenären” delivers an emotive and ever-lusher production that doesn’t have vocals but still easily transmits a message of cerebral bliss.

“The goal of this track was to take the listener on a journey and take time doing it,” the producer says. “The name ‘Resenären,’ which means ‘the traveler’ in Swedish, sort of speaks to that. With my album theme being centered around slowing down in an ever-accelerating world, I wanted to push that concept and take my time leading up to the final climax with this song. In 7 minutes, it’s the longest one I’ve ever made.” Kasbo’s album, The Learning Of Urgency, is out June 7 via Odesza’s Foreign Family Collective.

26 Apr 2024

Janet Jackson Says She Passed on a Popular Movie Role That Went to Halle Berry

Watch Latin American Music Awards

In another life, Janet Jackson is one of the O.G. members of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But in this one, that honor belongs to Halle Berry.

The “That’s the Way Love Goes” singer revealed in her Friday (April 26) appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show that she was almost cast alongside Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen in the 2000 superhero film X-Men, which was directed by Bryan Singer. The topic first came up when Barrymore’s co-anchor Ross Mathews asked the performer whether she had been considered for Lana and Lilly Wachowski’s The Matrix, which Jackson said wasn’t true.

There was, however, another film she’d been in talks to do. “Ooh, this is horrible — I can’t remember the film,” Jackson said in a clip from the episode posted to Instagram Thursday (April 25). “But Halle Berry played Storm …?”

When a shocked Barrymore asked, “X-Men?,” Jackson nodded. “But I couldn’t, because I was just embarking on the Janet Tour,” she continued.

In addition to earning 10 No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 over the course of her career, Jackson has starred in a number of films, including Why Did I Get Married? and Poetic Justice. When asked by Mathews and Barrymore whether she’d consider taking on another onscreen project in the future, the superstar said, “I would, for sure.”

The five-time Grammy winner is currently in the midst of her Together Again Tour, with upcoming stops planned for Las Vegas, Los Angeles and more cities. Her most recent album, Unbreakable, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in 2015.

Watch a clip of Janet Jackson on The Drew Barrymore Show below.

26 Apr 2024

Normani Describes Long-Delayed Debut Album ‘Dopamine’ As Ultimate ‘Representation of My Resilience’

Watch Latin American Music Awards

Normani might as well be talking to herself on new single “1:59” when she purrs, “don’t talk too much, just do this s–t.” Sure, in the context of the collab with Gunna that dropped on Friday (April 26) the focus is on get-down-to-business pillow talk. But the sexy refrain could just as well be channeling the thoughts of fans who’ve been waiting nearly six years for the former Fifth Harmony star to drop her full-length solo debut since that fateful day in 2018 when she tweeted, “I have my album title y’all.”

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

“Just do this s–t!” you can hear them yelling after the string of singles she’s released since leaving FH in 2018, including her Billboard Hot 100 No. 9-charting solo debut with Khalid, “Love Lies.” Then there was her No. 7 2019 collab with Sam Smith on “Dancing With a Stranger,” that year’s irresistible “Motivation” and Charlie’s Angels soundtrack song “Bad To You” with Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj, as well as songs with Megan Thee Stallion (2020’s “Diamonds”) and Cardi B (2021’s “Wild Side”) and Calvin Harris (2022’s “New to You” with Tinashe and Offset) in the time since.

But still, no album… until the singer announced the title in February, Dopamine, and teased the riding-a-rocket-in-a-leather-bikini-cover, and then, on Friday, finally, the release date: June 14.

“I know what it’s like to put out music and records that I don’t wholeheartedly believe in. When we were in [Fifth Harmony], we didn’t have the opportunity to have a real opinion until the last project we did,” the singer tells ELLE in a new cover story that details how her plans to release the LP — which at one point was called 1906 for the address of her grandmother’s house where she was raised, then Butterfly Effect — was serially delayed in part due to her parents being diagnosed with cancer; they are both doing better now.

Pile on what the profile describes as heartbreak, “intense, unwarranted internet scrutiny” and a fight for creative control early in her career and you can easily understand the delay.

“I promised myself, ‘If God gives me another opportunity to do things in my own way, I’m not going to take that for granted,’” she says of the collection described as mixing uptempo dance tracks with songs exploring those struggles during and after 5H’s split. “I think that there’s a false narrative that because of how long this process has taken, that means I don’t care, or that means I’m more interested in doing other things than putting this body of work out. Nobody wants this project to come out more than me. I think that at the end of the day, if I stand behind this wholeheartedly, it doesn’t matter what the world thinks.”

To put a finer point on it, she says, “this body of work really is just a representation of my resilience.”

One of the key parts of the album cycle so far has been the outpouring of support she got when she announced the album earlier this year, especially from her former 5H bandmates: Camila Cabello, Ally Brooke, Lauren Jauregui and Dinah Jane. “This is a milestone, knowing everything that I went through in order to just get to this point. I wanted to be present in that and not allow any negative comments,” she tells the magazine. “I really wanted to just celebrate myself. In terms of the support from the girls, that’s really full circle, to be quite honest. We were put in very unrealistic circumstances. We did our absolute best with what we had, but I think that it’s really cool to just see everybody prosper. It was cool that that moment [for me] could also be a moment that could bring us all together.”

She says the album title is a representation of the “highs and lows” she’s endured, while the rocket-straddling cover feels “energetic… it feels like a hit.”

Asked how she feels about the state of women, especially Black women, in music right now, Normani turns to hers, and many others’, north star: Beyoncé. “I want to see more women in charge. I want to see more Black women as chairmen. I want to see more Black women as CEOs,” she says. “I want to see more Black women produce. I know that all of those exist, but it’s just about getting the opportunity and the recognition.”

Normani specifically points to Bey “taking over the country space” with her Cowboy Carter album, which she dubs “revolutionary… Those are the types of things that I set out to do. Now you have country artists who look like us coming out and just being like, ‘We’ve always been here.’ I think that it’s educational not only for music lovers, but also in the Black community. We’ve pioneered a lot that we don’t get recognition for. I think that it’s just really cool being able to witness Beyoncé be fearless and do something that is much bigger than herself. That’s honestly what I want to see more of in every single space of the music industry, because we deserve that. I also want to see Black women not have to fight so hard. It gets exhausting. We’re just as brilliant. We have amazing ideas, and our resilience.”

Listen to “1:59” below.

26 Apr 2024

Emmy Award-Winning Actress Thandiwe Newton Joins Cast of Netflix’s ‘Wednesday’

HipHopWired Featured Video

Thandiwe Newton Joins Cast of Netflix's Hit Show 'Wednesday'

Source: WWD / Getty / Thandiwe Newton

Season 2 of Netflix’s hit original series Wednesday, will boast some serious star power.

Variety exclusively reports Thandiwe Newtown is joining the cast of Wednesday. Her role in the megahit show remains a mystery. She is the latest big name joining the show in its second season, joining Steve Buscemi. 

Netflix declined to comment on Newton’s hiring, the website reports.

Newton is no stranger to the small screen. Her most notable role was on the HBO original series Westworld, which earned her three Emmy nominations for best supporting actress, taking home the award in 2018.

She also starred in The Slap, Big Mouth, Human Resources, and Rogue. Regarding the big screen, Newton’s other roles include the polarizing film Crash, Mission Impossible II alongside Tom Cruise, Beloved, The Pursuit of Happyness, and W.

Wednesday is a spinoff of The Addams Family that follows the titular character played by Jenna Ortega. In the show, which became a megahit for the streaming network, Wednesday enrolls in Nevermore Academy after a suspension from her previous high school.

The plot thickens when Wednesday develops psychic abilities and becomes embroiled in a murder mystery she eventually solves while uncovering secrets about her new school and her parents’ past.

The show became one of the most popular series on Netflix, receiving critical praise from critics and fans while earning 12 Emmy nominations.

Details on season 2 are scarce except for the news of Ortega’s return. Variety reports production should begin in Ireland in April.

Season 2 of Wednesday already sounds like it will be another hit for Netflix.

26 Apr 2024

In Canada: Blue Rodeo, Cowboy Junkies Sign ‘Fix the Tix’ Letter to U.S. Senators

Major artists are speaking out about the state of concert ticketing.

“The current system is broken,” reads a new letter signed by over 250 artists, including Billie Eilish, Green Day, Fall Out Boy, Cyndi Lauper, Lorde and more. The letter, dubbed “Fix The Tix,” addresses pervasive issues in the ticketing industry, like fake tickets, misleading marketing strategies and unclear pricing.

Addressed to Maria Cantwell and Ted Cruz, the respective Chair and Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation, the letter calls on the legislators to support the Fans First Act. The Act would take a series of steps to make ticketing more transparent for consumers, including banning “deceptive marketing tactics,” which lure fans into “paying more for tickets that may never get them into a show.”

“Predatory resellers have gone unregulated while siphoning money from the live entertainment ecosystem for their sole benefit,” the letter reads. “As artists and members of the music community, we rely on touring for our livelihood, and we value music fans above all else. We are joining together to say that the current system is broken.”

Trending on Billboard

Though the letter addresses American lawmakers, ticket resale practices are not limited to the U.S., and several Canadian acts have signed in support of letter’s aims, including Blue Rodeo, The Sadies, Cowboy Junkies, Suzie Ungerleider and Alvvays’ Alec O’Hanley.

“Marking tickets up is indicative of yet another layer in a broken system,” Canadian singer-songwriter Lauren Spear, who releases music as Le Ren and signed on to the letter, tells Billboard Canada. “It’s hard enough making money with streaming services taking revenue away from artists. Markups create an invisible hand that both gatekeeps the audience and pockets money that should be going to the labour of the musicians and crew.”

The Fans First Act would require ticket sellers to display the full price of a ticket from the outset of a purchase, tackling hidden fees that often catch consumers by surprise at the end of a transaction. – Rosie Long Decter

YouTube Aims to Support Canadian Artists In the Age of AI

Like many major labels and streaming companies, YouTube has a major presence in Canada. For artists and content creators, it provides access to an audience that stretches beyond borders.

“When you think about YouTube, the beauty for all artists and Canadian artists is the global reach,” says Vivien Lewit, Global Head of Artists at YouTube, in an interview with Billboard Canada, after a recent trip to Halifax for the Juno Awards. “There are over two billion really logged in viewers that watch music videos each month on YouTube. The exposure is enormous.”

With the Online Streaming Act becoming law, digital distributors and media will soon face updated government regulation and possible new forms of Canadian Content requirements. YouTube and its parent company Google have been critical of the act ever since it was introduced as Bill C-11. But much of the company’s criticism revolved around user-created content, which has since been clarified as immune from certain forms of regulation. YouTube maintains an ongoing partnership with record labels in Canada led by Canadian Head of Music Partnerships, Gabriel Obadia.

YouTube has a number of marketing and support initiatives and programs, and Lewit says they make sure to promote Canadian artists as part of all of them. Those include features like Artist on the Rise and Fifty Deep, a grant program to support Black artists. This year, Francophone Quebec rapper Lost was a participant.

YouTube Shorts has also been a big driver of the Punjabi Wave, including the B.C.-based Karan Aujla his collaborator Ikky. Together, they made YouTube’s list of most-watched music videos in Canada in 2023, and Aujla has 1.66 billion global plays in the last year. Numbers like those are hard to ignore, and those, along with streaming tallies, proved the potential of Punjabi music well before the Canadian music industry started to support it.

“It’s fascinating because I hear about the fast-growing popularity of Punjabi music in Canada from both our teams in India and our teams in Canada,” Lewit says.

In Canada, those YouTube numbers will now be recognized by Music Canada’s Gold/Platinum Singles Program. So, as in the U.S. since 2020, an artist with high stream counts on YouTube (or other Digital Service Providers like Apple Music) could earn a gold or platinum record. 

Read more here about how YouTube is working with Canadian labels on another potential thread and opportunity: generative AI. – Richard Trapunski

Last Week In Canada: AP Dhillon’s Early Exit From Coachella

26 Apr 2024

Keityn Shares How He Writes Big Hits With Karol G, Shakira, Maluma & More | Billboard News

Songwriter and artist Keityn shares how he’s created some of biggest Latin hits in recent history with Shakira (“Shakira: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53”), Karol G with (“Tusa,””Provenza” and “TCQ”), Maluma (“Hawái”). He shares that he’s written for J Balvin’s new album, talks about how Shakira’s “Acróstico” is a testament to her motherhood, his new song with Tiago, how he finds songwriting inspiration and more!

Keityn
When we did “Hawái” we didn’t think about the artist, it was stored for 6 months. I showed it to several artists and they didn’t want it.


Leila Cobo
Really?


Keityn
Hi I’m Keityn and this is Billboard News.


Leila Cobo
We are happy to have you, because you’ve just won the ASCAP composer of the year.


Keityn
Yes, I won that Composer of the Year.


Leila Cobo
11 songs, including which ones?


Keityn
“Bzrp Music Sessions 53″ with Shakira, I think “TQG,” “Acróstico,” I can’t remember, can I look at a photo?


Leila Cobo
Look at a photo because it is an impressive list.


Keityn
Yes.


Leila Cobo
While you look at the photo, I want to know how do you make a song like “TQG?”


Keityn
“Monotonía,” “Frágil,” “El Amor su de Vida,” “Amargura,” the one with Romeo “for the last time,” “Según Quién,” “Mi Ex Tenía Razón,” “El Amor su de Vida,” and that’s it.


Leila Cobo
Nothing.


Keityn
There are little things.


Leila Cobo
Among those 11 songs, 8 or 9 sung by women.


Keityn
Almost all of them.


Leila Cobo
You are a man at a time when many people are saying women should sing songs made by women, but it seems like you have the skill to know how to think like women.

Watch the full interview above!

26 Apr 2024

Jelly Roll Says ‘It Wasn’t Just Bullying’ That Led Him to Quit Social Media

Watch Latin American Music Awards

Earlier this week, Flavor Flav posted a video standing up for Jelly Roll after the country star’s wife, podcaster Bunnie XO, revealed that her husband had quit social media due to relentless bullying about his weight. But in a new interview, the “Need a Favor” singer explained that there’s actually a bit more to the story — although he’s very grateful to the DJ for coming to his defense. 

“He’s a sweet human, man,” Jelly told Variety of Flav in an article published Friday (April 26). “His wife is just salt of the earth. I met their whole family again last night. I’ve gotten to really spend some time with Flav and his family, and they’re real, real salt of the earth.” 

The three-time CMT Award-winner went on to say he’s “sure [he’ll] be back” on social media at some point, but for now, there’s “bigger fish to fry.”  

“I probably shouldn’t elaborate on this because nobody on my team wants me to, but I don’t have a problem with social media,” he continued. “And it wasn’t just bullying that did it. It was not only the toxicity of social media, but the addiction of it. I was becoming too busy to waste hours of my life scrolling.” 

“I can honestly say that I’ve been off social media for a few months now and I’ve never felt better or healthier mentally — never felt more clearheaded,” Jelly added. “I’ve also never had less of an idea what was going on in the world, but I tell you what, I’m definitely not coming back before the election. Bad joke.” 

The interview comes a few days after Bunnie told fans on TikTok that Jelly “got off the internet because he is so tired of being bullied about his f–king weight.” She added, “My husband doesn’t show it to you guys, but I’m going to have a very vulnerable moment here … It hurts him.” 

Shortly afterward, Flavor Flav addressed the haters with a video on X. “How dare y’all try to judge my man about his weight and his character,” the rapper said at the time. “All y’all trying to judge my boy Jelly Roll, I think y’all need to take a step back and judge yourself.” 

The “Son of a Sinner” musician is currently gearing up to make his Stagecoach debut at this year’s festival. He’s slated to perform on the first day of the weekend-long event, which kicks off Friday and will also see sets from Morgan Wallen, Miranda Lambert, Eric Church, Willie Nelson, Post Malone, Hardy and more. 

“I tell you what: I don’t know what every other artist does when they debut at Stagecoach, but I have taken it serious,” Jelly told Variety, noting that he wants to premiere some new material at the festival. “I rehearsed more for Stagecoach than I have any single event in my career.” 

26 Apr 2024

Toby Keith to Receive Posthumous Honorary Degree From University of Oklahoma

Watch Latin American Music Awards

The University of Oklahoma will fete late singer-songwriter Toby Keith with an honorary degree during the university’s May 11 commencement ceremony at Lloyd Noble Center.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

Keith is one of four individuals who will earn an honorary degree during the upcoming ceremony. According to The Oklahoman, other recipients include Presidential Medal of Freedom honoree David Proctor, educator Barbara Ann Posey Jones and the late Tom Love, founder of Love’s Travel Stops.

“Through their exceptional talents, transformative leadership and unwavering commitment to serving others, each of this year’s honorary degree recipients has left an indelible mark on the world,” OU President Joseph Harroz told the outlet. “Their profound dedication has touched countless lives, and we take great pride in conferring the university’s highest honor upon them.”

Keith died on Feb. 5 at age 62 after a battle with stomach cancer. In March, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum revealed that Keith will be inducted as a member later this year. In making the announcement, CMA CEO Sarah Trahern revealed that they had found out that Keith would be an inductee just hours after his passing.

Keith’s official Instagram account also noted in a post about his OU honorary degree that the late musician was an avid supporter of the university’s sports programs, as well as a longtime donor. When the institution’s softball team earned a third consecutive national championship win in June, Keith was there celebrating at the USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium, even leading a rendition of his 2000 hit “How Do You Like Me Now?!”

During the University of Oklahoma’s men’s basketball game on Feb. 6, the university honored the late singer-songwriter by placing a guitar, a red Solo cup (in honor of Keith’s 2012 hit of the same name) and a University of Oklahoma ball cap on the seat where Keith would typically sit for games. Earlier this month, the name “TOBY” and an image of the singer were painted at Owen Field on the 25-yard line.

See the announcement on Toby Keith’s Instagram account:

26 Apr 2024

Ryan Beatty On His Crazy 2024, From Writing With Beyoncé to Touring With Noah Kahan & Maggie Rogers

Watch Latin American Music Awards

Even before the release of Beyoncé’s Billboard 200-topping album Cowboy Carter, Ryan Beatty was having a banner 2024. His name is in the liner notes to Bleachers’ self-titled fourth album as a co-writer, and he’ll open for Noah Kahan this summer and Maggie Rogers in the fall — all in support of his own acclaimed 2023 third album, Calico, which earned praise from Elton John, who hosted Beatty on his Apple Music Radio show Rocket Hour last year, saying his songwriting is “beautiful, intense and meaningful.”

But his contributions to Cowboy Carter have been quietly in the works throughout his wins, extending across the past four years. Beatty, a California native and teen pop prodigy turned tender singer-songwriter, is credited with co-writing four songs on the blockbuster, including standouts “Bodyguard” and “II Hands II Heaven.” A closely guarded secret he has kept since 2020 (Beatty, 28, says he “worked on this pretty much from beginning to end”), his collaboration proved to be an inspirational boost. “It gave me this silent confidence for years,” he says. “I think when you’re patient through the process, you almost feel ready for all the things that happen.”

Below, he explains how he scored such major co-writes and what’s up next for his solo career.

Ryan Beatty

Ryan Beatty

Ashlan Grey

Even though Calico came out a year ago, do the past couple months feel like a milestone for you?

I think when you’re patient through the process, you feel ready for all the things that happen. I don’t mean to sound jaded, because it’s unreal all of the things that I’ve done and am getting to do. When I put my record out, I knew what I made and I knew how special it was to me. I’d hoped that it’d feel just as special to the people listening to it. I also know what I was willing to do and not willing to do. And I’m very adamant about staying authentic in every single decision I make when it comes to my music. And I think because I’ve been so protective of it, it’s been such a nice slow burn that the discovery of the record has been happening so naturally and effortlessly. 

I didn’t realize how much this record affected people until I started touring it. Seeing people really show up and really be there with me was really special. It’s nice to know that staying true to yourself pays off, because it’s so easy for you to bite the apple and try things that don’t feel right for you and you think, “Oh, this worked for somebody else so maybe it will work for me.” But I think every artist has that feeling in their gut when they know something is right for them or not, you just have to listen closely.

You were working on Cowboy Carter and Calico simultaneously. What was it like deciding which ideas and lyrics should be for which albums?

There was never a moment where I thought, “Should this go here or there?” Anytime I went in to work on music, it was very intentional to focus on where things existed. At the end of the day, my writing is going to be my writing. But it never blended too much; it was always “I’m making this song for Calico,” or “I’m making this song for Cowboy Carter.” I felt really propelled in my artistry and could feel myself growing as an artist, so working on something of such magnitude at that time also helped hone in on my album. I always call Calico a small record because it’s so close to the chest, and it’s really interesting being in both those worlds. Knowing that [Cowboy Carter] will be heard by every person on Earth, whereas on my record I’m whispering into the mic, I kind of enjoyed that.

How did you keep Cowboy Carter a secret for so long?

It was hard, but I also sort of enjoyed it. There were people in my life who didn’t know until the day it came out. I got phone calls and texts all day, like, “What are you talking about?” The entire time I wanted to honor what was being made, and I really believe in letting the work speak for itself. Not having expectations is the best move.

Your work is usually autobiographical. How does that affect your writing for other artists?

I put my own perspective into these songs. Even on a song like “Just for Fun,” [Beyoncé] sings about Clovis, which is the town I grew up in [in California]. So if you really look into the details of it, you can hear my perspective in there, I think.



How easy was it deciding whether or not to reflect your own queerness in your work?

It was instant for me. What excites me about making music is talking about my own life. So it wasn’t about should I or shouldn’t I. It was like, this is what excites me, let me be very forward about it.

What did you learn from working with Beyoncé and her team?

She makes things with so much intention, and I’ve always tried to do the same thing. Just seeing the work that goes into it definitely reminded me, “Oh, this is how you make greatness.” That was incredible to be around, and I felt highly respected through the entire process.

What can you share about “BODYGUARD,” which seems to be a fan favorite?

The line “Sometimes I hold you closer just to know you’re real” is one of my favorite lines I wrote for the whole record. Melody and lyric together can make something feel so much more beautiful. I think that melody, the way she sings it, and the line itself feels cute and intimate. I love that part of the song.

What can you reveal about collaborating on the Bleachers album? You are credited as a co-writer on “Call Me After Midnight.”

For that record, it’s one we started working on in 2017. It’s a song I wrote a long time ago. Jack [Antonoff, Bleachers frontman] was working on Kevin Abstract’s record, and I think they pulled that one up to revisit and Jack loved it and asked us if he could rework it and we were like, “Yeah, go for it.” To my surprise, it was on the latest Bleachers record and I’m really happy it went on there. It’s such a fun, beautiful record and I’ve been a fan of Jack’s for a really long time since way before I knew him, so that was a full circle moment at the same time, too. 

It was just announced that you’ll be opening up for Maggie Rogers on her upcoming tour. Do you ever spitball ideas with her? 

Maggie is one of the smartest people I’ve ever met. She’s just fun to talk to and she wears her heart on her sleeve. I think that I do the same, so I enjoy our conversations. 

Are your recent experiences influencing how you’ll write your next album?

Probably, but I wouldn’t know yet. I’d say, I’m grateful to know that the best way for me to write a record is for me to just live life. That sounds really simple, but I try not to go in “record-making mode” and to be honest, I don’t even know what that means. Calico was made over a time where I was like, “Okay, ‘I’m ready to write” and then I’d stop for six weeks. Then I’d go back and work on it a little more. I just want to live a beautiful life, make beautiful things and what comes of it, comes from it. That sounds really simple, but I think if you grip it too hard it ends up being over thought. There has to be ease and intention at the same time.

This story will appear in the April 27, 2024, issue of Billboard.