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Capping off a month of excellent new music releases, Lorde, Benson Boone, Megan Thee Stallion and several more artists have entered the chat for the last New Music Friday of April. Starting off strong with a certain New Zealand-born pop star, the arrival of Lorde’s comeback single “What Was That” on Thursday (April 24) finally […]
Young Thug has a lot to say. After being released from prison in October following a two-year-plus bid as part of the YSL RICO trial, Thugger has remained quiet. That is, until Friday (April 25), when his first all-encompassing interview since regaining his freedom dropped via GQ .
In addition to his case, jail and his relationship with Gunna, Thug gave his unfiltered thoughts on the state of the rap game today.
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“I think the numbers could be better, but yes,” he said when asked if the rap game’s in a good place. “I think a lot of people rapping about the same thing. Ain’t nobody bringing something that you could actually watch. You can enjoy the music and enjoy the things they do, but we used to make movies. Now it’s just quick. We gotta get back to movies to where like people respect it.”
Thug expanded on the dominance of simplicity. “It was just a big wave of nothingness running the game,” he said. “Super-simple videos, not really high-priced videos. That wave came in really strong. Even the people that was doing high-priced videos, they started doing regular videos because that’s what was popping. We did it so long where we’re comfortable with that. We don’t want to do stuff like this that takes time.”
The YSL boss also spoke on his friendship with the late Rich Homie Quan. Thug explained that Quan wanted to do his own thing and pursue a solo career, which led to them not releasing more music together.
“I think we just grew and became our own bosses and men,” he said. “We were getting bigger, so I wanted to do my own thing. I think he did. I love music, but I don’t care about songs. I’ll have a No. 1 hit record song and I’ll put you on it. Whoever go to the top with you, go to the top. I don’t care. I would’ve been OK with keep doing it.”
Even after spending more than two years away, Thug hears his melodic influence across today’s hip-hop. “Absolutely, you hear some s–t and you’re like, ‘Me, for sure.’ You never rapped like that.”
Thug returned with his first single of 2025 on Friday as well, which finds him alongside a familiar face in Future as the Super Slimey duo teamed up for “Money on Money.” Thugger is headed toward releasing his UY SCUTI album, which is rumored to arrive in May.
Watch the full interview below.
Olivia Rodrigo is ready for Lorde summer. Less than 24 hours after the New Zealand pop star dropped her comeback single “What Was That,” the “Vampire” singer shared her review of the track while posting a video of herself jamming out to it in New York City. (Spoiler alert: She’s a fan). In a TikTok […]
It’s a warm Tuesday afternoon in the deep San Fernando Valley, and the only day of the week Claude VonStroke is currently taking meetings.
The producer takes me through the cozy kitchen of his sprawling home, then across the verdant backyard, to a guest house that’s been converted into an office space. Here, his wife Aundy works in a room just behind the gleaming grand piano that dominates the primary space. Upstairs, where he works, the little attic is hot with many humming music machines.
He’s been up here most days lately, getting into creative flows that didn’t come as easily when he and Aundy were running Dirtybird — the label, events company, merch brand and long-running cultural hub that was synonymous with Claude VonStroke, the artist born with the all-time cool name Barclay Crenshaw.
VonStroke sold Dirtybird to EMPIRE in 2022, leaving the company he’d created alongside his wife, and which was home to a sprawling community of artists and signature sound that helped shift house music culture in the United States over the last ten-plus years. As fun as the Dirtybird Campouts, other brand parties and music all had been, running a company whose success was predicated on streams, relentless touring and ticket sales was also acutely stressful.
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Now that he’s no longer spending his days fretting about P&L, VonStroke spends most of his time making music — except for this day of the week, when he sends emails, takes meetings, schedules social gatherings and generally tends to business. This new phase of his life is something that his publicist enthusiastically describes as “a full-on reintroduction to the world of Claude VonStroke, complete with a new creative direction and sound.”
The reinvention that VonStroke has been privately working on for years publicly starts today (April 25), with the release of a two-track EP, I Was the Wolf, which contains the title track and its cinematic B-side “Move With the Pack.” The project is the first release of a load of new music created in a time where much of the week just consists of being up in the little room, unbothered and happily toiling away.
At the family picnic table, Claude VonStroke sits down to talk about selling Dirtybird, the soul searching that followed and why now, he just wants to be like Bill Murray.
The way that this project has been framed is Claude VonStroke 2.0, a complete new era.
I mean, kind of.
Unpack that for me.
I started Dirtybird Records after a bunch of us started these free park parties, and I did it for 20 years. By the end, it was not a record label — it was a festival company, a clothing company, a record label and a pipeline for every new tech house artist ever. Like, every name came through there.
So I was listening to 600 demos a week, putting on a festival ourselves with no additional money, building cities in the middle of nowhere, freaking out about tickets every single day of the year. Doing 10 BBQ [parties], another circuit of parties. I got to a point where I was like, “This is so awesome. I got way further than I could have ever imagined. I did 10 festivals at least, and it was fantastic.” I knew during the last festival that it was [done]. I always told myself that when it stops being fun, I should just get out before it becomes un-fun. So I found someone who wanted to keep it going at EMPIRE, and that all worked out really well. So it was just a win-win scenario where they took it over, and I’m able to do whatever I want, and it’s fantastic.
So how is your life different today than it was before you sold the label?
The label sale happened at the end of 2022, and we just sold them the events company. They didn’t buy them together, which is why all of these [new Dirtybird] events just popped up… We tried to sell it all the first time. They didn’t want everything at first, and then they realized what we told them, that you actually need it. The label and the events go together. They’re symbiotic. Which is kind of what I’m doing again, but the new idea is the opposite of that idea, where now I’m kind of in my Moodymann phase where it’s like — I did everything that was hard, and now I only want to go to the rooms that are fun and interesting and it doesn’t matter what the money is. I just want to make tracks I think are interesting. And it’s more about space in my head and the love of music.
Versus relentless pushing every day?
Versus just keep going up the ladder, and “We need to do this to get this.”
I imagine there was a decompression phase?
I was probably the most annoying person to my wife for the six months after the sale. I got all in a funk and was like, “What am I doing?” I read about when other people sold their companies, and it was very similar. Like, you did something forever and you’re not doing it.
“What’s my identity, now that I’m not that guy?”
I actually went and figured it out. I went and did my bass project for 18 months. That was super fun, and then at the end of that, I was like, “Well, I’ll keep doing that, but I still like house music, but I’m glad I had a break. And now I can come back to it with a different perspective.”
How has the perspective changed?
It’s like what I was saying before. I’m just doing it for fun, only. I’m just doing it for me, I guess.
At what point did Dirtybird stop being fun?
Well it was always fun, but it was hard. It was maybe the last two or three years that I felt the sound had been kind of boxed in. As the tech house bro sound emerged, we got blamed for it, and then it went that way.
Do you take any of that blame?
Oh yeah. We brought Fisher through, John Summit, Shiba San. Even if we had their first record, they all came through our shop. So yes, of course. I wasn’t going in that direction anymore, so for me to be like “Okay, somebody wants this, because it’s freaking going crazy,” that was a good point to leave.
The two new tracks that are out sound pretty different than your previous stuff. How do define what you’re doing now, and what phase would you say you’re in?
It is kind of pulling back to 2005, 2006 German stuff that I was really into. My favorite label is Playhouse, which doesn’t even exist anymore, and artists like Roman Flügel and Isolée and these kind of guys. I was always obsessed with that stuff, and it’s kind of like that stuff, but also none of that stuff holds up sonically anymore. They’re still unbelievable tracks, but over the last 18 months producing bass music I’ve learned a lot of great production stuff. Honestly I’m probably a three times better DJ, because bass is all fast cuts and chops and moving around, and house music seems like it’s DJ-ing for dummies at this point.
That might have to be a pull quote.
I just got way better and way more skilled doing bass music, because it’s all sound design, and highly intensive and figuring out that I’m going to use five sounds, and they’re the best possible sounds, versus using 14 and just layering them up until they work. It’s a different philosophy of working.
One of the biggest things that I can’t even really explain is that for seven years that I worked here [at the house], I spent all this money on the downstairs room to try to fix a room that was never going to be fixed. The bass and everything is just f—ed in that room. My wife told me to move upstairs five years ago, and I didn’t listen to her. Then as soon as I moved upstairs, it’s the perfect shape and all my stuff just went [he makes a motion like his mind is being blown]. You make a song and it actually sounds the same in the club. All my rooms were bad until this year or last year. My entire career! I would have to go play like, 30 gigs before I could finish a track.
That’s bananas.
It’s a lot of getting depressed at the show, like, “This song sucks.”
Does that now give you a new level of confidence that you can go out and know things are right from the jump?
Yeah, it’s crazy. It’s a life-changing moment, actually, that the room actually works.
What is the music sounding like, beyond the two tracks that are out now?
It’s interesting the way this is all shaping up. You know how people say that you just say something, and it starts coming true? It’s rolling out like that, which is always fascinating. It does happen. I found a beat that I liked, and was trying to hammer it out, then I accidentally moved some of the sounds around and it became a completely different thing, and I finished the whole thing in one day, which I the best possible scenario. Every time that happens, it’s very good. [He talks about a collaboration he made a few days ago with Reggie Watts, who came over to the house to record vocals.] I’m probably not even supposed to be talking about it, but who cares, because no one’s in charge of me! There’s no record label telling me that I can’t talk about releases coming up, there’s no one telling me I can’t talk about who I’m working with.
In terms of a label, who’s releasing this music?
I’m just doing it DIY. No label. Just distribution.
Do you have an idea of what success for the music will look like for you?
No. I don’t know. [laughs] I think as long as I like them a lot. I guess that’s really Rick Rubin to say, but that’s all it is. I can’t control it, really. I hope certain tracks find their way to the people that they’re meant for. But I’m not trying to get the biggest tech house artist to play “I Was the Wolf.” That’s not a track for them. I just hope they make it into their niches.
Where does this new music bring you in terms of touring?
I really just want to go to the rooms that I either know that I already love, or that I want to try out. But that’s one thing you can get wrapped up in, that I was definitely wrapped up in. Like, “Oh, we better play this, so this guy will let us play this, so we can over here and play this show so we can be in this.” Politics. I’m not doing any of that.
What rooms do you love?
I love this room in Dallas called It’ll Do. Perfect house club, perfect layout. I like Coda in Toronto. I like Walter Wherehouse [in Phoenix]. I’m trusting my agent, and he says Knockdown Center is the coolest and most fun place in New York, so I’m going to check it out.
You’ve been doing this for a long time. Do you have any particular feelings about being a veteran in the scene?
There were people that I looked at like, “That looks like absolute best life.” It was people like DJ Harvey and Moodymann and people who are just living on their own timeline and their own sphere of influence and not really caring if they miss five phone calls or answer everyone’s emails. I remember towards the last few years, being like “these guys are f—ing geniuses.” DJ Koze too. This little enclave of guys where you can’t really contact them. Nobody knows what they’re doing.
They’re playing a flute in a cave on a mountain.
That’s kind of where I’m headed, if I can. It’s like the Shangri-La of DJ-ing. I’ll be with the goats on the mountain and people will be like “fly in the helicopter! He’s got to take this phone call!” Like the Bill Murray of DJ-ing.
How do you think Dirtybird shifted dance music culture?
Dirtybird made this shift in American house music, because in 2015 I said, “Okay my kids are at this age, I can’t go to Europe every other week anymore, so let’s literally be the best house music label in America and only crush America.” Then it was, “Let’s do festivals, crazy merch, hammering it through this US based producer pool.”
That changed what people thought of house music. There were these original Detroit and Chicago labels, but they weren’t bridging this gap to 18-year-olds, so we were like, “Here we are.” I always say we were like a gateway drug between Damian Lazarus and commercial dance. You start here and then you come to us and then you end up in a K-hole. I’m kidding! But you know what I mean.
So to what extent does this shift you’re in now have to do with your kids being older and you being able to go back out to Europe?
Everything. All the pieces make sense. Now my son’s in college, my daughter is applying to college. Everything is just making it easy to be like this. I’m not killing myself because this is due and this is due. It’s just a totally different thing.
CENTRAL MUSIC & ENTERTAINMENT FESTIVAL 2025, a music festival event held in the heart of Yokohama, took place April 4-6, 2025.
Led by the concept of “Bringing the sounds of Japan to the world,” this new music festival in Yokohama presented a wide range of entertainment, from artists that have drawn the attention of the world to anime, technology, and more. The whole city of Yokohama became an enormous festival space, with performances at venues such as K-Arena Yokohama, Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse’s Red Brick Park Special Venue, KT Zepp Yokohama, and Rinko Park. This article covers Echoes Baa, which was held at the Red Brick Park Special Venue of Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse on April 5 and 6.
The event was curated by Echoes, a new label established in September 2024. The main stage lineup featured Echoes artists like YOASOBI, MAISONdes, and Aooo, as well as major artists from other labels invited as special guests. Echoes also runs the MECRE collaboration platform, which brings together people who love music and creation, so in addition to live shows, Echoes Baa also had DJ sets, workshops, and other new forms of entertainment experiences covering a wide range of creative expression.
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Looking around the site before the first performance, the first thing that catches the visitor’s eye would be the massive art wall at the rear of the field. Created by up-and-coming artists such as COIN PARKING DELIVERY and SIMON, it became a photo spot for the event’s many visitors. YOASOBI and the mobile bookstore BOOK TRUCK also collaborated in “The Traveling Bookstore YOASOBI.” The store carried YOASOBI-related books, books selected by Ayase and ikura, and books related to other artists performing at Echoes Baa. On both days of the event, there were also workshops with the theme of “Fun DIY for everyone, regardless of skill level.” In the silkscreen workshop, people could print their own t-shirts and apparel with unique Echoes graphics. Those taking part in the tufting workshop were able to make their own Echoes-exclusive rugs. These workshops were so popular that they were fully booked before the live performances even began. There was also Echoes’ first-ever pop-up shop, “Echoes Maaket,” which sold limited-edition Echoes merchandise. In front of the shop were large capsule prize machines with a variety of metal badges adorned with Echoes logos. These were also popular, selling out early in the event.
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The first live performance began with an energetic rendition of “Idol” by YOASOBI. ikura declared, “Our show’s going to set the standard for the whole festival’s energy levels!” The band went on to play hit after hit, such as “Into The Night” and their newest song, “PLAYERS.” Between songs, they also talked to the crowd, getting everyone to join in in celebrating Ayase’s birthday, which had been the day before, on April 4. Between performances on the main stage, Gaku, Aiobahn, Aiobahn +81, DJ Kazu, and tomad kept the excitement up from the second stage.
KAFUNÉ kicked off their set with “Otonagokko.” During ”Nounaihanseikai,” they were joined in by the audience, and in their last song, “Melty Love,” they filled the air with beautiful falsetto vocals. During NOMELON NOLEMON’s set, tsumiki declared “We came to win today!” from up on stage and then brought the audience to a fever pitch with their catchy “Midnight Reflection,” a song featured in Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX.
asmi, dressed in a colorful costume, started her set with the pop tune “Dokimeki Diary.” She delivered lyric-packed songs like “Face This Way” and “PAKU” in her ennui-tinged yet resonant voice, accompanied by pop melodies. syudou began his first song, “In the Back Room,” with an a cappella intro in a performance that was so confident that you’d scarcely believe that it was his first ever outdoor performance. With a set list that just kept them coming, you could feel the power coming off the stage.
The headliner on the first day was MAISONdes. The show featured a constant tide of “residents” like asmi & THREEE, noa and Kayayu, Pii & meiyo, riria., suisoh, MIKIMARIA, Ren, Yuika & KAFUNÉ and AYUNi D, each creating their own chemical reactions. Rei, from the new project NICHIMEZO, also sang. There was even a surprise appearance by virtual singer KAF, who performed via a monitor and passionately performed “Tokyo Shandy Rendez-vous” alongslide tsumiki’s drums. Then asmi took to the stage again, finishing off the first day’s performances with “Yowanehaki.”
The second day started at a full gallop with FRUITS ZIPPER’s “NEW KAWAII.” In “Watashino Ichiban Kawaiitokoro,” the audience copied the group’s choreography, and the stage positively overflowed with cuteness. Next was Luov, a three-piece band that was just formed in February of this year. They entertained the crowd with their buoyant vocals and sound on songs like “Dai Dassou Keikaku” and “Toumei shabon,” perfect fits for the concert venue, surrounded by the sea and the clear blue sky.
There was a long line at the vending machine selling original Central drinks with designs featuring the show’s performers. While the stage was being prepared for the next act, Gaku, Aruku Hito, DJ To-i (from DISH//), dshino (Toshitaka Shinoda from Ijigen TOKYO) and yuigot put on their own performances, keeping the vibe going.
The main stage thronged with people awaiting Chevon’s set, which they launched into with “Knock Boots.” The audience pumped their hands in the air to Mayuu Yaginu’s vocals, which dripped with charisma and seemed to pierce the sky. Then Mayuu shouted “The second chapter of Chevon starts here and now, at Echoes Baa, with the arrival of the ‘KAIJU! (Japanese title: Daikoushin)‘” and the band charged into the next song, never letting up on their momentum. TOMOO began her set with a rhythmical vocal performance of “Ginger.” Her clear singing voice harmonized beautifully with the ocean-side vista, gently enveloping the audience with songs like “Itterasshai” and “Contrast.” The last song of her set, “Super Ball,” was like a warm spring breeze. The band Aooo, made up of Riko Ishino, THREEE, Hikaru Yamamoto, and tsumiki — each an accomplished artist in their own right — melded the unique sounds of the three instrumentalists with Ishino’s voice. Her voice ranged from wistful, like on “Casablanca,” to powerful and commanding, like on “Fragile Night.”
The headliner on the second day was the opening act on the first day: YOASOBI. They performed hit after hit, such as “Idol,” “UNDEAD,” and “Seventeen,” with Ayase shouting out, “Here, today, I know without question that this is the heart of it all, where we bring music to the world!” During “The Blessing,” the night sky over the Port of Yokohama was lit up with fireworks. Then, with the giant chorus of “Blue,” the second day of the event came to a resplendent close.
—This article by Takayuki Okamoto first appeared on Billboard Japan
Flo Milli is a mom. The Alabama rapper revealed that she gave birth by sharing a photo of her baby boy on Instagram Friday (April 25).
Flo melted the collective hearts of her followers with a picture holding her baby boy sporting a diaper. She also made sure to let her fans know that they need to take their job of protecting their nephew seriously. “Yall bett not play bout yall internet nephew,” Flo wrote.
All of the uncles and aunties flooded Flo Milli’s IG comment section, with congratulatory messages from Latto, Halle Bailey, GloRilla, Rubi Rose and more.
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According to Vibe, Flo revealed that the father is rapper G6reddot when she shared photos from her baby shower showing the two together.
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Shortly after Flo revealed she had given birth, G6reddot also announced his son’s arrival on Instagram with a carousel of photos featuring the newborn. “Welcome my first born sixx,” he captioned the post. “it’s not easy being a black father in America Dey already counting me out.”
Flo’s followers knew she was going into labor when she posted a photo of a hospital bed on Thursday (April 24,) and captioned it, “yall pray for me.” The “Never Lose Me” rapper received support from J.I.D., Wale, Latto once again and many others in her comments.
Flo Milli confirmed her pregnancy in November when she took to X writing: “Flo mommy s—t … I can’t even see my coochie nomore that’s crazy.”
Weeks prior to her confirmation, pregnancy rumors ran rampant on social media after Flo posted a clip featuring her previewing new music, which saw a man rubbing her baby bump. She pushed back, claiming to be “bloated” at the time.
What’s fitting is that the same song she was teasing when fans first saw her pregnant belly also arrived in full on Friday. “Gripper” features T-Pain and samples the Florida legend’s 2005 anthem “I’m N Luv (Wit a Stripper).”
Find Flo Milli and G6reddot’s photos of the baby boy below.
As adults, famous sisters Beyoncé and Solange are close — but they might owe their bond to a pivotal decision mom Tina Knowles made when they were children.
While speaking to CNN News Central Friday (April 25) just a couple days after the release of her memoir, Matriarch, the businesswoman explained that she sent her daughters to therapy back when they were kids because she grew “terrified when Beyoncé turned around 10” that a divide was forming between the two sisters. As the “Texas Hold ‘Em” artist kicked off her musical journey at the time while in the singing group Girl’s Tyme, Knowles says Solange struggled to feel included.
“The kids would say to Solange every day, ‘Be quiet, Solange,’ because she would try to choreograph and, you know, she wanted to be involved,” Knowles recalled. “And then I started noticing that Beyoncé would allow them to talk to her like that, or she would say, ‘OK, Mom, can you get Solange out of here?’ And I’m like, ‘Wait a minute, this is her house, and you’ve got to be nice to her.’”
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“Finally I realized that they weren’t listening, and I saw a wall between them coming,” the designer continued. “And so I got them in therapy.”
The whole family has come a long way since those days. Since Knowles welcomed her eldest daughter with ex-husband Mathew Knowles in 1981, followed by Solange five years later, both girls have carved out massively successful, Grammy-winning music careers while staying “super tight” thanks to their time in counseling, according to their mom.
“Back then it was really taboo,” Knowles continued Friday of the decision to put her girls in therapy. “Even my husband, he was like, ‘I just don’t know if they’re too young for you to do that.’ And I’m like, ‘I’m not asking. I’m going to find somebody.’”
“I found this wonderful child therapist,” she added. “And it’s funny, because he told Beyoncé all the things I had told her, but she listened from him, even though she hated therapy. She hated going. Solange loved therapy. She loved talking and, you know, expressing herself. And the outcome was great.”
Parenting two of music’s biggest stars is a major topic in Matriarch, which hit shelves Tuesday (April 22). In the book, Knowles also opens up about her recent breast cancer journey, which led to her undergoing surgery to remove a tumor late last year.
Of her daughters’ reactions to the diagnosis, the Cécred cofounder wrote that Bey “took it well, staying positive … I could already feel her mind racing, focusing on this as a task to tackle with precision,” while Solange simply said with determination, “We are going to take care of this.”
Young Thug has spoken about his relationship with Gunna in a new interview with GQ. The Atlanta rap star finally breaks down everything from his rumored falling out with Rich Homie Quan to his lengthy and chaotic RICO Trial that kept him behind bars for over two years in GQ’s video cover story published Friday […]
Birdman revealed some interesting tidbits about Cash Money’s rise from New Orleans street label to mainstream powerhouse.
He sat down with Nick Cannon for the Counsel Culture Show in the episode that dropped Wednesday (April 23) to talk about how he and his older brother Ronald “Slim” Williams became success stories, and some of the early label meetings they had before signing their historic deal with Universal Records. Baby said he first took a meeting with Warner Bros. and executive Sylvia Rhone, but they weren’t really into the independent label’s music. “Sylvia Rhone said our music don’t work for them, so we just left,” he said. “I just walked out.”
Cash Money then took a meeting with legendary rap label Def Jam, but was turned down because of their artwork, which still confuses the rapper and music executive. “I went to Def Jam and met with Russell [Simmons], Lyor [Cohen] and Kevin Liles,” Baby told Nick Cannon. “This n—a Russell said he don’t like our artwork. I said, ‘This some weird s—t. I walked clean out. N—a don’t like my artwork, what about my music? You don’t care for the music? So, I left.”
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Baby then said that he and his brother almost had a deal with Priority Records, who just so happened to be in business with fellow New Orleans label No Limit headed up by Master P. However, according to him, things fell apart after the label flew them out to their offices in L.A. “I went to Priority — some weird s—t here — I go to Priority, they fly us to California,” he said. “Me and Slim, a couple of the homies, we go out there. N—a come in there and said, ‘I’m sorry, we can’t do the deal. They said because Master P said, ‘If we sign y’all, he’s leaving.’ I just jumped on a jet and went back to New Orleans was like, ‘F—k it, we just gonna grind with it.”
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Finally, Universal came calling and the two sides were able to carve out one of the more historic deals in music history. “And then Mel Lewinter and them called and I said this my last trip. I ain’t taking no more motherf—king flights to New York or California,” he recalled. “F—k it, we’ll thug it out. I’m still making millions, they gonna come down here and f—k with me, I ain’t going back. And that was my last flight.”
Master P and Birdman have seemed to have moved past those early issues, as the New Limit founder gave Lil Wayne key to New Orleans alongside Mayor LaToya Cantrell last year. He also said there weren’t any issues between the two camps when he went on No Chill with Gilbert Arenas in 2021, saying, “A lot of people thought, ‘Oh, they got beef,’ but, man, we lived right up the street from each other.”
Watch the full conversation below.
“I’m still trying to take it all in,” Gigi Perez tells Billboard of her extended moment in the spotlight. Last July, the singer-songwriter’s “Sailor Song” became a viral hit and Perez’s first Hot 100 hit — and months later, the folksy exaltation of queer flirtation remains in the chart’s top 40, rising up one spot this week to No. 35.
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In the interim, Perez played a slew of shows to growing audiences, released follow-up singles like “Fable” and “Chemistry,” and most importantly finished recording her debut album. At The Beach, In Every Life, out today (Apr. 25), finds Perez navigating love, grief and self-possession, as the success of “Sailor Song” has amplified her Island Records debut but not altered its core tenets.
“This project is as close of a reflection of my experiences over the past five years as I could get,” says Perez of the album, which expounds upon the reflection of her sister’s passing that became the focus of her single “Fable.” “My grief has shaped the way that I love, in friendships and with family and romantically. On the project, those things exist next to each other.”
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Below, Perez discusses four songs on At The Beach, In Every Life, and what they represent within her debut album:
The Song That Was Finished Last
“Two days before I was turning the album in, I recorded ‘Sugar Water’ on my own,” says Perez of the five-minute emotional heavyweight, which looks back on her transition into adulthood with childhood details and a simple guitar-and-vocals arrangement. “I wasn’t expecting to put ‘Sugar Water’ on the project,” Perez continues. “And my A&R asked me about the song. I was like, ‘Oh, I love this song.’ … I was like, “Okay, I’m gonna just record and see what happens.’ And it ended up being one of my favorite songs on the project.”
The New Song That’s Most Fun to Play Live
“The most excitement that I’ve had playing a new song has been definitely ‘At The Beach’ or ‘Sugar Water,’” says Perez, who’s been playing a handful of headline shows in the lead-up to the album release. The title track of At The Beach, In Every Life closes the album with an encapsulation of Perez’s worldview, full of passion, disappointment and unruly thoughts that run into each other over the course of the song.
Perez says that testing out her new material on live audiences over the past few weeks has been a thrilling experience. “I just have fun for an hour straight, so it’s hard” to pick one highlight, she explains. “Every single song I get the guitar, and I’m like, ‘Oh my god, I’m so excited to do this song!’”
The Song That Was Most Difficult to Finish
“’Crown’ was hard,” Perez says of the searing centerpiece of the album’s second half, which mixes religious imagery with memories of her late sister. “I think it was letting myself go into that space of my grief and the uglier side of it. It’s all ugly, pretty much, but a different shade was probably the hardest to do in a specific time constraint.”
Yet that struggle, Perez believes, speaks to the truth of her first full-length. “Ultimately, I feel like that’s part of the album,” she says. “It’s not easy.”
The Smash Single That Set the Tone
“Sailor Song” kicks off At The Beach, In Every Life, and Perez says that she’ll always be thankful for the doors that her breakthrough hit has opened. “Especially now that there are new songs in the mix and other focuses that I have, to know that she’s just holding down the fort is amazing,” she says of “Sailor Song. “It’s a gift — to know that I was part of the creation of something that has impacted people globally just feels divine.
“And it’s exciting to see where the rest of the music is gonna go,” she continues, “because in my head, ‘Sailor Song’ and the impact that it’s had are amazing, but I’ve set my sights on personal fulfillment, and what that means is different. As long as there’s a community there, whether it’s one person or it’s 1 million, every single person that’s impacted by it matters.”