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David Byrne hails Olivia Rodrigo’s "great relationship with her audience" and reveals his wedding plans
Music

David Byrne hails Olivia Rodrigo’s “great relationship with her audience” and reveals his wedding plans

by jummy84
written by jummy84

David Byrne has hailed Olivia Rodrigo’s “great relationship with her audience” and revealed his wedding plans during an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

  • READ MORE: David Byrne: “I have a little bit of hope. Not every day, but some days”

Last night (September 3), the former Talking Heads frontman spoke to show host Fallon about his surprise addition at Rodrigo’s Governors Ball performance, which saw the two take on ‘Burning Down The House’ at her headline set back in June.

He and Rodrigo appeared to coordinate outfits, with Rodrigo sporting an all-red set while Byrne wore a white T-shirt underneath red overalls, with Byrne telling Fallon: “She sent me a picture of her outfit and I said, ‘Oh yeah, I can match that.”

They each traded lines of the song, with the pop singer attempting his trademark jaunty moves by bending her knees and running in place. He said he first crossed paths with Rodrigo on her ‘Guts’ world tour before explaining that their dance moves on stage were his idea.

“I saw her show here at Madison Square Garden and met her. I’m a fan,” Byrne said. “And she stayed in touch.”

 

“She said, ‘Hey, wanna join me?’” he added. “I did say, ‘Hey, if you’re in town for a couple days, maybe we can work out a little choreo.’ I had to pinch myself and go, ‘Yeah, I’m really doing this.’”

Continuing to praise the former NME cover star, Bryne said she had cultivated a “great relationship” with her audience. “Not only do they know the songs,” he said, “they mean something to them.”

His appearance on The Tonight Show came ahead of a banner week for Byrne, who today (September 5) release dhis first new solo album in seven years, ‘Who Is The Sky?’. To celebrate the release, Byrne will embark on a worldwide tour, kicking off dates in the US in September, before calling at the UK in March 2026. Any remaining US tickets can be purchased here, and UK tickets here.

Before setting off on those dates, Byrne is getting married to Mala Gaonkar this week, something he revealed on a post on his Instagram Stories, telling Fallon: “Yes! I let the cat out of the bag”.

Accompanying the news was a 42-track playlist of instrumental numbers that will play at his wedding dinner. “I’m getting married this week and made an almost entirely instrumental playlist while our guests eat an amazing and spicy dinner,” Byrne told fans, sharing a link to an Apple Music playlist which you can check out here.

“My sense is that words and lyrics can be distracting – the ear goes to them, especially if it’s a song one knows. So, I opted for buoyant instrumentals that will create a hopeful and joyous atmosphere… and that folks can also ignore at the same time.”

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David Byrne Unveils New Album Who Is the Sky?: Stream
Music

David Byrne Unveils New Album Who Is the Sky?: Stream

by jummy84
written by jummy84

David Byrne has released his ninth studio album, Who Is the Sky? via Matador Records. Stream the album below.

Who Is the Sky? is Byrne’s first full-length effort since 2018’s highly regarded American Utopia. The new album was produced by Grammy winner Kid Harpoon, with all 12 songs arranged by members of New York-based chamber ensemble, Ghost Train Orchestra. The LP arrives with a slew of guest appearances from the likes of Paramore’s Hayley Williams, St. Vincent, The Smile and Sons of Kemet drummer Tom Skinner, and American Utopia percussionist Mauro Refosco.

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“At my age, at least for me, there’s a ‘don’t give a shit about what people think’ attitude that kicks in,” Byrne said about his new work in a press statement. “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.”

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Byrne will celebrate the new release with a multi-leg world tour, which kicks off later this month on September 14th in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. After covering North America, the show will head over to Australia, New Zealand, and Europe, wrapping up March 2026 with a two-night stand in Paris. The new shows will feature a band of 13 musicians, singers and dancers, including some members of the American Utopia band. Like that tour, everyone on stage will be fully mobile. See the complete itinerary below, and get tickets here.

The singer released a trio of singles leading up to the release of the new album: “Everybody Laughs,” “She Explains Things to Me,” and ““The Avant Garde.” Just last night, he previewed a fourth song, “What Is the Reason for It,” with a live band performance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. During the interview with Fallon, he revealed how an autocorrected text helped name his new album.

The world tour will cap an eventful year for the former Talking Heads frontman, which includes getting married to his partner, Mala Gaonka, the same week as the release of Who Is the Sky? Byrne marked the special occasion by sharing the mostly instrumental wedding playlist that spans 42 songs and two-and-a-half hours.

This summer saw Byrne join Olivia Rodrigo at the Governors Ball festival for a surprise performance of Talking Heads’ classic, “Burning Down the House,” complete with synchronized choreography.

In February of this year, he joined Robyn at SNL’s 50th anniversary concert to perform her song, “Dancing on My Own,” as well as Talking Heads’ 1983 single, “This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody).”

Who Is the Sky? Tracklist:
01. Everybody Laughs
02. When We Are Singing
03. My Apartment Is My Friend
04. A Door Called No
05. What Is the Reason for It?
06. I Met the Buddha at a Downtown Party
07. Don’t Be Like That
08. The Avant Garde
09. Moisturizing Thing
10. I’m an Outsider
11. She Explains Things to Me
12. The Truth

David Byrne 2025-2026 Tour Dates:
09/14 – Providence, RI @ Veterans Memorial Auditorium
09/16 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Benedum Center PAC
09/17 – Columbus, OH @ Mershon Auditorium
09/19 – Akron, OH @ Akron Civic Theatre
09/21 – Schenectady, NY @ Proctors
09/23 – Syracuse, NY @ Landmark Theatre
09/25 – Buffalo, NY @ Shea’s Buffalo Theatre
09/27 – Washington, DC @ The Anthem
09/28 – Washington, DC @ The Anthem
09/30 – New York, NY @ Radio City Music Hall
10/01 – New York, NY @ Radio City Music Hall
10/02 – Boston, MA @ Boch Center Wang Theatre
10/03 – Boston, MA @ Boch Center Wang Theatre
10/04 – Boston, MA @ Boch Center Wang Theatre
10/07 – Wallingford, CT @ Toyota Oakdale Theatre
10/08 – Portland, ME @ Merrill Auditorium at City Hall
10/10 – New York, NY @ Radio City Music Hall
10/11 – New York, NY @ Radio City Music Hall
10/14 – Richmond, VA @ Altria Theater
10/16 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Met Philadelphia presented by Highmark
10/17 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Met Philadelphia presented by Highmark
10/18 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Met Philadelphia presented by Highmark
10/21 – Toronto, ON, Canada @ Massey Hall
10/22 – Toronto, ON, Canada @ Massey Hall
10/23 – Toronto, ON, Canada @ Massey Hall
10/25 – Detroit, MI @ Fox Theatre
10/28 – Chicago, IL @ The Auditorium
10/29 – Chicago, IL @ The Auditorium
10/31 – Chicago, IL @ The Auditorium
11/01 – Chicago, IL @ The Auditorium
11/03 – Minneapolis, MN @ Orpheum Theatre
11/04 – Minneapolis, MN @ Orpheum Theatre
11/06 – Denver, CO @ Bellco Theatre
11/07 – Denver, CO @ Bellco Theatre
11/11 – Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theatre
11/12 – Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theatre
11/13 – Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theatre
11/16 – San Francisco, CA @ The Theater at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
11/17 – San Francisco, CA @ The Theater at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
11/18 – San Francisco, CA @ The Theater at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
11/20 – Los Angeles, CA @ Dolby Theatre
11/21 – Los Angeles, CA @ Dolby Theatre
11/25 – Austin, TX @ Bass Concert Hall
11/26 – Austin, TX @ Bass Concert Hall
11/28 – Dallas, TX @ Music Hall at Fair Park
11/29 – Dallas, TX @ Music Hall at Fair Park
12/02 – Atlanta, GA @ Fox Theatre
12/03 – Atlanta, GA @ Fox Theatre
12/05 – Miami, FL @ Fillmore Miami Beach At Jackie Gleason Theatre
12/06 – Miami, FL @ Fillmore Miami Beach At Jackie Gleason Theatre
01/14 – Auckland, NZ @ Spark Arena
01/17 – Brisbane, AU @ Brisbane Entertainment Center
01/21 – Sydney, AU @ ICC Sydney Theatre
01/22 – Melbourne, AU @ Sidney Myer Music Bowl
01/24 – Adelaide, AU @ Adelaide Entertainment Centre Arena
01/27 – Perth, AU @ RAC Arena
02/12 – Berlin, DE @ Tempodrom
02/15 – Amsterdam, NL @ AFAS Live
02/16 – Amsterdam, NL @ AFAS Live
02/18 – Brussels, BE @ Forest National
02/21 – Milan, IT @ Teatro degli Arcimboldi
02/22 – Milan, IT @ Teatro degli Arcimboldi
02/24 – Frankfurt, DE @ Jahrhunderthalle
02/26 – Esch-sur-Alzette, LU @ Rockhal Main Hall
02/27 – Zurich, CH @ The Hall
03/02 – Cardiff, UK @ Utilita Arena
03/03 – London, UK @ Eventim Apollo
03/04 – London, UK @ Eventim Apollo
03/06 – Glasgow, UK @ SEC Armadillo
03/07 – Glasgow, UK @ SEC Armadillo
03/09 – Manchester, UK @ O2 Apollo
03/10 – Manchester, UK @ O2 Apollo
03/13 – Dublin, IE @ 3Arena
03/15 – London, UK @ Eventim Apollo
03/16 – London, UK @ Eventim Apollo
03/18 – Paris, FR @ La Seine Musicale
03/19 – Paris, FR @ La Seine Musicale

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David Byrne Laughs at the Weirdness of Life on 'Who Is the Sky?'
Music

David Byrne Laughs at the Weirdness of Life on ‘Who Is the Sky?’

by jummy84
written by jummy84

By now, fans see David Byrne as more than a quirky dude in a beloved legacy rock act. He’s a plainspoken public intellectual; an advocate for civic improvement and multi-cultural cooperation; a neurodiverse poet of the modern condition; an artistic éminence grise with fingers on multiple cultural pulses. In some ways, as the multi-format American Utopia project showed, a sort of non-denominational minister, with a goofy sense of humor, who one might look to for guidance, hope, encouragement and words of wisdom when things get scary.

Well, things are pretty scary right now, and on his first album of original songs since before the pandemic, Byrne is … writing musical comedy. “I met the Buddha at a downtown party,” he announces on the bouncy song of the same name; “he was hangin’ by the pastries and the canapés/Just stuffing himself like there was no tomorrow/With a beatific smile all over his face.” When the singer expresses concern, the deity schools him: “‘I’ve had to retire from that enlightenment biz/I don’t have the answers, and I never did/They think I can help them, but I’m not that smart/ so here, have a piece of this blue blueberry tart!’”

In “The Avant Garde,” the art school student-turned-pop singer acts out an aesthetic crisis over an intermittently jerky groove, rhyming “I saw a woman in a leotard” with “I’m not sure how I feel ‘bout the avant garde,” and positing “it doesn’t mean shit” in the chorus. On “Moisturizing Thing,” over cheeky string arrangements, his sweetheart says: “‘Hey David, put this on your skin/It says it’s anti-aging, anti-oxidant too/ go ahead, try it/Let’s see what it can do.’” Lo and behold, it transforms the singer into an apparent toddler. “My honey wakes up, she looks over and screams,” he recounts; “that lotion is magic, I look like I’m three.”

The storytelling style isn’t off-brand for a polymath who’s been making stage musicals for two decades, longer if you count Eighties collaborations with Twyla Tharpe (The Catherine Wheel) and the late Robert Wilson (Music for “The Knee Plays”). There’s also evident connection here with Byrne’s recent interactive Theater of the Mind project, and a rap sheet of role-play songwriting that stretches back to “Psycho Killer” and “Life During Wartime.”    

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What made those songs work, and these, is the sound of Byrne’s mind cogitating inside them. Memoir seems to flicker through Who Is The Sky? — whose title, Byrne cops, comes from an AI voice transcription error of the phrase “who is this guy?” Worries over aging, about people sweating you for your creative choices, or hoping for words of wisdom to decode the world’s madness, seem like triggers Byrne might well have. And tbh, it’s refreshing, and hilarious, to hear Byrne sounding downright bitchy on “The Avant Garde,” since dude rarely dials things up past pointedly wry (not to mention having a CV full of his own mea culpas).  

There’s evident memoir, too, in the album’s love songs, considering Byrne’s imminent marriage to the writer/hedge-fund founder Mala Gaonkar, a fellow polymath (NB: his wedding dinner playlist is definitely worth a listen). On “What is the Reason For It?,” Byrne overthinks the phenomenon of love atop mariachi-brass abstracts with a charming assist from Paramore’s Hayley Williams, the latest of his 21st -century-pop sidekicks — see also Robyn, Olivia Rodrigo and St. Vincent’s Annie Clark, a veteran Byrne collaborator who turns up here on “Ev’rybody Laughs,” the LP’s lead single and default mission statement. “She Explains Things To Me” is another love song, of sorts. It’s the record’s most touching and vulnerable moment, an expression of gratitude, with faintly comic frustration, for someone who enlarges your perspective, mansplaining re-imagined as man-listening.

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Musically, Byrne taps into modern-ish pop strategies via Harry Styles producer Kid Harpoon. But being Byrne, he’s also enlisted the New York-based Ghost Train Orchestra, a chamber ensemble known for their interpretations of the late composer/street musician Moondog, and jazz-rock drummer Tom Skinner of Radiohead side-band, the Smile. If Byrne’s approach recalls that of Colors, Beck’s 2017 pop turn with Greg Kurstin, the touch here is lighter, with the multicultural rhythmic and melodic surprises that always brighten Byrne’s solo work. 

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The risk with humor in songs, of course, is that jokes wear thin. But laughing’s pleasurable and undeniably therapeutic; it may even be a pop music trend (ie: Laufey’s salty punchlines, laugh-advocate Laraaji’s contributions to the new Big Thief album). Either way, Who Is The Sky? is an compelling invitation, like the one Byrne offered on the Talking Heads signature “Road to Nowhere” — beautifully covered by Brazilian expat Rogê on a forthcoming Heads tribute LP, it should be noted — to join him on what’s looking like a long ride into who knows what, singing and laughing as needed. 

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David Byrne Performs New Song 'What Is The Reason for It?' on 'Fallon'
Music

David Byrne Performs New Song ‘What Is The Reason for It?’ on ‘Fallon’

by jummy84
written by jummy84

The new single features on Byrne’s upcoming album, Who Is the Sky?, arriving Friday

David Byrne swapped his big suit for an orange tracksuit on The Tonight Show during an intimate performance at Rough Trade NYC in Rockefeller Plaza.

In the episode aired on Wednesday, the former Talking Heads frontman performed his new single “What Is The Reason For It?” from his upcoming album, Who Is the Sky?. As Byrne sang the chorus, “What is the reason for it? Why is it there? Is it my body or my brain?,” he danced alongside his backup singers and band in matching jackets and pants.

The song is the fifth track on Who Is the Sky?, which is set for release on Friday, and features Paramore’s Hayley Williams. The Kid Harpoon-produced album follows 2018’s American Utopia, and also features contributions from St. Vincent (whom he collaborated with on 2012’s Love This Giant), the Smile’s Tom Skinner, and more.

In a previous statement, Byrne said that the record is “a chance to be the mythical creature we all harbor inside. A chance to step into another reality. A chance to transcend and escape from the prison of our ‘selves.’”

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When speaking to late-night host Jimmy Fallon on Wednesday, Byrne said that although he cautioned Kid Harpoon (who has worked with Harry Styles, Miley Cyrus, and Maggie Rogers) that his songs were a “little bit left field” compared to music from his previous collaborators, the producer embraced Byrne’s new project.

Just a few weeks after revealing that he is engaged to Mala Gaonkar, Byrne announced that along with his album release, he would also be tying the knot this week, and shared a playlist of instrumental songs that will play at his wedding dinner. The playlist includes 42 songs, and a focus on Latin music, including songs such as “Pa Japón” by El Alfa, “Perfidia” by Café Tacvba, and “Luz de Luna” by marimba-punk group Son Rompe Pera.

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