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 on my relationship with my parents.” Noting that “one in particular” is “just about watching my mom grow older. Like I said, she's perpetually 21 to me, just watching her age… it’s like this cognitive dissonance, like your brain can't compute.” “In the song, I talk about when I was a kid listening, hearing my dad, like make a snide remark about her or like, you know, me and my dad kind of ganging up on my mom. I wanted his approval so much and I did it at the cost of like kind of ganging up on her. And I say in the song, that alliance didn't save me from her fate. Like, aligning with my dad didn't stop my life from turning out almost exactly like hers. I became a single mom, and I look back on that and I go ‘wow, I should have had more compassion for her,’ and I say in the record, ‘I hope my son realizes it before it's too late,' like I did.” Sharing about what her mom’s reaction was to hearing the track, Halsey said, “my mom cried like a baby.” Before delving into the specifics of how she played the song for her mom at “the worst time,” after she had stayed up all night taking care of her after getting sick in the studio and going to the hospital. “It was just like this crazy moment where I looked at her and I was like, I'm a mom too. We are more the same right now at this moment in life than we ever have been,” she said of the emotional moment. With the Badlands anniversary coming up next year, this year Halsey gets to celebrate 10 years of her OG EP, Room 93. A project she looks at with nothing but love, “I love Room 93,” Halsey expressed, “I loved it so much that I took half the songs and put them on the debut, you know, ‘Hurricane,’ ‘Ghost,’ like I still play ‘Is There Somewhere’ live a lot of the time, it's definitely a fan favorite.” “You know, it's funny, I love Room 93 so much. I actually reference it in a way… there’s a single on this album called ‘EGO,’ and in the song I say ‘I want to go back to the beginning when it all felt right / a rooftop lower East side I'm singing.’” Sharing how “that story is real,” Halsey continued, “it's about a time where I was at a friend's apartment… on Orchard Street, this little apartment above Hair of the Dog, like on the roof. And I have these demos from my EP on my iPhone and I'm playing them at the table for all my friends… and they're all like, this is sick. And all that mattered to me in that moment was making music that like my friends and my peers and the people I spent every day with would like and would think was cool music.” “Then obviously comes all these expectations and this pressure and everything about the way I make music changes,” she added. “But Room 93 is kind of like the perfect moment where I was just making something because I felt like it. So I just love it for that.” Halsey also went on to discuss the eclectic theme of The Great Impersonator, which she describes “as a confessional concept album” that sees the musician explore herself and her musical identity through the lens of different time periods, as if she were an artist during the 70s, 80s, 90s, and 00s. She shared which of those decades happens to be her favorite, listing off artists of that era she loves and draws inspiration from, and more. To catch it all, check out Halsey’s entire Check In above. Words by Maia Kedem Interview by Mike Adam

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.” So if Khalid was to come out with a full project, or even an EP with a rapper, Mike wanted to know who the self-proclaimed “Pop star” thinks he’d pair well with, and create the project with. “Oh, I don't know, actually… I'm more of a vibe person. I feel like it's about just sitting in the room with you, getting to know who you are, connecting with you on a deeper level,” Khalid said at first, before coming to the realization that if he were to “choose any rapper to do a collaboration project with, I'm definitely going with 6LACK.” “I mean, we've already done songs together so we have chemistry," he continued. “I would probably do something with J. Cole as well. I've met him and he was super kind to me… I feel like kindness is key, if you can have a conversation and you can meet someone and you can connect with them, then the sky's the limit.” Khalid also went on to reflect on the polished engineering of today’s music, as opposed to the more raw and less refined vocals from musicians of the past, such as Al Green or Marvin Gaye. “I feel like nostalgia is one of the biggest drugs known to man. We have to just understand that times are different and auto-tune can also be a talent. The way that people can utilize these programs on their computers, that has to be respected for something. But it doesn't mean that there's not classically trained musicians that are thriving and are killing it in the game. But I like to see the beauty in both sides of the spectrum.” Khalid also went on to reveal what track almost didn’t make it on the album, talk about his love for writing music, his music writing process, and more. To catch it all, check out the entire interview above. Words by Maia Kedem Interview by Mike Adam

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.” Part of that next step obviously includes her tour, which will of course get a heavy does of The Secret of Us tracklist added to the setlist. “Honestly it's been great just because I get to put all of that into the tour,” Gracie expressed. “But it does feel like I have just enough time where it's been out, that there's like some perspective of it, where I feel like I'm in a even slightly different place than when I wrote all the songs. Which is just, I'm always surprised by how quickly that feeling comes up, even though it consistently does happen every single time, I think it's just like songs are such a moment in time really.” “It's funny how quickly life can change,” she continued. "Mostly I just am so thrilled about the opportunity to share in the kind of love that I have for the album with the people that are kind enough to come out to the shows.” Gracie also chatted about her music videos, which despite being the daughter of JJ Abrams, she credited to coming from more of a creative or experimental self-expression. Among the many facets of being a musician, which include vocals, performance, production, and so on, Gracie see’s herself, first and foremost as a songwriter. When asked if there’s a particular lyric that she loves or wishes she wrote, Gracie had the answer right away. “I mean, like all of Adrianne Lenker’s music. I feel like everything that she's made I just, it feels like my ribs are breaking and my heart is split open. Just the most beautiful words every single time. So I'd say her entire discography.” As for any of her tracks that with time past, she feels she would now rewrite or change, Gracie admitted “Yeah, of course,” however she’s “accepted that those songs just have to exist as they are.” That being said, Gracie note that with live shows “you get to mess around with old songs and rearrange them. We've done that with some stuff this upcoming show. Just reimagining songs that I kind of have gotten a little bit tired of that I put out years ago. But if I take it and like restructure melodies and stuff, I have new love for lots of old songs now.” Gracie went on to talk about her relationship with her fans, social media, what’s currently on her playlist, and her “pressure free” desire to close out the summer with writing “one more song that I really love that I can mark as the end of this season.” To catch the entire conversation, check out Gracie’s Check In above. Words by Maia Kedem Interview by Bru

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 Lovato, Bebe Rexha,” for the song, that ultimately went on to feature Maren Morris. Referencing Zedd’s earlier comment, Mike inquired if it’s a regular occurrence for the producer to “have people record these demos… where you're shopping around a song?” “Sometimes I bring a song to 80% and the only missing link is the final vocal and I just have a demo,” Zedd expressed. “And then it can get tricky and either nobody wants to sing it or everybody wants to sing it. Like in the case of ‘The Middle,’ where everybody wanted to be a part of it. But I didn't feel like anybody had everything that I wanted.” When it comes to his forthcoming album Telos, Zedd revealed, that it “has much more been a case of me getting in the room with the singers and just working through it and figuring things out and doing it together.” Later on adding, “But yeah, it depends, sometimes I do shop for singers and the only way to do it properly is for everybody to record a little bit of a demo.” “Sometimes that turns into like a full blown production and sometimes it turns into people being disappointed because they don't end up on the song and they spend time recording it. That happens unfortunately.” However, just because that particular song and artist combo didn’t work out, Zedd noted its not a hopeless cause. “The real ones, I still work with them, the ones that know that it might not be the one but another song.” Revealing that was actually the case on Telos, “I actually got to work with the people that I for so long wanted to work with,” Zedd said. Before concluding the conversation, being that they were in the Hard Rock Artist Lounge, and the Hard Rock is known for its unique collection of items. Mike inquired what Zedd’s contribution would be. We can guarantee its not what you’d think. To find out and catch more of the convo, listen to the entire interview above. Words by Maia Kedem Interview by Mike Adam

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 I've kind of checked that bucket list off for me. And there's a couple of records that I have in my mind that I still want to make, and I'll just go along that process if I get the opportunity to… This is a part of my purpose,” she went on to note, “this is a part of my vision for myself.” Katy went on to talk about the calculated risk she took jumping 15-20 feet out of a helicopter in her “Woman’s World” music video. A risk, she revealed, her beau Orlando Bloom, wasn’t too keen on. She also gabbed about her love and appreciation for lint rollers, and shared a special message to her fans listening, saying, “I just want to tell them I love them. I’m so excited to see them around the world. If you wanna have a fun dance party or if you want your spirits lifted, I think 143 will do the trick.” Before closing out the convo, since she’ll no longer be guiding aspiring singers on American Idol, Bru asked Katy to offer up “advice to anyone” that wants to make it on the singing competition or just make it in music. To hear what she had to say and more, listen to Katy’s entire Check In above. Words by Maia Kedem Interview by Bru

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 could go in terms of how humans work. If you think about the fact that the first gay people that were really accepted was in music, the first place where racial diversity became totally normal was in music. Maybe [with] this sort of, ‘no genres,’ there's no us and them in music… and I feel that's such a healthy place for us all to head towards.” “What's so beautiful about the Olympics,” Chris believes, “is that it's a healthy amount of ‘us and them,’ but it's not really a serious ‘us and them,’ it's enough to make the whole thing interesting. But ultimately, it's one massive collaboration between people who are supposed to hate each other, right? And a big concert is like that too. A big concert these days is one of the only peaceful places in the world where thousands of people just hang out together without caring who's what. And that's what the Olympics does, and I think that's why we all love watching these things -- because it shows, ‘Oh, this is no problem here.’” “One thing that's important to remember in sport is, you need the opposition,” he adds. “You can't have the game without them, so you can't hate them too much… and if they're not good, then it won't be fun to watch. So, in a way, your enemy is your friend and I think that's important.” Don’t miss Bru’s full Audacy Check In with Chris Martin above for his thoughts on performing at Las Vegas' Sphere and more -- and stay tuned for more conversations with your favorite artists on Audacy.com/Live. Words by Joe Cingrana Interview by Bru

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 and Melle Mel. “When I heard ‘The Message’ I just was infatuated,” she says, “I think I wrote down all the words, I knew all the lyrics. He vividly painted a picture of The Bronx. I had not been there yet, so from both of them being able to really tell those stories, with so much detail -- they definitely influenced and inspired me.” Revealing what led her to make a return with new music in 2024 Lyte says, “I didn't even know that the love for Hip-Hop was still embedded in me the way that it is, and it was sparked. Because of that, I got into a real zone about what I wanted to say, how I wanted to say it, what I wanted to say it on, who I wanted to say it with." "It just became laser-focused and it hadn't been that way for a while because, life, you know? I'm trying to do this and that and that and broaden in the business -- so it is easy to take your eyes off of something that means so much to you when you have all of these other things going, as well as distractions," she admits. "Once I was able to sit down and get it going, I just was really excited.” Don't miss our full Check In with MC Lyte above and stay tuned for more conversations with your favorite stars and artists right here on Audacy. Words by Joe Cingrana Interview by DJ Scratch

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've ever had, ever. And he would name-check famous authors. In the hubris of the moment, I decided to set up an autograph signing at the mall that I used to hang out in Bloomingdale, Illinois when I was a kid… There was a Borders or something. It was the worst-attended book signing of the entire country… This signing I think lasted 15 minutes. There was like 30 people there. Like, nobody cared. It was crazy to me, and even to this point -- I'm just trying to be funny -- I've never been invited back to my high school that I graduated with honors. I was an honors student, never been invited back to my high school ever for anything. Not a charity function, not a 'come talk to the music class about your experiences that shows you the world that I grew up in this pernicious, bitter world.' So, when I did try to go home again at different times in the ‘90s and the 2000s, it was like getting slapped in the face with a fish or something. It was like, ‘Hey kid, this part of your life is over. There's no making peace with this.’" “People also feel safer staying in the nostalgia of their lives,” Billy says. “ For some reason, people just feel safer there. Sure, I get it. I respect it, you know what I mean? I'm not here to tell you you should think differently. I wish it was different, but I'm not here to tell you you're wrong.” As an artist, he believes, “You just move on into other pastures, good and bad. You take your lumps as you go.” Bob Dylan, he says, talks about in his book ‘Chronicles.’ “He would make these records and people would try to convince him to be ‘66 Bob Dylan again,” he says, “and he would try to give ‘em Bob Dylan ’66, and he's like, ‘It's just not that simple… I'm not that guy anymore.’ It's just different. The clothes are different. The hair is different, or the hair is gone, whatever. But I became fixated on the idea, ‘I know I can't go home again. I know for sure I can't go home again.’ But what if you tried, what would be the results? What would that movie look like? Is it one of those sad Michael Moore documentaries… where the water's all bad and people are dying? Or what does that feel like? Is it a sad thing? Is it a happy thing? Is there something kind of beautiful about trying but failing? That was the spirit that we made the record under.” Don't miss Nicole Alvarez's full Check In with Billy Corgan above as he takes us through some of the band’s new tracks -- and stay tuned for even more conversations with your favorite artists right here on Audacy. The Pumpkins are busy on the road celebrating with Green Day, Rancid, and The Linda Lindas on the SAVIORS global stadium tour, with even more headlining dates added in the U.S. and Canada through the end of September -- and newly added South American dates in November.  Words by Joe Cingrana Interview by Nicole Alvarez

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 homegirls. We were drinking champagne, we were riding jet skis, we were ordering food to the boat, the food was being delivered to us. It was like a crazy experience, and I was like, this is a rich-tivity, a rich activity, and that's what inspired that song.” “So when it comes to a topic based song that's like flexin’, poppin’ s***, the undertone and the underlying message is if you work hard, this is what you reap… you reap the rewards of working hard. So I think it's a song to either celebrate your wins or it's a song to listen to when you're trying to reach certain goals.” As for “NANi,” Saweetie revealed, “it wasn't ‘NANi’ at first, it was a different word, it was body. I wanted to change it because I wanted a different word and we were trying to figure out the word.” After some deliberation she settled on Nana or Nani. “You know how Foxy Brown would talk about that Nana, and I love the way she was able to apply different meanings to it. So I was like, let's take that and apply it to this song, but let's use Nani and not Nana. So Nani is kind of like a derivative from Foxy Brown's brand, so shout out to Foxy Brown.” Saweetie also talked about how her mom’s love of music of all genre types has led to her love of experimenting with music. “I don't really put out the records where I'm experimenting with different genres, however I have, and I would say my love for other types of music comes from my mom.” Going on to share that her favorite studio session was with Dijit Dosanjh, when they worked together on “Khutti.” Saweetie also touched on her decision to cut her hair, but not before having a little fun first. “I had decided I was going to cut my hair when I dyed my hair blonde… I didn't want to cut a whole bunch of healthy hair. so I dyed my hair blonde, auburn red.” Delving into the deeper meaning behind the chop, Saweetie revealed, “during that time I had discovered meditation. and through meditation there was a lot of self-discovery that I had learned about myself. And when I was doing my research on certain things… an article explained how hair holds on to memory and energy of the past. So it was like, I feel like I'm becoming a new woman, I want a fresh start, top of next year I'm going to cut off all my hair, I’m about to drop my album, It’s going to be my look for the roll out. I feel like it just made sense for every part of my life.” And while she admittedly felt “naked” and "exposed,” she also felt “extremely liberated.” Revealing, “I think that it actually jumpstarted the work, the self-work that was to come for the next two years. I feel like I'm finally coming out of that journey of self-discovery and me shaving my head kind of like really pushed me to do that.” “It definitely… cleansed my energy. But it also, like I thought it was going to solve all my problems. I thought I was going to start fresh.” But instead, “it really made me have to reevaluate almost every aspect and part of my life.” For all that and more, check out Saweetie’s entire Check In above. Words by Maia Kedem Interview by Jen

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 new album’s release date, where he tends to find his creative space, and plenty more. To hear it all, check out the entire interview above.  G-Eazy U.S. Tour Dates:Oct 24, 2024 / The Greek Theatre at UC Berkeley / Berkeley, CAOct 25, 2024 / Shrine Expo Hall / Los Angeles, CAOct 26, 2024 / Soma / San Diego, CAOct 28, 2024 / The Van Buren / Phoenix, AZOct 30, 2024 / Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater / Austin, TXNov 1, 2024 / South Side Ballroom / Dallas, TXNov 2, 2024 / 713 Music Hall / Houston, TXNov 4, 2024 / Avondale Brewing Company / Birmingham, ALNov 7, 2024 / Jannus Live / St. Petersburg, FLNov 8, 2024 / The Eastern / Atlanta, GANov 9, 2024 / The Ritz / Raleigh, NCNov 12, 2024 / Echostage / Washington, DCNov 14, 2024 / Roadrunner / Boston, MANov 15, 2024 / Brooklyn Paramount / New York, NYNov 16, 2024 / Franklin Music Hall / Philadelphia, PANov 19, 2024 / Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom / Chicago, ILNov 20, 2024 / The Fillmore Minneapolis / Minneapolis, MNNov 22, 2024 / The Mission Ballroom / Denver, CONov 23, 2024 / Rockwell at The Complex / Salt Lake City, UTNov 24, 2024 / Revolution Concert House / Boise, IDNov 26, 2024 / Showbox SoDo / Seattle, WANov 27, 2024 / Showbox SoDo / Seattle, WA Words by Maia Kedem Interview by Bru

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 song with his oldest daughter, and how fatherhood has changed him, including if his kids recognize that their dad is famous. Bryson additionally opened up about being “super honest” about mental health, feeling “confident and unstoppable,” and making music for fans while evolving at the same time. To hear Bryson’s entire conversation, press play on the interview above. Words by Maia Kedem Interview by Jen From BK

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 childhood experience. “I don't think I was actually in danger -- I was in the ocean and I did have to get saved by lifeguards, but it’s all good. I wasn't going to die. Definitely, water is a scary thing for me.” “It's not even like I have to suffer for the art,” Eilish says. “It's just that the art has to be exactly right, and if it requires suffering, then all the better is kind of the idea. I don't know, it makes me feel real and worth it.” With the album now officially on shelves, FINNEAS admits it has been difficult to tune out the comments around the release after a few years away. “Number one, I don't go looking for it, you know, I'm not searching new album reviews,” he explains. “It's very meaningful to see somebody talk about the things I love about the record.” On the contrary, “If it's clear on TikTok or wherever that somebody's about to say a bunch of backhanded stuff, I just scroll… that's their opinion, which is fine.” As the duo gets set to hit the road on a world tour to celebrate the new album, fans can only speculate about any guest appearances at this point. “I only started doing it recently,” Billie says of jumping on stage with her friends. “I've never really done it before and I did these couple shows in December 2022 where I brought out a bunch of people for these hometown L.A. shows that I did. I've never done anything like that before and it was the coolest thing in the world. People that I love so much and I always admired and idolized, and they're on my stage, you know, in front of my fans with me, and it's my show -- that is insane.” “Honestly, it's embarrassing,” she adds. “Like every time I brought someone out -- it's like someone really cool being in your bedroom and you're like, ‘Get out of here.’ But it's the coolest thing.” Don’t miss our full Auday Check In with Billie Eilish and FINNEAS above, and stay tuned for more conversations with your favorite artists on Audacy.com/Live. Words by Joe Cingrana Interview by Klein.Ally.Show

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 that's made it in,” he says of the many fan theories that have evolved. “If anything, they brought a lot of clarity to who these characters were and what their motivations were.” In celebration of the new release, Twenty One Pilots’ has plans to hit the road on The Clancy World Tour this summer, set to kick off in Denver, CO on August 15 and make stops across the U.S. and Canada before heading overseas to Australia, New Zealand, Europe, and finally ending with two nights at London’s O2 arena in May of 2025.  “We've always talked about, when we write songs, it's hard not to imagine what it's gonna feel like to perform the songs live,” Tyler explains. “In a way, a lot of times the decision-making when you're writing the song can be impacted and influenced by the fact that it will happen live. So, I think I'm just really excited to play some of the new songs.” “I've been to shows where an artist has a new project or a new album,” he says, “where I've felt a little disappointed in the show because the artist put so much emphasis on the new stuff that it almost felt like they were turning their back on some of the old stuff. We want to balance out what is kind of a delicate thing, which is the setlist: ‘How much of the new stuff do you put in? How much of the old stuff do you keep in?’ I was doing the math the other day, we've got over 90 songs that we've released. So to pick a set list out of there -- it's getting harder and harder each round. I guess it's hard for me not to just get excited about the new stuff, so I have to kind of remind myself that you got to balance it out.” While breaking down some of the album’s lyrics, Joseph acknowledged, “We're so lucky to be here having done this for, you know, 12-plus years now and a lot has changed since we started doing it. We've personally changed… maybe live music is the thing that's changed the least. But the way that people listen to music has changed, the way that people share music has changed, what people are writing about in music has changed a lot. When I first started writing music, I didn't think anyone would hear it, so there was a honesty just naturally there that is hard to recreate, because now I know that if we write a song, people are going to hear it. Because people resonated with it early on, the honesty, I realized that honesty was really important.” “So, we started writing songs honestly, hopefully that's at least how they were perceived and accepted. I do think that we now live in a time of music where culturally it's way more common, in a good way, for people to be writing about mental health and about their own personal struggles and what they're going through. That seems to be a part of our overall musical culture more than it was when we first started doing it,” he adds. “Because of that, I feel less inclined to articulate what a song is specifically because I think we all know, we're all familiar with the terminology of depression, and what it could mean, and how it could impact someone we know. As a culture, we're more aware of diagnosing it personally, or with someone we know. I feel comfort in that knowing that we're now in a culture that feels way more accepting of that conversation.” Words by Joe Cingrana Interview by Brad Steiner

New Kids On The Block is celebrating the release of their first new album in 11 years, Still Kids, and they stopped by the Hard Rock Hotel New York for an Audacy Check In with Foxx & Annie to chat all about it. Released May 17, Still Kids, features 14 new tracks including everything from pop anthems and dance tracks to love songs and grooves that have all become fast favorites for their Blockheads fan club. “We’re excited it’s finally out, people can listen to it and we can share the experience,” shared the band’s Joey McIntyre. “It’s something we’re proud of. It’s a good mix of back in the day, but talking about things that are going on in our lives now.” With a little bit of old and a little bit of new, what makes the guys most proud is the cohesiveness of the project allowing fans to reminisce on the days of listening to an album from top to bottom — no skips. “I think what we’re most excited about… is we think we made an album you can listen to like we did in the old days,” said Donnie Wahlberg. “Nowadays you go on iTunes and you skip around, but when we were young, we put in a CD [or] an 8-Track of an album and listened to everything.” He continued, “I remember listening to [Michael Jackson’s] Thriller from front to back — I didn’t skip a song. We wanted to make an album where you don’t skip a song and I think we accomplished that... Every song means something, there’s no filler, there’s nothing that’s just there to take up space and after 11 years, the fans deserve that.” To celebrate their new music further, the guys have revealed plans for a brand new tour, The Magic Summer 2024 Tour. Kicking off June 14, the trek will visit more than 40 cities and feature members Jonathan and Jordan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg and Danny Wood.  While bringing fans some of their greatest hits from the past, the guys also look forward to sharing their new music that has already proven to be a hit with fans everywhere. “The album is authentic,” said Wahlberg. “It’s still New Kids, it still sounds like New Kids, feels like New Kids — it has the feels — but is very genuine from all of us and is a very genuine love letter or ode to the fans, but also real stuff that we’re talking about, real experiences related to the journey of the band, some related to personal life stuff that, because it’s authentic, the fans are relating to it in a tremendous way.” Hear about the new music, the album-making process, what they’ve been up to the past 11 years and so much more by checking out Audacy’s Check In with New Kids On The Block, above. Words by Monica Rivera Interview by Foxx & Annie

As Train gets set to hit the road on their 2024 Summer Road Trip, lead singer Pat Monahan checked in with Audacy’s Mike Adam at the Hard Rock Hotel New York to talk music, the magic of albums, Taylor Swift covering his songs, and more. Before getting into the music, Mike had a question for Monahan. First, noting that while he was looking over “the bullets and the stuff they send me over before we do the interview,” one of the notes included a list of all of Train’s “timeless classics” listing all of their hits. “I was thinking about that," Mike expressed, asking Pat — “Do you think that's a thing that's no longer obtainable for new artists now, a timeless classic, because of you know, our deteriorating attention span?” Noting that “it's a good question,” Pat admitted, “I don't know the answer to it.” Adding, “I do know that we just came back from the UK and Europe,” and referring to the crowds they performed for, he said, “they are still a very album oriented group of people collectively. So we can play, you know, deep cuts from albums as long as the albums did well in those places, they will know every single song.” “And today's world is so quick, you can't even get a song, an entire song out. You have 30 seconds to get people hooked on whatever it is. And then possibly you'll inspire people to listen to the entire song," Monahan added. “So, an album is gonna be, that'll be a difficult thing for younger artists to do. But hopefully they can do it because we need to keep inspiring kids to want to do this.” Continuing to discuss the “magic” of listening to an entire album and discovering songs in that way, Pat mentioned that “if you really research, you know, old music or older music or classic music, sometimes it's the sixth song that was the biggest song, you know, not number one. So… it will be interesting to see where the whole world takes us. But it's gonna be up to young artists to demand that they make albums and have them heard.” Moving on to discuss Train’s latest single, “Long Yellow Dress,” Mike shared that he was scrolling through the lyric video comments on YouTube, sharing one he found particularly interesting that pointed out the drums on the track were giving The Beatles vibes. “Oh cool, I’ll listen differently,” Pat replied. Going on to praise his drummer, Matt Musty, calling him “a really gifted kid.” Revealing how the song came together, Pat said, “You know, we are always writing, like we have a musical that we're three years into writing and, you know, we'll just get together three days a week over Zoom and knock things out… But I hummed a melody into a Dictaphone or an iPhone and sent them my humming and then it turned into ‘Long Yellow Dress.’” Also discussing Train’s iconic album Save Me, San Francisco, featuring their global smash “Hey, Soul Sister,” which is commemorating its 15th anniversary in October, Pat shared his thoughts about things he loves, or would change about the album. Before chatting about joining forces with REO Speedwagon on their 45-city co-headlining Summer Road Trip Tour, which according to Pat, will definitely feature Save Me, San Francisco songs on the setlist. When it comes to music, Pat shared that aside from obviously needing to perform past songs at shows, he doesn’t really like looking back, and rather focus on going forward. That being said, Pat did look to the past when making the Led Zeppelin cover album. Talking about that experience, he said, “we wanted to record Led Zeppelin II, and the reason that I wanted to do it is because I think my band is incredible. It's not the band I started with. And so I wanted people to see how gifted they are.” As for which Train cover Pat considers his personal favorite, Monahan shared. “Well, you know, Taylor Swift back when she was much younger. She was on the Red Tour I think, and would play both, 'Hey, Soul Sister' and 'Drops of Jupiter.' That was a pretty cool thing for me, I think. You know, that was before she was who she is now, but she was still pretty massive.” For all that and more, listen to the entire interview above. Words by Maia Kedem Interview by Mike Adam

After dabbling in the music biz for many years, Kate Hudson is finally releasing her very own album, Glorious, officially out now, and she checked in with Audacy’s Mike Adam at the Hard Rock Hotel New York to chat all about it, and a whole lot more. Opening up the conversation with the album opener “Gonna Find Out,” that Mike noted gave him “old school Sheryl Crow vibes," which Kate was totally flattered by, noting “I love her so much.” “I was going to write with Linda Perry and Danny (Fujikawa) my fiancé, it was like just starting from a blank slate. I really wanted to approach it completely without any concept in mind.” She continued, “I remember… it came from me wanting to do something kind of swampy. It didn't end up being so swampy, but… I wanted like a swampy kind of blues and then of course, then you start writing and things kind of come out of that.” Because of this, “every day would be different,” which inevitably helped steer the album to its eclectic sound. Which is “important to me,” Kate expressed "because I don’t know if I really want to fit into a genre.” “I just love music so much, and since I'm writing it, and it's the first time I'm making an album, I wanted it to feel totally honest from where I'm at right now. And that's what came out.” In fact, Kate made sure this album was such a thorough representation of self, the 12-track project has zero features. With that being said, while it wasn’t right for this particular album, Kate did hint she has a few names in mind for possible future collaborations. “I would love to [do features,] but I think for this, it was simple. I didn't want it to feel like that I was doing that because I wanted the exposure… I already have some people that I'm like, ‘Will you do a song with me?,’” though she refused to name-drop. Why? “Because there’s one girl in particular who wants to do something, and it makes me really excited. I can't tell you because then I'll jinx it and it won't happen or something,” Kate said. Back to discussing the no feature decision she made for her debut album, Kate said, “I just wanted it to feel like old school and pure and intimate. I didn't want a lot of writers, even though, I love writing with people. I wanted it to just feel like it was a small little group of us putting this album out. So, it was just me, Linda, Danny, and Johan Carlsson producing.” While writing the album, Kate admitted she had no idea “Glorious” would end up being the title track, though, “it always sat with me as one of my top options.” "That song in particular, Linda and I wrote… on piano… in like 10 minutes," Hudson revealed. "It was such a big chorus and we kinda looked at each other when we were done, kinda like ’That was intense. Where did that come from?’” “When I was just riffing with the melody, that word ‘glorious’ just kept coming to me, so I wrote the song around that word.” said Kate. “Then as the album started to find its way and figure out what songs were gonna end up on the album it really came down to that word. It just embodies everything and the experience has been for me and how I feel about music. It's like, if someone was to say like, what's the most earnest word to describe music? It would be glorious.” Kate went on to open up about how the fear of sharing her own work has held this project back so long, and how yet, she still has no set expectations for the album. Hudson also talked about a possible tour, more albums and acting roles she wants to try, like “a real action movie or comedy action movie” as well as “a traditional musical.” To catch it all and more, listen to the entire interview about. Words by Maia Kedem Interview by Mike Adam

Sad girl songstress of the moment, Gracie Abrams checked in with Audacy’s Mike Adam at the Hard Rock Hotel New York to talk all about her highly anticipated sophomore album, The Secret of Us (out June 21), her latest single “Risk” (out now), her writing process, and more. Gracie started off by spilling some deets about walking the Met Gala red carpet with Chanel, hanging with Troye Sivan and Charli XCX inside the event, and sharing how “rad” it was getting to witness Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo perform. Abrams then delved into her own “rad music,” discussing her new single “Risk,” which Mike described as “the perfect Pop song,” and also talked about it’s “terrifying” music video. Going on to discuss what it is about songwriting that allows her to open up about things she wouldn’t even divulge to a best friend in a private conversation, Gracie shared, “writing has always been my outlet and it’s always been my instinct when I’ve had feelings that I don’t wanna talk to people about, to just put it down on paper.” “I think the more experience I have, and the more my personal relationships have deepened and developed… I’ve gotten better at intimacy with people and vulnerability.” Noting that she believes “this album was a pretty significant turning point, just of tangible proof of my, just like, personal evolution, which I’m relieved about. I’m actually happy to talk about tricky experiences or tougher feelings with people. It’s at least for right now, the most effective way to work through things, cause I’m lucky to know some really wise people who I have a lot to learn from. So this album kind of came from real friendship and safe environments to really talk about everything.” Answering whether she’s a lyrics first, or beat first type of artist, Gracie revealed, “Typically lyrics first,” however recently, “they kind of happen at the same time for me. I feel like melody, I’ve had a lot of fun writing more whatever would be considered Pop, with more tempo. I’ve been looking for ear-worms and I feel like that’s been a really sweet thing to start with, and that’s newer for me, because I used to always start with lyrics. And now, I think the more that I’ve gotten into producing, the more I know how to use what I’m lucky enough to be surrounded by in the studio and that really helps inform melody.” As for if there were any lyrics she hesitated about including, Gracie admitted, there “totally” was, “but actually I felt like because I was writing with my best friend,” she felt the freedom to include any lines she might have not if otherwise. “The whole process with this album is really about being able to, not laugh at situations, but through them, and being able to really laugh at ourselves in the process,” Abrams continued. “Both Audrey and I love dramatic writing, and we do it outside the context of music as well, so there’s lots of characters in this album, there’s some exaggeration sometimes but, starting from seeds of truth. We know each other the best, and I wasn’t telling her and she wasn’t telling me, we can’t say that that’s nuts. It was more like we’re laughing… maybe someone else will think it’s funny, let’s include it.” For all that and more, check out  Gracie’s entire interview above. Words by Maia Kedem Interview by Mike Adam

Joining host Brad Steiner is Australian guitar-pop duo Royel Otis (Royel Maddell and Otis Pavlovic) for an Audacy Check In from the Hard Rock Hotel New York to discuss their current tour, new music, and plenty more. Currently on the road in support of their 2024 debut album Pratts & Pain, Royel Otis will be making stops in the U.S. until the end of May before heading overseas for the summer, and returning again to make their way across North America this fall. Amid their travels, the duo also decided to release a couple of bonus tracks from Pratts & Pain -- "Claw Foot" and "Merry Mary Marry Me" -- available for streaming now. A fan of the duo since the arrival of their 2023 single “Sofa King,” Brad admits he subsequently tried to tell everyone that he knew about them, but never could quite describe what they sounded like. “We stole the drumbeat from a Stone Roses song,” Royel admits. “It definitely has to have a little bit of that” -- and just like Stone Roses with their signature gang vocals, he and Otis both agree, "just us shouting.” Though Royel humbly says he places full faith in his writing partner, who he feels has a firmer grip on how to actually get things onto tape, Otis says their writing process is still similar to their early days of sending each other demos. “One of us will have an idea and then we just start working on it. It's the exact same,” he says as Royel adds with a stretch, “more sleep-deprived with them all.” Life has been a little bit more hectic for the duo these days, touring in support of their debut Pratts & Pain. “We just had a nice experience everywhere, and the crowds have been incredible It's really hard to differentiate all the shows,” Royel says of their time on the road.  The most memorable part, he admits, was visiting our neighbors up north. “We had to go through a border and s*** our pants while we were getting searched and stuff,” he laughs. “I don't know if it's the timing or anything, but the crowds have been louder and much more enthusiastic again,” he adds. Tickets for Royel Otis' 'Glory To Glory' North American tour are on sale now. Don't miss our full Audacy Check In with Royel Otis above, and stay tuned for even more conversations with your favorite artists on Audacy.com/live. Words by Joe Cingrana Interview by Brad Steiner

To celebrate the release of her highly anticipated third album, Radical Optimism, Dua Lipa checked in with Audacy’s Mike Adam at the Hard Rock Hotel in New York to talk about getting the album's cover shot, her Service95 platform, and more. Jumping right into the deep end (pun very much intended), Dua divulged some details about the tranquil yet dangerous album cover. “We shot all the images for the album on film, and so I was waiting a little while for them all to get developed to kind of see what was gonna come out,” Dua shared. “And I remember when I saw this picture,”  of herself wading in the ocean’s deep waters, just feet away from a shark, “it immediately said radical optimism to me.” “'Cause in my head, it's so much about moving gracefully through the chaos, you know, having that flare of optimism when things aren't going right. The idea that remaining calm and graceful while there's a shark nearby, like nothing screams radical optimism to me more than that. So that felt very fitting for the album cover to also encapsulate the meaning of the songs.” Praising her platform Service95, Mike noted that through it we get to see another side of Dua we don't necessarily see from the music. And further inquired how she plans on expanding on that as the years go on. “As it stand and something that I want to continue the newsletter and commissioning stories from all around the world,” Dua expressed. “I would love… to go deeper into production, whether that's film or TV. I just co-produced a documentary about Camden in London, which is going to come out at the end of May on Disney+.” Dua continued, “That was my first taste of getting into something like that, and I enjoyed the behind-the-scenes so much, so I’d like to do more of that.” Adding, “and I feel like Service95 really ties me to all of that.” "And my book club, it's the same,” Dua lastly mentioned, “maybe publishing in print, or something like that for other authors. We'll see, I have big dreams for it.” If you didn’t already know, those stories Dua shares on Service95 can be heard via podcast interviews, a part of Service95 that required Lipa to add interviewer to her resume. Talking about how she honed in and developed that skill, Dua said, “allowing yourself to be vulnerable in the moment and open makes you good at it.” “For me it was important that at no point did any of my guests feel like they were about to get called out or whatever. It's like asking them questions that really are of service. I guess maybe [it’s] a bit of a hidden talent, but it's hard work. Doing what you do, there's so much research and time that goes into it with every single guest. I respect it a lot. It's a real craft.” Opening up about how she approaches asking her guests questions, Dua shared, “I have my set questions, but I love going off piece, like naturally depending on where the conversation goes, whether it's leading into like transcendental meditation and how that helped somebody in their mental health journey or whatever it is. When those off pieced questions come along, that's when I know I'm really in it because it's a real conversation rather than just question and question-and-answer kind of thing.” When it comes to pre-interview jitters Dua admitted “I get nervous before all of them, because it’s so out of my comfort zone to interview someone, you know to be on the other side of the interview. So I get nervous every time and I wanna do a good job.” Adding, “It’s quite  interesting when somehow it ends up [with] me being interviewed or something. I remember doing a conversation with Esther Perel and she kept asking me questions back and I was like, ‘Whoa, this a new experience,’ which I enjoyed.” Moving on to discussing how Dua’s father has also become the singer’s manager, a role he took on in 2022. Lipa joked how it was “very kind” of him to “take me on as a client.” Sharing a bit about their dynamic with this added element to their relationship, Dua expressed, “we've had hangout time where we could just be boys basically and then we work time, and that was always there before he was my manager.” Adding, “he’d always be my soundboard and someone who I'd go to for advice. So now it's perfect 'cause we just get even more time together, but we make sure that not everything's about work.” As a proud Albanian, a part of Dua’s identity any real fan already knows, Dua talked about how representing for and doing right by the Albanian community comes as second nature. “It's something that comes easily to me," the singer expressed. "I lived in Kosovo, I go there every year, we do a festival, all those things are just such a big part of my life. It’s a community that gave me so much, but I don't see it as a pressure, it’s more just a very natural flow.” Radical Optimism is now available everywhere.  Words by Maia Kedem Interview by Mike Adam

Joining host Remy Maxwell today for a special Audacy Check in today are Tommy Lee and John 5 of Mötley Crüe to discuss "The World’s Most Notorious Rock Band" returning with the brand new single “Dogs Of War,” their upcoming tour dates, and much more. Mötley Crüe just rocked fans with their first new release since 2019, “Dogs of War,” ushering in a brand new era after recently signing to Big Machine Records and a return to form after 35 years with Dr. Feelgood producer Bob Rock at the helm. "Yeah, dude… Always f***ing pushing the envelope on how drums should be heard and felt. I love him so much,” Tommy says emphatically about working again with Bob. “He's always on the forefront of like hot, you know, ‘How do we get this to sound like it's thunderous, man?' And he does it with guitars. He does it with vocals. He does it with everything. He's a sonic beast.” “I use these aluminum sticks live because they're not impossible, but really hard to break,” Tommy explains. "But you can't use them in the studio. They don't record as well. So, I use wood and I'm just going through sticks. Just like wood choppers, just chips flying!” Guitarist John 5 is no stranger to working in the studio and on stage with absolute heavyweights in the scene, including David Lee Roth, Marilyn Manson, Judas Priest, and Rob Zombie -- on top of his prolific solo work over the past 30 years -- but never had a chance to work with Bob Rock until this point. “I was so excited to work with Bob. You know, of course, watching documentaries and all that stuff because I love studio documentaries... reading interviews,” he says. “So, It was a real pleasure to work with him for sure and I was beyond excited. I was, of course, the first to get there and last to leave.” With the exit of longtime guitarist Mick Mars, John 5 stepped in to fill the spot, which, according to Lee, “F***ing injected the Mötley with everything f***ing insanely wonderful… He can f***ing play anything. Like, play me a little bluegrass with some Chopin… Like, how does he know all this? How is this even possible? But you know what, at the end of the day, I'm gonna say this because you can be the best f***ing guitar player on the planet and be an a**hole. He is the sweetest man.” “I just treat people how I want to be treated and that's how I've always been since like middle school,” John says. “You know, these guys, it's the same. It's the same thing, we just treat each other how we want to be treated.” “Yeah, when is everyone gonna get that?” Tommy wonders. “F***!” Check out the brand new music video for "Dogs Of War" now streaming, and don't miss our full Audacy Check In with Mötley Crüe above. Plus, stay tuned for even more conversations with your favorite artists on Audacy.com/live. Words by Joe Cingrana Interview by Remy Maxwell