David Byrne has released a new single, ‘What Is the Reason for It?’ featuring Hayley Williams, taken from his forthcoming album ‘Who Is the Sky?’ via Matador Records.
Marked by the interplay between Byrne and Paramore’s Williams, the track considers love beyond logic. Speaking to People about the collaboration, Byrne said, “When we were finishing up the record, the producer Kid Harpoon and I were wondering, ‘Oh, maybe this song, it’s a love song, or at least it’s asking what is love, what it’s about? Why do we do this? Why do other people do it? Do we know anything about it? (…) And I knew that she was in town, so I just texted her and said, ‘Do you want to come by and sing on this?’ And she said yes. And she killed it.”
A video for ‘What Is the Reason for It?’ arrives from a collaboration between Byrne and artist Dustin Yellin, using AI techniques to animate more than 20 of Byrne’s original line drawings.
‘Who Is the Sky?’ is Byrne’s first album since 2018’s ‘American Utopia’, later adapted for Broadway and a Spike Lee-directed HBO film. Produced by Grammy winner Kid Harpoon, its 12 songs are arranged by New York chamber ensemble Ghost Train Orchestra, with guests including Hayley Williams, St. Vincent and The Smile drummer Tom Skinner. The album was first introduced by ‘Everybody Laughs’, accompanied by a video directed by Gabriel Barcia-Colombo.
“At my age, at least for me, there’s a ‘don’t give a shit about what people think’ attitude that kicks in,” Byrne says about the spirit behind ‘Who Is the Sky?’. “I can step outside my comfort zone with the knowledge that I kind of know who I am by now and sort of know what I’m doing. That said, every new set of songs, every song even, is a new adventure. There’s always a bit of, ‘how do I work this?’ I’ve found that not every collaboration works, but often when they do, it’s because I’m able to clearly impart what it is I’m trying to do. They hopefully get that, and as a result, we’re now joined together heading to the same unknown place.”
Byrne will take the record on a world tour from this month, including multiple nights at Radio City Music Hall in New York, the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, and The Auditorium in Chicago.
The dates read:
SEPTEMBER
14 Veterans Memorial Auditorium, Providence, USA
16 Benedum Center PAC, Pittsburgh, USA
17 Mershon Auditorium, Columbus, USA
19 Akron Civic Theatre, Akron, USA
21 Proctors, Schenectady, USA
23 Landmark Theatre, Syracuse, USA
25 Shea’s Buffalo Theatre, Buffalo, USA
27 The Anthem, Washington D.C., USA
28 The Anthem, Washington D.C., USA
30 Radio City Music Hall, New York, USA
OCTOBER
1 Radio City Music Hall, New York, USA
2 Boch Center Wang Theatre, Boston, USA
3 Boch Center Wang Theatre, Boston, USA
4 Boch Center Wang Theatre, Boston, USA
7 Toyota Oakdale Theatre, Wallingford, USA
8 Merrill Auditorium at City Hall, Portland, USA
10 Radio City Music Hall, New York, USA
11 Radio City Music Hall, New York, USA
14 Altria Theater, Richmond, USA
16 The Met Philadelphia presented by Highmark, Philadelphia, USA
17 The Met Philadelphia presented by Highmark, Philadelphia, USA
18 The Met Philadelphia presented by Highmark, Philadelphia, USA
21 Massey Hall, Toronto, Canada
22 Massey Hall, Toronto, Canada
23 Massey Hall, Toronto, Canada
25 Fox Theatre, Detroit, USA
28 The Auditorium, Chicago, USA
29 The Auditorium, Chicago, USA
31 The Auditorium, Chicago, USA
NOVEMBER
1 The Auditorium, Chicago, USA
3 Orpheum Theatre, Minneapolis, USA
4 Orpheum Theatre, Minneapolis, USA
6 Bellco Theatre, Denver, USA
7 Bellco Theatre, Denver, USA
11 Paramount Theatre, Seattle, USA
12 Paramount Theatre, Seattle, USA
13 Paramount Theatre, Seattle, USA
16 The Theater at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, USA
17 The Theater at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, USA
18 The Theater at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, USA
20 Dolby Theatre, Los Angeles, USA
21 Dolby Theatre, Los Angeles, USA
25 Bass Concert Hall, Austin, USA
26 Bass Concert Hall, Austin, USA
28 Music Hall at Fair Park, Dallas, USA
29 Music Hall at Fair Park, Dallas, USA
DECEMBER
2 Fox Theatre, Atlanta, USA
3 Fox Theatre, Atlanta, USA
5 Fillmore Miami Beach At Jackie Gleason Theatre, Miami, USA
6 Fillmore Miami Beach At Jackie Gleason Theatre, Miami, USA
JANUARY
14 Spark Arena, Auckland, New Zealand
17 Brisbane Entertainment Center, Brisbane, Australia
21 ICC Sydney Theatre, Sydney, Australia
22 Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne, Australia
24 Adelaide Entertainment Centre Arena, Adelaide, Australia
27 RAC Arena, Perth, Australia
FEBRUARY
12 Tempodrom, Berlin, Germany
15 AFAS Live, Amsterdam, Netherlands
16 AFAS Live, Amsterdam, Netherlands
18 Forest National, Brussels, Belgium
21 Teatro degli Arcimboldi, Milan, Italy
22 Teatro degli Arcimboldi, Milan, Italy
24 Jahrhunderthalle, Frankfurt, Germany
26 Rockhal Main Hall, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
27 The Hall, Zurich, Switzerland
MARCH
2 Utilita Arena, Cardiff, UK
3 Eventim Apollo, London, UK
4 Eventim Apollo, London, UK
6 SEC Armadillo, Glasgow, UK
7 SEC Armadillo, Glasgow, UK
9 o2 Apollo, Manchester, UK
10 o2 Apollo, Manchester, UK
11 o2 Apollo, Manchester, UK
13 3Arena, Dublin, Ireland
15 Eventim Apollo, London, UK
16 Eventim Apollo, London, UK
18 La Seine Musicale, Paris, France
19 La Seine Musicale, Paris, France
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