NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� No one was expecting it. Late last year, Andr茅 3000 released his debut solo album, 18 years after his legendary last studio album, 鈥淚dlewild.鈥�
But 鈥淣ew Blue Sun鈥� has 鈥渘o bars,鈥� he jokes. It's a divergence from rap because 鈥渢here was nothing I was liking enough to rap about, or I didn't feel it sounded fresh. I'm not about to serve you un-fresh (expletive.)鈥�
Instead, he offered up a six-track instrumental album of ambient alt-jazz 鈥� with special attention paid to the flute.
鈥淭he sound, that's how I got into it,鈥� he says of the instrument. 鈥淭he portability, too. You can't tote around a piano and play in Starbucks."
He's also invested in the flute's history 鈥� like learning about Mayan flutes made from clay, a design he had re-created in cedarwood. 鈥淭here鈥檚 all kinds of fables and, you know, indigenous stories that go along with playing the flute 鈥� playing like the birds or playing your heart like the wind 鈥� it kind of met (me) where I was in life," he says.
鈥淔lutes 鈥� wind instruments in general 鈥� are the closest thing you get to actually hearing a human,鈥� he continues. 鈥淵ou're actually hearing the breath of a person.鈥�
鈥淣ew Blue Sun鈥� is a stunning collection, one that has earned Andr茅 3000 three new : album of the year, alternative jazz, and instrumental composition. Those arrive exactly 25 years after the 1999 Grammys, where Outkast received their first nomination 鈥� for 鈥淩osa Parks,鈥� from their third album, 鈥淎quemini" 鈥� and 20 years after the group won album of the year for
鈥淚t matters because we all want to be acknowledged or recognized,鈥� Andr茅 3000 says of his new Grammy nominations. 鈥淚t's a type of proof of connection, in some type of way ... because it's voted on by a committee of musicians and people in the industry.鈥�
He's a bit surprised by the attention, too, given the type of album he created. 鈥淲e have no singles on the radio, not even singles that are hot in the street,鈥� he says. 鈥淲hen you're sitting next to and these are highly, hugely popular music artists, I'm satisfied just because of that ... we won just to be a part of the whole conversation."
He theorizes that it may be because popular music listening habits are broadening. 鈥淎 lot of artists are just trying different things. Even, you know, the album that 叠别测辞苍肠茅 is nominated for, it鈥檚 not her normal thing,鈥� he says of her country-and-then-some record, 鈥淲e鈥檙e in this place where things are kind of shifting and moving."
For Andr茅 3000, 鈥淣ew Blue Sun鈥� has allowed him to 鈥渇eel like a whole new artist,鈥� but it is also an extension of who he's always been. 鈥淏eing on the road with Outkast and picking up a bass clarinet at a pawn shop in New York and just sitting on the back of the bus playing with it 鈥� these things have been around,鈥� he says.
He's also always embraced 鈥渘ewness,鈥� as he puts it, experimenting creatively 鈥渆ven if it sounds non-masterful.鈥�
鈥淓ven producing for Outkast, I was just learning these instruments. If I ... put my hands down and play 鈥楳s. Jackson,鈥� I'm not knowing what I'm playing. But I like it,鈥� he says.
As for a new Outkast album, 鈥淚 never say never,鈥� he says. 鈥淏ut I can say that the older I get, I feel like
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The 67th Grammy Awards will be held Feb. 2, 2025, at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The show will air on CBS and stream on Paramount+. For more coverage, visit .
Maria Sherman, The Associated Press
