David Byrne has shared a new playlist titled ‘David Byrne Presents: Pop Music’.
Uploading the playlist to his website today (May 2), the 30 song collection features the likes of Carly Rae Jepsen, Rihanna, Grimes, Childish Gambino, The Weeknd, Drake, Justin Bieber and Migos.
Byrne also include Selena Gomez‘s recent track ‘Bad Liar’ which sampled the Talking Heads track 1977 single ‘Psycho Killer.’
In an accompanying post to the playlist, Byrne explained his picks. “Though the sounds and styles vary, I’d say that one has to admire the skill and craft involved in the creation of these hooks, the incremental dribbling out of little surprises and the production that holds your attention,” he wrote.
“I subscribe to most of those aims and values as well, but I’m saddled with trying to keep my eccentricities while still having catchy choruses and an accessible sound. I listen and learn from these songs and their production, while still perversely holding onto the idea that I can also do it my own way. I love collaborating, but I’m too much of a control freak to ever completely let go of the reigns. But I can still sit back, enjoy and sing along.” You can see the full post and listen to the playlist here.
Bryne released his first solo album for over 14 years back in March with ‘American Utopia’. At the time of its release, Byrne took to social media to address criticism of not collaborating with any female artists on the record.
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“I’d like to thank those of you who wrote for calling attention to this – this matters a lot to me,” Byrne wrote.
This lack of representation is something that is problematic and wide spread in our industry. I regret not hiring and collaborating with women for this album – it’s ridiculous, it’s not who I am and it certainly doesn’t match how I’ve worked in the past.”
Admitting that he had been “negligent”, Byrne added: “I am happy that we live in a time that this conversation is happening. It’s hard to realize that no matter how much effort you spend nudging the world in what you hope is the right direction, sometimes you are part of the problem.”
“I never thought of myself as being ‘one of those guys,’ but I guess to some extent I am. Your responses serve as a corrective. Thank you.”