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Young Gun Silver Fox

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World Cafe Next: Young Gun Silver Fox

Young Gun Silver Fox. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

Young Gun Silver Fox.

• "You Can Feel It"
• "Distance Between Us"

Young Gun Silver Fox is a hard-to-resist duo. One member (singer-songwriter Andy Platts) is from California, while the other (multi-instrumentalist Shawn Lee) hails from London; fittingly, the duo's debut is called West End Coast .

You'll recognize the sound — as the band's label, Wax Poetics Records, puts it, it's a "modern re-imagining of the classic West Coast AOR studio sound of the mid- to late '70s." In other words: yacht rock. With these new songs, Platts and Lee have lovingly recreated a sound and vibe from the past. Hear "You Can Feel It" and "Distance Between Us" in the audio segment above.

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Photo: Dan Massie

Young Gun Silver Fox On Staying True To The West Coast Sound While Creating Their Own Shangri-La

"There was never pop music that was so musical and accomplished, and that sophisticated, on the radio," Young Gun Silver Fox's Shawn Lee says of the AOR his band is modeled after. The British duo's take on the West Coast Sound hits the road Jan. 23.

Young Gun Silver Fox's music is nothing if not evocative. It envelops you like a warm breeze on an early summer evening and floats over the Topanga Canyon of our minds — a familiar soundtrack for a groovy house party or drive along the coast. It’s timeless in one sense, while also referencing a very particular era.

Over four albums, YGSF reflect "an apex of analog record-making" that occurred between 1977-1982 —  a period of pop radio where groups like Hall & Oates , Steely Dan , the Doobie Brothers and countless less-heralded others created million-dollar records that dominated the charts and remain staples of classic rock radio.

"One of the things that was unusual about that whole West Coast scene was that you had these really talented people, but they all worked together in different capacities. One day they were working on a Michael Jackson record and another day they were doing their own record — or maybe sometimes the same day," says YGSF co-founder Shawn Lee, an American multi-instrumentalist with credits the length of some of his idols. "That's why the music sounds so money, because everybody was at the height of their powers. Everybody had craft."

Although Young Gun Silver Fox nod to an analog era, they make music in a very 21st century medium. Collaborators Lee and Andy Platts – both multi-instrumentalists, with Platts doing much of the songwriting — met on Myspace. And while both live in the UK, they are rarely in the same room. Lee is more of a city guy and lives in London while Platt lives with his wife and young children about 2.5 hours away along  the M25 motorway — they primarily work separately and send each other files. 

"There's an advantage now because you know how things were done and how they're supposed to be done. You have history and you know where the bodies are buried," Lee says with a laugh. "These were records that cost a lot of money to make, and we're making these things in a way that is the exact opposite of that."

The result is era-perfect, and could easily be placed among any of their yacht rock idols. Yet Young Gun Silver Fox are distinct for their medium and messaging; where their heroes were sarcastic or heartbroken, YGSF are wistful and in love, incorporating funk, soul and psychedelia. Their most recent album, 2022's aptly titled Ticket To Shangri-La , is being released as a deluxe version with two newly remixed tracks.

Following their first North American shows in late 2023, Young Gun Silver Fox are preparing an American tour beginning Jan. 23 in Los Angeles. Fittingly, Shawn Lee and Andy Platts sat down over zoom from their respective homes to talk about recreating the sounds of the late ‘70s and ‘80s.

This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

Tell me a little bit about how you translate what's on the record into a live performance with multiple additional players.

Shawn Lee: It requires a lot of concentration. I think we have a laugh when we play live and it's unscripted. There's a lot of people singing along and dancing around. The choruses will often erupt into big sort of sing-alongs, so it's a lot of fun.

I quite like "Lenny." It's a sort of epic little track and it's always a big sing-along. "Underdog" is quite cool; I love that drop in the middle and everybody claps their hands. Sometimes you can't even hear what you're singing in the chorus. "Mojo Rising" has always been a real massive crowd sing-along and we're trying to get our little vocal blend together and it's like…

Andy Platts: You can't even hear yourself. [At a gig in] Cologne in Germany, [a guy] must've been two meters tops from me, singing every ad lib, every single vocal detail from the record, whilst I was doing it. It was like a double tracking lead vocal thing in the room. He was really on point, really passionate, just singing his heart out. I think after the fourth number, I was halfway through a song and I [mouthed] Really? Is this the thing for the whole show? I think he kind of got the gist of my discreet, please shut the f— up .

Lee: Sometimes people sing the horn parts as well, which always makes me laugh.

I'd love to take it back to just the two of you and learn a bit about the genesis of your group. How did you guys come to develop this distinct but very familiar sounding vibe?

Lee: Back in that time when Myspace was really big and it was a really good networking site for musicians …that's how we met. We tried producing an earlier iteration of [Platts’ band] Mama's Gun, and for whatever reasons that didn't quite happen. So that planted the seed in my head that I wanted to make this kind of sophisticated West Coast music with Andy, and I knew he had all the right reference points and all the right talents that together we could do something good.

It was a good couple of years to make the first record, off and on occasionally doing a tune while we were both busy with our own respective things. And it was very much just a labor of love; we didn't have any big plans for it. It was just let's cobble together a record in our spare time .

Platts: The A&R guy for the label we went with in Holland, he was a guy called Jacques de Bruin, who I'd worked for years, and we got the record to him initially and he was like, "I love it. I grew up with this s—, but I don't know who's going to buy it." And then two months later he called and said, "I want to put it out. F— it. Let's have a go."

There was a DJ that picked up on a track called "Long Way Back," the very last track on the first album, which is like this six minute 50 BPM, really slow soul jam. And he started playing the s— out of it, over and over, and that really caught fire. So it was a real natural, slow-burning word-of-mouth thing that has put us on this journey. 

What does a typical collaboration look like for you guys, if there's such a thing as a typical working pattern?

Platts: It’s one of three things. Shawn will make a perfect sounding record and play almost everything on it — maybe not the horns. It'll sound finished and it's just waiting for some songwriting, some lyrics, melodies, perhaps some backing vocals; a few extra bits of sugar on it – synths or whatever.

Another way is that I'll start and I'll send all the multi-tracks over to Shawn. He'll add or replace whatever needs replacing. Invariably if I try and play drums on the track, Shawn will replace that because he is a master drummer. The third way is your old school get it together in person, which has happened on a few tracks. 

More often than not, we kind of like being masters of our own domain and using the technology and the internet for speed and bottling stuff and getting s— done. A Young Gun Silver Fox record doesn't take that long to make usually. It's just having the time set aside to do it.

With all that in mind, it's pretty incredible that you guys managed to make these records that sound like million dollar Los Angeles productions from the '70s. And in reality, you're just emailing back and forth. What is the secret sauce?

Platts: Before it turns into ones and zeros, we're actually playing this s—. It's all these same instruments from back then, same analog processes.

Lee: I think it's one of the gifts of modern technology to not have to go into some expensive studio. It's basically working with really strong materials and then putting it together. There's a saying in the studio world: You can't polish a turd. You need to have good ideas, and good execution of ideas. 

Platts: When people say you can't make a record like that for $100,000. What they're talking about is a $100,000 musical idea . They think that they're talking about the studio and all the bells and whistles and the Star Trek Enterprise, and that's the vessel through which all this brilliance seems to work and come out sounding how it should. They're not attributing that to the source material.

Having those shared reference points and just deeply understanding the language of what you are trying to reference, probably goes a long way in creating something that sounds authentic.

Lee: I think the magic in record making is in the people; in the musicality and what they put into it. There is magic in the process, and it's just about being open to that and letting it happen. I work really fast and I always have. Working fast really ensures that the magic gets in there because I'm discovering it at the time that I'm recording it. 

When you're being intuitive and noodling along, there's a sort of innocence. There's a sort of not pushing too hard thing, which has an energy and a magic to it. It hasn't become stiff and sterile, or I haven't been obsessed by the technical delivery of it.

Platts: It’s a bit more chin stroking for me in that department. I'm happy to gestate on stuff. [Lyrics are] probably one of the big gold standards of the time period in which we're referencing. And for me, that's all about songwriting craft. There's a certain duty of care that is less prevalent in the mainstream to my ears these days in terms of lyrical integrity. You've got to be able to look at something and want it to stand up. 

Is there an underrated, a AOR/yacht-rock group that each of you feels has really influenced your sound?

Lee: I feel like everybody is highly rated amongst the aficionados [of this music]. But I think there were definitely people at the time of inception that didn't really have the hits. You had your Steely Dans and your Doobie Brothers with Michael McDonald who were getting the big hits, and the Christopher Cross es and people like that.

At the same time those records were coming out, there were other bands that weren't really setting the charts on fire, but there were records that I was listening to and enjoying at the same time. There was a record called Single by Bill Champlin, which came out in 1978, which had all the same people working on it.

Pages was another band; they didn't really have any hits, but they've become this sort of musicians' band now. And they were very involved in the whole scene as backing singers. They sang on so many hit records, everybody from Michael Jackson, to Al Jarreau , to Kenny Loggins . 

You had these guys who were obviously really, really amazing at what they did, but they were friends and they had fun and they were making music all the time. Those guys are doing it every day, day in and day out. With all the talent that they had, and all the great people that they had to work with — the great studios, and the great engineers, and the great arrangers — that's why the music sounds so money, because everybody was at the height of their powers.

There was never pop music that was so musical and accomplished, and that sophisticated, that was on the radio. Steely Dan is the perfect example: They made this really, really sarcastic music, almost like they were the smartest people in the room and maybe had a slight bit of contempt for you. But their songs were on the radio and you were singing along and they had the best musicians. And that's a rare thing. It doesn't exist anymore.

Andy, are there any records that really inspired you, particularly from a songwriting perspective?

Platts: Young Gun Silver Fox was started by Shawn. I think he harbored a desire to start making music that referenced this time at some point because it's so deep within him. He came up when that s— was on the radio. One of the great exciting things about this project is that I've been introduced to a whole load of s— that was kind of second nature to Shawn. I hadn't heard, for example, "Biggest Part Of Me" by Ambrosia. And when Shawn played me that, I was like, f—ing hell that's awesome. Absolutely awesome.

I read that "Moonshine" from Ticket To Shangri-La   was co-written with prolific songwriter/Heatwave member Rod Temperton. How did that come about?

Platts: In 2005 I got to score my first ever publishing deal, and they were keen to develop me as an artist. They're like, "We like your songwriting style, we like what you're doing, but you just need to put in the hours and do some wood shedding. Is there anyone you want to work with?" 

I'd spent the previous three years going around the world working with loads and loads of pop people. There are people who are really good at doing that and write fantastic songs, but that's just not the environment that I wanted to be in. I knew that I wanted to be educated in a different way, I think by osmosis.

I spent two days and nights with [Temperton] at his place in Topanga, just hanging out, smoking a lot of Marlboro Reds. Talking and listening, and working on a track together. We created this horrifically sounding '80s demo; it epitomized the worst of the '80s in one production. I knew it was a wicked song, so some 20 years later, Shawn had heard it and he said, "Look, this could work."

He came back with this whole production around my vocal and Rhodes that really did justice to the song, to the spirit of Rod's writing, to where we were with Young Gun Silver Fox. We quickly released it as a little limited edition seven inch, and it just flew. 

Lee: It was an amazing opportunity to be part of that legacy in my own way just to put myself into that scenario. And I definitely felt the responsibility that I had to do it justice. 

As somebody who writes about revivals quite a bit, I cringe asking this question: How do you not exhaust this fairly specific sound, both as performers and with audiences?

Platts: It's a narrow timeline and pool of music and style if you're looking at it from the outside in. [But there's] the fact that it can cross from white bread, straight-down-the-line pop rock to deep gospel and everything in between. It gives you a lot to play with. But we do just sound like ourselves.

Back then — whether it's Michael McDonald or Hall and Oates or whoever — there was a lot of angst, heartbroken love songs. There's a lot of men baring their feelings, which is fine, but I don't think we're treading a lot of those same lyrical things. The first song on Ticket to Shangri-La is capturing a portrait of an old couple who is still in love after all these years. "Sierra Nights" is a song which tries desperately to capture the novel Don Quixote in a song.

Lee: I think it's an interesting thing that happens when you understand you've cultivated the sound which is yours. There's a structure now, and that actually frees you up because you concentrate on other things. You are augmenting what you've already done. And it's great, man. It's like having some stability. It's a strong anchor to work off of.

I think now we just have to sound like the best versions of ourselves, to write the best songs, make the best records. And I think that's the kind of thing that Andy and I really thrive on, always doing something better than we've done before.

Are you working on anything right now that you can detail?

Lee: It's in progress. We don't really talk about what we do. We just kind of do it. The first record, we almost didn't talk the whole time that we did it. It was completely autonomous. 

I think four albums in, we kind of understand what we're doing now and that's a double-edged sword. Sometimes it's like, I feel like we could always make a good record without putting a lot of effort into it. It would take care of itself. But I think the idea is that you want to feel like, hey man, we broke through another wall with this .

You [have] got to aspire to greatness. Whether or not you ever achieve it, even if you achieve it for a moment.

Platts: If you're not trying to kick it with the very best who've ever done it, what's the point? You absolutely want to go shoulder-to-shoulder with anyone who's ever done it. That's definitely a big part of the criteria. To be able to keep doing it is one, to get better at doing it is the other. And between those three criteria, you've got success. 

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Photo: Rob Kim/Getty Images for The Recording Academy

20 Live Events At The GRAMMY Museum This September: Experience Orville Peck, Kate Hudson, Tierra Whack & More

This September, join the GRAMMY Museum for live discussions and performances from Lainey Wilson, Sleater-Kinney, Don Toliver, and many more.

As the leaves begin to turn and the evenings draw in, the GRAMMY Museum is preparing to host an exciting lineup of in-person events this September in downtown Los Angeles and New York City. 

Featuring a diverse array of artists from Big Sean to Steve Aoki , the Museum offers fans unparalleled access to intimate discussions and performances. Whether you're a fan of indie vibes, soulful melodies, or the pulsating rhythms of global pop, there's something for everyone in this season's programming.

Check out the comprehensive list of must-attend GRAMMY Museum public programs for September 2024:

A Conversation With Big Sean

August 30, 2024 at 6 p.m.

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While not actually in September, Big Sean kicks off the fall season in a big way. The legendary rapper joins guests at the Museum’s intimate 200-seat Clive Davis Theater for an evening of conversation discussing his latest album, Better Me Than You , his creative process, and more. 

Spotlight: Faye Webster

Tuesday, September 3, 2024 at 7:30 p.m.

L.A. Sold Out   - Join Waitlist

Join Atlanta-based singer-songwriter Faye Webster as she discusses her latest album and creative journey in an intimate setting.

Global Spin Live: I.M

Wednesday, September 4, 2024 at 7:30 p.m.

Dive into the world of K-pop with I.M, the lead rapper of Monsta X, as he discusses his solo career trajectory and upcoming music, capped off with a live performance.

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The Drop: Lainey Wilson

September 5, 2024 at 7:30 p.m.

Join country music great Lainey Wilson at the Museum’s 300-seat Ray Charles Rooftop Terrace for an evening of conversation celebrating her career, latest project, WHIRLWIND , and more, with a performance to follow. 

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A New York Evening With Ingrid Michaelson

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The GRAMMY Museum and 92NY are thrilled to host Ingrid Michaelson for an intimate conversation about her album, For the Dreamers , composing music for The Notebook, her creative process, and more, followed by a performance.

A New York Evening with Tierra Whack

September 6, 2024 at 7:30 p.m.

Join Tierra Whack at National Sawdust in Brooklyn, NY to celebrate her debut project, Whack World , with a discussion about her creative process behind the release, her career, and more, with a special performance to follow. 

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An Evening With Kate Hudson

Monday, September 9, 2024 at 7:30 p.m.

Actress and singer Kate Hudson will share insights into her musical expression showcased in her latest album Glorious , followed by a performance.

Read more: Kate Hudson Is A Singer Now — And She Doesn't Care What You Think

An Evening With Sleater-Kinney  

(Moderated by Molly Neuman)

Tuesday, September 10, 2024 at 7:30 p.m.

Sold Out - Join Waitlist  

Celebrate 30 years of Sleater-Kinney as they discuss their enduring influence, latest music, and personal trials, accompanied by a live performance.

Read more: On 'Little Rope,' Sleater-Kinney Still Wear Their Hearts On Their Sleeves

A New York Evening with Chris and Rich Robinson of The Black Crowes

September 11, 2024 at 7:30 p.m.

Join Chris and Rich Robinson of The Black Crowes at National Sawdust in Brooklyn, NY to celebrate their 10th studio album, Happiness Bastards, with a discussion about their careers, their creative process behind the project, and more, and a special performance to follow. 

A Conversation With Don Toliver

(moderated by Charlie Wilson ) 

Join Don Toliver and Sickamore to the Museum’s intimate 200-seat Clive Davis Theater for an evening of discussion about Don Toliver’s album, HARDSTONE PSYCHO , their collaboration, careers, and creative process. The conversation will be moderated by R&B Icon and 13 time GRAMMY Nominee Charlie Wilson. 

A New York Evening With Hermanos Gutiérrez

September 12, 2024 at 7:30 p.m.

Join Hermanos Gutiérrez at National Sawdust in Brooklyn, NY celebrating their latest album, Sonido Cósmico , with a discussion moderated by WNYC’s John Schaefer about their creative process, career, and more, with a special performance to follow. 

Spotlight: John Summit

(Moderated by Jason Bentley, KCRW / Metropolis) 

Join John Summit at the Museum’s 300-seat Ray Charles Rooftop Terrace for an evening discussing and celebrating his debut album, Comfort In Chaos , and his creative process and career, with a performance to follow. Attendees will also have an opportunity to enjoy rooftop views and a cash bar prior to the program.  

Read more: Finding 'Comfort In Chaos': John Summit On The Journey To His Debut Album

Sensory Friendly Saturdays

September 14, 2024 from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

Experience Sensory Friendly Saturday on the second Saturday of every month. Families can enjoy our space with less crowding, quieter sound levels and lower lighting on the second Saturday of every month from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Guests can purchase tickets when they arrive at the Museum or they can purchase online for the applicable Saturday.

The Drop: Orville Peck

September 17, 2024 at 7:30 p.m.

Join Orville Peck at the Museum’s Ray Charles Rooftop Terrace for an evening discussing his latest and third studio album, Stampede, his creative process, and more, with a special performance to follow. Attendees will also have an opportunity to enjoy rooftop views and a cash bar prior to the program.  

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Spotlight: The Marías

(Moderated by Suzy Exposito)

September 18, 2024 at 7:30 p.m.

Join GRAMMY-nominated group The Marías to the Museum’s Ray Charles Rooftop Terrace for an evening discussing their latest album, Submarine, their multiple GRAMMY Award-nominations, their creative process, and more, with a special performance to follow. Attendees will also have an opportunity to enjoy rooftop views and a cash bar prior to the program.  

Read more: The Marías Plunge Into The Depths On 'Submarine': How The Band Found Courage In Collective Pain

Spotlight: WILLOW

September 20, 2024 at 7:00 p.m.

Join WILLOW at the Museum’s intimate 200-seat Clive Davis Theater for an evening celebrating her latest release, empathogen , her rising career, and creative process, with a performance to follow.

Read more: Willow Embraces Herself On 'COPINGMECHANISM': How The New Album Encouraged Her To "Be More Vulnerable Than I've Ever Been"

An Evening With Steve Aoki

September 23, 2024 at 7:30 p.m.

Join two-time GRAMMY nominee Steve Aoki at the Museum’s Ray Charles Rooftop Terrace for an evening discussing his latest album, Paragon , creative process, and more, with a special performance to follow. Attendees will also have an opportunity to enjoy rooftop views and a cash bar prior to the program. In addition, fans will have the opportunity to see some of Steve’s most important artifacts, on display for one night only, such as his original DJ laptop and more!  

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A New York Evening With RAYE

September 26, 2024 at 7:30 p.m.

Join RAYE at The Loreto Theater at The Sheen Center for Thought & Culture in New York City celebrating her latest work, “Genesis”, with a discussion about her rising career, her creative process behind the project, and more, plus a special performance to follow. 

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Reel To Reel: Angelheaded Hipster: The Songs of Marc Bolan and T. Rex

September 26, 2024 at 7:00 p.m.

Enjoy a special screening of Angelheaded Hipster: The Songs of Marc Bolan and T. Rex in the Museum’s intimate 200-seat Clive Davis Theater with a post-screening panel discussion featuring Marc Bolan’s partner and musical collaborator Gloria Jones, his son Rolan Bolan, director Ethan Silverman, recording engineer Marc Urselli, and musician/author Richard Barone to talk about the creative process behind the film. Following the screening, there will be an acoustic performance featuring Barone and Rolan Bolan to close the evening.

SUNDAY BRUNCH with Ben Platt

September 29, 2024 from 12:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Join the GRAMMY Museum for Sunday Brunch With…, a fundraising event series in support of our GRAMMY In The Schools education programs. 

The Museum is thrilled to team up with the incredible Ben Platt and the renowned VERSE LA, located in Toluca Lake, for an afternoon of great music and food. Guests will dine on a delicious 3-course brunch while enjoying live music performed by GRAMMY In The Schools education program alumni. Following the meal, guests will be treated to a rare, up close, and personal 45-minute performance from GRAMMY, Tony, and Emmy Award winner Ben Platt to close out the afternoon.

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For more details and to secure tickets to these events, visit the GRAMMY Museum website . We look forward to welcoming you to these inspiring sessions!

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Zedd's Road To 'Telos': How Creating For Himself & Disregarding Commercial Appeal Led To An Evolutionary New Album

'Telos' "isn't going to be that pop album that some people may have wanted me to make," Zedd tells GRAMMY.com of his highly anticipated album — his first in nine years.

At the time of our call, the release of Telos — Zedd 's first studio album in nearly a decade — is just seven days away. Snug in an earthy brown crewneck, the 34-year-old musician joins the Zoom from his new home in Encino, California, with a degree of poise that some might find surprising at this point in the rollout. 

Still, his relaxed body language, decisive, measured speech, and quiet confidence make it clear that any anxiety he once felt about the LP has been replaced by pure anticipation. 

"I am honestly just really excited. I think I've released music in the past that I was nervous about, but it's quite different with this album," he tells GRAMMY.com. "I feel very calm and just happy to be able to release this music that I've been working on for so long, some of which has been in the works as late as nine years ago." 

Out Aug. 30, Telos arrives about four years later than initially announced and about eight years after it was contractually due. Though Zedd confirmed that the long-awaited answer to his second studio album, True Colors (2015), would arrive in 2020, he indefinitely postponed the project at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.  

"I decided to push back the album to when things are more back to normal," he wrote in a Reddit AMA (ask me anything) in November 2020. "I really wanted it to come out this year, but I put the album on standby because during quarantine, I just didn't feel the inspiration to make this the best album possible."

Timing is everything and Zedd, who counts a clock ticking sample among his stylistic hallmarks, knows this well. Zedd embraced the axiom while making Telos , an album that "isn't for the algorithms" in an era when creative works' cultural capital is largely decided by how well they pander to an algorithm. Telos is decidedly — and in some ways, daringly — non-commercial. "Lucky," alongside singer/songwriter Remi Wolf and "Automatic Yes" with John Mayer , are notably the only two tracks palatable for commercial radio airplay. The 10-track album largely plays like a love letter to classical music (there is an orchestra on the entire LP), with flashes of pop, dance/electronic, jazz, world music, and metal influence. A cross-generational list of collaborators — including 40-year-old musician and composer Jeremy Kittle, who recorded each string for the album one by one, and Gen Z singer-songwriter Bea Miller — further dynamize Telos .

Telos "isn't going to be that pop album that some people may have wanted me to make," Zedd acknowledges. Nor will it be the dance/electronic LP that purists from his name-making run in the early-2010’s might long for. Fans gained during the GRAMMY-winning producer's complextro, electro, and progressive house-heavy era (think "Shave It" ) have been some of his most outspoken critics in recent years, reproaching his stride into commercial pop.

This response is neither surprising nor foreign to Zedd. "I felt the same way about a lot of bands and artists that I grew up listening to when I heard their new music," he reflects. "In the moment, you might be like, I'm disappointed, 'cause I wanted X, Y, Z , and with a little bit of perspective, you realize what an artist has done, and maybe those become your favorite works when you give it time."

Zedd has already proved his ability to craft pop hits with staying power — with help from some of the genre’s most prominent voices. The 2017 single "Stay" with Alessia Cara (2017) and 2018's "The Middle" with Maren Morris and Grey were two of Zedd's biggest smashes in the dance-pop domain post- True Colors . Both singles achieved platinum certification, though "The Middle" has since struck platinum six times. Like "Clarity" — the 2012 breakthrough single that scored Zedd his sole golden gramophone (for Best Dance Recording) — "Stay" and "The Middle" imbued him with the confidence and greater depth of reference to make an album like Telos .

"If I made another album today that felt the same way Clarity felt back then, you wouldn't feel the same way about Clarity today," Zedd reasons, adding that Telos has some of the "internal motivations" and experimentation of Clarity . "It's just a more mature and experienced expression, so I think the people who loved Clarity will find plenty to love on Telos ."

The album's debut single, "Out Of Time" featuring Bea Miller, is likely to serve as one such point of connection. It retains the DNA of Zedd's established, melody-driven sonic identity while still feeling fresh and exploratory.

"It's a really good example of a new version of an old me," he attests. "The real core of what Zedd feels like isn't the sound. It's not the synths, and it's not the kicks you hear at the festival. It's actually really deeply rooted in chord progressions and melodies. Those are well alive, and more than ever, on Telos ."

At nine-and-a-half-years-old, "Out Of Time" is the oldest track on the album, penned just after Zedd delivered True Colors (OG fans will recognize the song's chord progression from the intro to his DJ sets). His motivation to repeatedly rework the track and fashion it into the album opener stems, in part, from the feeling that it was "too theatrical" to be a standalone single.

Telos provided "the perfect canvas to deliver all these meaningful songs to my life and to my career that couldn't just be one-offs," he says.

Zedd’s current musical ethos is born from his disenchantment with the direction of music in the age of algorithms and TikTok, and the resulting Telos is the product of his "decision to really be free musically."  

"There was one moment in making Telos that made me realize this is like my autobiography. This is everything I am as an artist, and everything I do musically is for me," Zedd says with conviction. "That was a really liberating moment because I am essentially guaranteeing that I'm not going to disappoint anyone because the only audience is me. I'm making this for myself." 

"It sounds so silly to even say [this album is just going to be for me] because you would think that everything you make as an artist is for you," he concedes. "But really, the truth is it's hard to block out the feeling that people might be disappointed, and the feeling that you could change a song, and you would make so many people happy." 

Telos ' exhaustive creation process was as much a matter of deconstruction as it was reconstruction. About halfway through the first version of "Z3," as the album is known colloquially among fans, Zedd scrapped 90 percent of what he'd written, salvaging only "Dream Brother." The hypnotic interpretation of Jeff Buckley 's 1994 song embodies the musicality that threads Telos — from the texture of the opening guitar chords and piano, to the swell of strings, and Zedd's signature clock ticking sample in its outro. Telos marks the first and only time the Buckley estate has given an artist the rights to the late creative's work. 

"Dream Brother," Zedd explains, was "the only song that felt lik e this is living very much in the world that I really deeply feel ," citing it as "a song that has inspired me since my early days as a musician." 

Between his successes on Billboard 's Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart and the coveted Hot 100, it may be easy to forget that Zedd's musicality traces back to childhood. A classically trained musician, Zedd began playing the piano at the age of four and still writes his music on the piano first . Telos is a cerebral reminder that it's reductive to think of Zedd as anything less than a natural-born composer.

Elsewhere, "Sona," featuring the olllam, harkens back to Zedd's days as a member of German metalcore band DIORAMIC in its use of the 7/4 time signature. "Sona" is the first song in this time signature that Zedd has made since his days as a band member (he was the group's drummer from ages 12 to 20). 

Still, Telos ' unequivocal pièce de resistance is "1685" with GRAMMY-winning English rock band Muse . The six-minute and 11-second album finale takes inspiration from Johann Sebastian Bach's "The Well Tempered Clavier" — the first classical piece Zedd ever learned to play on piano as a child and as he calls it, "probably the most influential piece ever written in life for me."

Named for Bach's birth year, "1685" extends the full-circle nature of Telos. Both a tribute to his favorite composer and a reference to Zedd's earliest days as a musician (he performed a cover of Muse during his very first concert with DIORAMIC), these connections imbue Telos with authenticity and soul.  

Intricate and lovingly-crafted, Telos is Zedd at his most musically honest. "It's my entire life in one album," he says. "It's truly an evolution of who I am as a musician." 

His decision to eschew trends and commercial formulae to embrace "music for the sake of art" confers a sense of timelessness to Telos . For those versed in gaming terminology (like the multi-platinum producer, a notorious gamer) Telos is Zedd in his final form — a state unlocked only after the successful completion of considerable, skill-building challenges. 

Fittingly, the multifaceted nature of Telos and its creator is reflected in the album's title. The Greek word has multiple meanings, including accomplishment, completion of human art, and the end. He chose the name "telos" 30 or so minutes before he had to submit the LP — an  ironic timeline for a production that took years to conceive.  Yet like all of the creative choices that culminate in Telos , this, too, was part of a thoughtful strategy. Zedd wanted to be sure that the album's title would faithfully capture its concept, even after the LP’s many metamorphoses. 

"I really relate to all of the meanings," he says. "Accomplishment of a goal is one of them. I made this album that I was dreaming of making my whole life with the artists I love so much who have inspired me, so it's a genuine dream come true to make this album." 

With introspection written on his face, Zedd pauses, then continues: "One of the meanings of 'telos' is the end, and there was a good chunk of time where I thought this might be the last music I will ever release. It's kind of like I put all my emotions and feelings into this one album…is there any reason for me to take space away in this universe if this is all I have left to say? And for a moment towards the tail end, I was like 'yeah, Telos is the name for this album because I will never make another song in my life.'" But Telos is merely another beginning, briefly disguised as an end. Zedd delivered the album, had a second to breathe, moved from Beverly Hills to Encino, put a piano in his bedroom, and "inevitably started writing new music." Timing is everything.

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Warren Zeiders' Big Year: The Country Star Recounts His Journey From 'Pretty Little Poison' To 'Relapse'

Just 12 months after Warren Zeiders released his debut album, his sophomore set is already here. The singer/songwriter details his milestone-heavy breakthrough year, from a No. 1 hit to a tour with Jelly Roll.

Warren Zeiders has a whiteboard in his house where he writes himself daily reminders. But there's one that always stays: a quote that reads, "Nothing changes if nothing changes."

That sentiment couldn't be more fitting for the 25-year-old, whose life has changed drastically over the last few years. After an injury derailed his plans to pursue a career in lacrosse, Zeiders pivoted to music in 2021, and immediately made waves with the viral single "Ride the Lightning." Just three years later, he's one of country music's most unique new male voices, who has already scored a No. 1 hit and headlined multiple sold-out tours.

"I'm a firm believer, in three years of doing this, that this is what I was put here on this Earth to do," Zeiders tells GRAMMY.com. "I couldn't envision myself doing anything else. It's so funny how things have a way of working out."

What's perhaps even more remarkable about Zeiders' country music success story is that he had never even written a song prior to 2021. Stats aside, it's undeniable that he's a star — from the compelling grit of his voice and his candidly emotional lyrics, to his onstage swagger. Music clearly comes naturally, because Zeiders has already released his second album.

Relapse , the follow-up to 2023's Pretty Little Poison , offers a deeper look into Zeiders' artistry, from the racing, pop-tinged title track, to the impassioned ballad "High Desert Road," to the harrowing confessional "Devil I Know." It further proves he's equally unafraid to be raw in his storytelling and to push his vocal ability, both attributes that have helped him break through in the booming country music scene.

Just four days after Relapse arrived, Zeiders hit the road with Jelly Roll on The Beautifully Broken Tour. The Pennsylvania-born singer will serve as direct support on the two-month trek, which will hit arenas around the United States including New York's famed Madison Square Garden — adding more huge milestones to his already stacked resume.

"It does nothing but motivate me and want me to push that much harder," Zeiders says of the tour. And with The Relapse Tour already set for the spring of 2025, he's ready for things to only keep getting bigger. "I'm a personality that always likes to be growing, expanding and trying new things. So we'll see what the future holds."

Ahead of releasing Relapse , Zeiders reflected on his major achievements over the past year. Below, hear from the budding star himself about landing a No. 1 hit with "Pretty Little Poison," winning his first award and more.

Releasing His Debut Album, 'Pretty Little Poison'

I think a lot of people forget I was an athlete my whole life. I was playing lacrosse for 12 years. That was my livelihood, that was my passion, that was everything to me. Obviously I love music and I love what I get to do, but music wasn't a lifetime goal when I was a little kid. It wasn't until COVID had hit where I started posting videos on social media, and things started to kind of snowball.

I firmly believe that the good Lord always did have music on my heart, because I always loved to sing and play guitar, but it was just nothing that I ever thought was worth pursuing. That all to be said, I think I did have a healthy chip on my shoulder [about my first album]. I did want to solidify myself [as] not a flash in the pan, not just a dude who had a viral moment on social media. I took that and kind of just ran with it, and was like, I know the gift that I believe that the good Lord gave me, and my fan base is growing, and people are showing up to these shows . 

So when it came to making my debut record, I really did take my time on that. I was very selective with the songs, and [tried] to make my first cohesive body of work. It was one of the most stressful times of my life, because I was so hard on myself — and always have been, whether it was in sports or now doing this — but I really did want to prove it to myself, and want to prove it to the people that were already believing in me. 

When that album finally came out, I felt so much relief for a moment. [I also know] that now is the time to continuously push the record and let people know it's out. But it's made me grow so much in my artistry and have more faith in myself.

I actually got really, really sick when my album dropped. The following day, I was like, deathly sick signing thousands of records for fans. I wasn't contagious, but it was just a fun story to look back on. It's God's sense of humor, just letting you know you're still alive.

Earning His First No. 1 At Country Radio With "Pretty Little Poison"

I remember posting it for the first time on Instagram. I can vividly remember the clip; it was of me in the vocal booth singing. That song, I must have sang over 100-plus times [in the booth]. I was beating myself up so much to the point of, like, I'm not believing the person singing this song right now . I was having to get myself back into that headspace [of] when I wrote it.

I took that clip and threw it up on social media. It got a decent amount of views, but it was nothing crazy. It wasn't until almost a week later, when I posted another video of me in the studio, sitting with my engineer at the time, in the studio, listening back. And I remember texting my manager, being like, "Um, this thing's going uber viral right now," and he was like, "I think we got one." 

We were seeing the thing unfold before its release, and then when it came out, through the streaming numbers and the interactions on social media, we knew that we had something special. I had faith in it from the beginning, and seeing what it was doing performance-wise, on the streaming side, I was like, This is a great piece of art to take to country radio… It'll be my first kind of splash into the scene . And lo and behold, 34 weeks on the charts, and it's a No. 1 — a pretty fast climb. 

The night it officially went No. 1, I had my dad out on the road, which was super cool. We were playing a place called Emo's in Austin, Texas. I vividly remember popping off a bottle of champagne after the show and giving a speech, and then we went across the street and played a couple rounds of pool. [And] my momma surprised me when I got home that weekend. She made me breakfast and had number one balloons and everything. 

Shout out to my CEO, Aaron Bay-Schuck, over at Warner L.A. When we first met, he was like, "You get about one victory lap for each win." I'm a firm believer in that, just from my athletic background. It's one thing to soak the win in for a second, but the reality is, the job's never done. As a guy who has been doing it for a short term, but I plan to be for a long time, and I have very high goals for myself — that is, stepping into arenas and stadiums one day myself. It's gonna take time, a lot of effort, but the job's never done.

Making His National Television Debut On "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"

It wasn't that I was nervous, it was just a new experience, and it was trusting in my ability and trusting in my gift and being like, This is another day in the office. The song was officially already  No. 1, and that gives you a little bit more confidence when you're singing it for the first time on live television.

I was actually supposed to play "Kimmel" the year prior, but the writer's strike had occurred. Once they got back on the air, it lined up almost a year to year to the date, of me finally getting onto Jimmy Kimmel. Rather than playing it on live television when the song had recently just come out, ["Pretty Little Poison" was a] No. 1 song, and [had] hundreds of millions of streams, and [it was] double platinum. 

Unfortunately, Jimmy wasn't there by the time we got in to record. And we waited as long as we could to hopefully see if he was going to be back, but, you know, I can relate — we all have our busy schedules. We had to catch a flight. We were flying back to Nashville, and me and some of the guys on my team, we got to watch [the performance] on our Southwest flight. It was super cool.

Winning His First Award, The CMT Music Award For Breakthrough Male Video

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Two days prior, I did some interviews, and they were like, "How are you feeling about your first nomination?" I was like, "I'm excited to accept my award on Sunday night." The only moment of doubt I had was when it finally came down to the nominees for my [category]. I was like, Man, you're up against great competition here . Those few moments were up, and they said my name. And I was like, Okay, that's right .

My mom, dad and sister were all at the CMT Awards — mom and sister were, like, 10 rows behind us, but me and my dad were in the seats with all the artists. My dad has always been my best friend and my biggest supporter, and I attest a lot of my success to how he and my mom raised me — my work ethic, my drive and my faith, and how I view life and what I want to achieve. 

That being said, I did get emotional when I accepted my award. I stood up and gave [my dad] a really big hug, and I could already see him tearing up. And when I went to take the stage, I was like, Just make sure you give thanks to God, and keep it short and sweet. I want to make sure I thank the fans a lot. And it was second nature to say something about my dad.

I have a wall dedicated for "Pretty Little Poison" plaques, and then I have some mantles in my kitchen/living room space. I've got the CMT award next to my first vinyl of the Pretty Little Poison album, my Opry sign from when I played it for the first time, my letter that I wrote to my fans when the Pretty Little Poison album dropped. Just a lot of cool, fun stuff. It's the inner athlete of me. [ Laughs .]

Creating (And Releasing) His Second Album Amid His Breakout Year

I was [still] learning my voice. Your voice is a muscle. [Singing is] my daily grind of working out — the time and the energy, and just putting in the hours of work. My voice had developed so much from posting videos on social media to then going out and singing night after night. You're constantly growing and figuring yourself out.

The same applies to the writing mentality. The more you do it, the more you know what you want to say. It's been a lot of fun, and I've really gotten a good grasp on what I wanted to say on that first record, and now, this new one.

I like to say there's a lot of different facets to [my] artistry. I'm really excited about this album, but there are definitely other things in the works for the near future. So let's just say what's coming out in August is a great sampler — some tastes and flavors of what's to come. 

Obviously, there's music in this new [album that's] a reincarnation of Pretty Little Poison , lyrically and musically. But then there's stuff that's acoustic driven, like "Addictions," [which is] meant for you to soak in the words that I'm saying. But then there is stuff like "Relapse" that fits more into that modern — I don't even know if I want to say pop, but it's a different side of me.

I've been very hands-on with my producers on this music. And whether somebody likes this song or doesn't like this song, they can find something in this project that they like. It's gonna keep the fan base that's already pre-existing and it's going to bring in a new side too, which I'm really excited for.

Hitting The Road With Jelly Roll

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Here's what I'll say: it won't be new to me in numbers. What'll be new to me is the atmosphere.

I've been doing the whole headlining thing since I started hitting the road, minus, obviously, festivals and stuff like that. But these will be the biggest arenas I've stepped into, and being direct support for Jelly Roll, who is having an iconic year , I think it just was a match made in heaven for us to come together and hit the road.

The rooms are getting bigger, but it just gives you that much more of a taste to be like, Let's go put on a hell of a show . Before you know it, you keep working your ass off, and we'll be playing these places and headlining them ourselves.

I've gotten a chance to talk to Jelly Roll and his bandmates quite a bit, and they're just good people. I'm sure there'll be a bunch of fun going on behind backstage and in the parking lots — I guess he's bringing a portable gym, ice baths and saunas. And I'm like, "Dude, you're speaking my love language." So I'm sure there'll be a lot of stories to tell — and not tell.

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Living Legends: Beres Hammond On His Enduring Career, Timeless Music & 'Brand, Jamaica!'

Beres Hammond has had a lengthy career in reggae, both as a member of Zap Pow and as a solo artist. The two-time GRAMMY nominee discussed his enduring popularity and what he hopes younger artists can learn from his story.

Prior to performing his first song at Reggae Sumfest 2024, Jamaica’s largest music festival, legendary vocalist Beres Hammond shared a concise but important message.  "Jamaica," he bellowed, seemingly as a greeting, which he followed by shouting "brand." "We are a brand! I am, you are. Brand! Say it," he instructed. "Brand, Jamaica!"

Throughout his July 20 Sumfest set , Beres interspersed the catchphrase "brand, Jamaica," as if reminding the audience of 15,000 (and the younger artists backstage) at Montego Bay’s Catherine Hall, of Jamaican music’s significant legacy and widespread impact. Countless musical gems comprise brand Jamaica, but few, if any, are more precious than the songs of Beres Hammond.

Born Hugh Beresford Hammond in the small fishing village of Annotto Bay, the two-time GRAMMY nominee first gained notoriety in the early 1970s fronting reggae/R&B fusion outfit Zap Pow. As a solo artist, Beres’ songs primarily explore the erratic complexities of romantic relationships; his charismatic, powerfully granular vocals have been likened to that of soul legends Otis Redding , Teddy Pendergrass and Sam Cooke .  

"I never thought I’d reach this point," Hammond tells GRAMMY.com. "Even now, I still show respect to the folks that helped me to grow and are helping me to still be relevant."

At Sumfest, accompanied by his superb Harmony House band and three flawless female backup singers, Beres delved into his beloved catalog, as the audience, spanning three generations of fans, loudly sang along. After performing his first No. 1 single, the 1976 soul nugget "One Step Ahead," which held the top spot in Jamaica for over three months, Beres reminisced onstage, " People thought I was an American guy. It was my first taste of success, but I had no money, I couldn’t even ride the bus. I was broke!"

Beres released a spate of popular singles beginning in the late 1970s into the mid-1980s yet he continued to struggle financially. His situation improved with his initial release on his own Harmony House label, the 1985 hit "Groovy Little Thing."

A sequence of hits followed recorded for various Jamaican producers including 1987’s "What One Dance Can Do," which spawned several answer records (including Hammond's own "She Loves Me Now"). His 1990 defiant social critique, "Putting Up Resistance" , produced by Tappa Zukie, remains one of the biggest reggae songs from that era.

Working with producer Donovan Germain’s Penthouse Records, in 1990 Beres laid his vocals over a riddim called "A Love I Can Feel" (after singer John Holt’s 1970 hit, itself a Temptations cover). The resultant "Tempted to Touch" topped reggae charts internationally and commenced a stream of Penthouse hits for Beres that also included "A Little More Time" and "Who Say," collaborations with a gruff-voiced teenaged sensation, Buju Banton .

As his fan base expanded throughout the Caribbean and reggae Diaspora, alongside increasing acclaim for his stellar songwriting and passionate, pliant vocals, it was inevitable Beres would attract major label interest. He signed to Elektra Records, for whom he released just one album, the outstanding In Control , in 1994, featuring the sublime, sultry R&B flavored single "No Disturb Sign ."

Between 1996 and 2018 Beres released seven self-produced studio albums through his Harmony House label’s joint venture with Queens, NY based VP Records , including two GRAMMY nominated titles in the Best Reggae Album category. Beres received the nod for his 2001 album, Music is Life at the 44th GRAMMY Awards and again at the 56th GRAMMY Awards for his 2012 album One Love, One Life .

Beres has collaborated with dancehall superstars Sean Paul and Popcaan , and his work has been referenced by Jamaican artists including singer/songwriter Tanya Stephens and sing-jay Mavado . Although he hasn't had a U.S. mainstream hit, Hammond's music is nonetheless recognized by some of the industry’s biggest names. In 2012 Rihanna tweeted the lyrics to Beres’ "They Gonna Talk,"   obliquely addressing her then rekindled relationship with Chris Brown ; at an event in Barbados, she was seen singing along to a medley of Beres hits. Drake conveyed his fondness for the iconic vocalist by retweeting a fan’s declaration that she’d like Beres Hammond to sing at her wedding. Wyclef Jean conclusively expressed the veneration due the bespectacled songster on the outro to his 2001 duet with Hammond "Dance 4 Me," bluntly stating, "All you fake singers, bow down to the legend."

Beres Hammond's most recent single "Let Me Help You" was released on May 3; VP Records says a new Beres project is possibly due by the end of 2024. In between rehearsals for a spate of performances in the New York tri-state area,  Beres Hammond sat down with GRAMMY.com and discussed his enduring popularity, his messages to younger artists and the meaning of "brand, Jamaica."

Welcome back to New York City. I was at Reggae Sumfest and I saw your wonderful performance. There’s something extra special about your performances in Jamaica, seeing, hearing different generations of fans singing along to your songs.

 What I like most is when the young folks, teens and 20s say, "My mom used to listen to you when she’s in the kitchen working, that’s how I know these songs." They still love them, still sing them. It makes me feel like I came out here to do a job and everything’s been accomplished. 

Why do you think your music has such vast appeal among various age groups?  

I think it’s the way I present my songs. I make it so easy for everyone to have access. I don’t use Wall Street words; I make it A-B-C. I just do my thing in the simplest manner so everybody can sing it! 

You just performed two sold out shows at the Coney Island Amphitheater and the New Jersey Performing Arts Center part of your Forever Giving Thanks tour . So many decades after you started out, that must feel extremely gratifying.

 Everyday feels like a new day on the job. I’m giving thanks that I’m in good health and I’ve still got some voice left. All the folks around me, like the band and crew, they’re treating me as if we just started. When you have people around you like that, it’s almost like the journey has just begun. 

Have you been working with the same band members for all these years?  

For a lifetime, almost. Some have been with me for over 30 years. For the newest members, it might be 10 years.

Throughout your Sumfest performance you intermittently shouted, "brand, Jamaica!" What does that mean?

I was talking about me, what a beautiful brand, but also Jamaica, itself, to the world. Helluva brand! I join the folks that still have Jamaica on the world map as a brand to be reckoned with. Because we nah go nowhere. We deh yah! [We’re here].

I’ve always thought of myself as a brand and upcoming artists should recognize the legacy that’s left here for them. I say "brand" again, to make them understand the role they’re supposed to be playing in what was handed down to them. Be proud of what you’ve got because you are standing on some broad shoulders; be careful how you step on those shoulders.

Coming up in the 1970s and early '80s, whose shoulders did you stand on?

What introduced me to wanting to sing was a few voices including Otis Redding, Sam Cooke, Stevie Wonder , he’s still amazing. I used to love Aretha Franklin and I still love Patti LaBelle . I listened to those voices and said, "Yeah, I would love to sing like them." Then checking on my Jamaican folk, Alton Ellis, Delroy Wilson, hearing those voices, I thought, there must be something out there for me.

Learn more: Remembering Coxsone Dodd: 10 Essential Productions From The Architect Of Jamaican Music

  Are there any artists you are mentoring, artists that are standing on your shoulders?  

Some of them come up to me and say Father B — they call me all kinda names, Father B, Dada, and they give me some nice accolades. I don’t seek them out, they find me and I always have the right things to say to them, if they ask. Kids still want to learn and being around me, you will learn many things. 

Thirty years ago, in 1994, you released your album 'In Control' for Elektra Records. It's still one of my favorite albums.  

At that time Elektra went into some merger. The beautiful Elektra crew working with me — some got fired, some went to other places; it was a mess, man. That had a great effect on what the album should have done and really turned me off from Elektra and major labels. This is how people with their big bag of money treat people, come in, push us around. But through the years, I’ve learned that [Elektra] took my music to places that I don’t think I would have reached, so it helped me along. 

You continue to have a very successful career, but I can’t help but wonder, had 'In Control' received the push it should have, would your music be better known beyond a reggae audience?  

I don’t know, but I know where I stand now and where we are still aiming to go. That never came out of our focus because, hey, the sky’s the limit.

Where are you aiming to go, what are some of the things that you’d still like to do?

I’d like to sing that song that makes the whole world sing along. I’m not sure if I’ve made that one yet.

I hope that my Jamaican brothers and sisters who are making music take it seriously and remember, you’re an influence. Ask yourself, what kind of influence do you want to be to the next generation? Do you want to be the one to make them have a better education? Do you want to be the one that makes them aspire to be leaders?  Or do you want to be the one to send them to prison?  

Is there any place that you haven’t yet performed but would like to?  

People have asked me, what’s my favorite place to perform? I still don’t know. My favorite place is anywhere in the world; once you gather to see me, oh God, that’s my favorite place.  

How has the music industry changed in the years that you’ve been in it?  

You have to brace to face any new challenge in music. But all I’ve ever wished for is, no matter what kind of changes the music goes through, keep the thing positive so the people can learn. I can’t tell the younger generation what to do. I had my time and did what I had to do; you have to allow them to be themselves, too. Whatever changes the new generation wants to make, I’m there with them; just keep those values and you’re good. 

  On Jan. 1, 2023, you and Buju Banton put on a very successful concert in Jamaica called Intimate. Any chance you’ll bring that back?  

They just talked to me yesterday about it. [ Hammond  imitates Buju’s resounding voice ] "What ‘appen? What are we saying? Second leg? Father B, give I the green light." So, we are looking forward to bringing that back in January 2025.

Read more: Buju Banton's Untold Stories: The Dancehall Legend Shares Tales Behind 10 Of His Biggest Songs

You’ve recorded many songs with Buju and in 2023 you released another collaborative single "We Need Your Love" ; an album was expected to follow. Are there any release plans for the Beres/Buju album?

We’ve already recorded 12-15 songs so when them ready, they will tell me. I did songs for Buju and he did songs for me. 

  Earlier, you mentioned turning on the radio to hear a song that everyone will sing along to; do you listen to Jamaica’s radio stations to hear the latest music?  

I listen to talk shows to tap into what the country is doing. You have people calling in, talking about what the prime minister is doing, how many people died today. Music is around me through my kids, my friends. I’m up on everything; without actually listening to it, I’m hearing it. 

You have six children; some are pursuing music careers. Tell me about them.  

One of them, DJ Inferno, he’s always on the road with me; he plays before I perform, and he mashes up the place all the while. My son Rasheed is in production, trying to establish his own label, he’s ready to start releasing music. One of my daughters, Nastassja, they call her Wizard, she’s a writer, artist, producer. My other daughter, Andrene, is an actress (Andrene Ward-Hammond stars on the CW Network’s "61st Street") and she’s on tour with me looking after my personal needs.

Sometimes I am out here with all six of my children. It’s a beautiful thing. They make me proud.

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• 1 Young Gun Silver Fox On Staying True To The West Coast Sound While Creating Their Own Shangri-La
• 2 20 Live Events At The GRAMMY Museum This September: Experience Orville Peck, Kate Hudson, Tierra Whack & More
• 3 Zedd's Road To 'Telos': How Creating For Himself & Disregarding Commercial Appeal Led To An Evolutionary New Album
• 4 Warren Zeiders' Big Year: The Country Star Recounts His Journey From 'Pretty Little Poison' To 'Relapse'
• 5 Living Legends: Beres Hammond On His Enduring Career, Timeless Music & 'Brand, Jamaica!'

Young Gun Silver Fox KCRW guest playlist: ‘Ticket to Shangri-La’

Anthony Valadez, Shawn Lee, Novena Carmel, and Andy Platts let the smooth times roll in the KCRW HQ Green Room. Photo by Malorie McCall

Young Gun Silver Fox — the duo composed of Shawn Lee , and Mamas Gun frontman Andy Platts — build on the yacht-rock-mellow-mood set by their 2022 album Ticket to Shangri-La as they share sounds fit for smooth sailing. 

The Doobie Brothers, Marvin Gaye, Barry Manilow, and Paul McCartney are in the mix as we chat with the pair about desert island musts, dance party go-tos, and their Myspace origin story.

See below for their song selects, and the stories behind the picks. 

The Doobie Brothers – “Minute by Minute”

“If I'm choosing one yacht rock jam, the voice is gonna be Michael McDonald,” says Andy Platts. “I want that caramel coming into my ears.” 

Marvin Gaye – “Let’s Get It On”  

“It's probably my favorite overall Marvin record,” says Shawn Lee.

“There's so many great ones: What's Going On , I Want You …  I really love those records too. But this song is just [one that] every time it comes on, it's an instant jam. From the opening — the beat hits, the vocal comes in, and it's just faultless. It's so exuberant. It's slow, but it's so bouncy and full of energy and life. It's fun, and I would never not be in the mood for it. I would never get sick of it.”

Barry Manilow – “Copacabana”

I've got a musician friend who I've known for years, and we've toured the world,” Platt declares. “And after every show, we've gone to a club — often it will be like the hippest club in the city. [I feel like] I have no business being there with the kind of people who are there. But Dave Oliver , he always requests this song. And then he gets the whole whole club to do line dancing. It turns the place around, it's always to this song, and he's like this wizard conduit.”

Paul McCartney & Wings – “Arrow Through Me”

“It's got a soul thing,” says Lee, “but it's very sort of moody and electronic.” 

“Then there's an Isley Brothers kind of “Footsteps in the Dark” thing, and then kind of some Stevie [Wonder]. And this really interesting horn line. It's funky, and it's jaunty. I love that it's a real under your nose deep cut.”

Essaying the pop culture that matters since 1999

Photo: Dan Massie

20 Questions: Young Gun Silver Fox

Dynamic music duo Young Gun Silver Fox put out a yacht-rock album in an era where everything must be gritty and serious, and their melodic sunshine has radiated so strongly that group insisted on giving us a second batch of it.

For the ’70s-loving master producer that is Shawn Lee, his AM pop collaboration with Mama’s Gun singer Andy Platts was likely going to be another one-off adventure in a career that’s been full of them. From his notoriously eclectic Ping Pong Orchestra records to his work behind the boards for albums by the likes of Saint Etienne, Lee’s aesthetic has been one where color, melody, and instrumentation become the bright core of every song he crafts. Doing a full album of yacht-rock wonders? It just made sense.

What happened after his band he formed with Platt, Young Gun Silver Fox, was unexpected. The reaction to the record was immediate, with fans championing the throwback sound of their debut record West End Coast . So good it was, it even topped PopMatters’ Best Pop Albums list in 2016 .

Now, the duo are at it again, having just recently put out a sought-after sophomore record. Their new effort, AM Waves , very much continues in the vein of ’70s sunshine that made their first album such a breath of fresh air in the modern pop landscape, but this time adding in some new flavors to the mix like giving us the lightest touches of disco. So to celebrate the occasion, Shawn Lee sat down to answer PopMatters 20 Questions, revealing an antipathy towards Pixar for making him cry and how he wishes he could travel back to the 1970s just to get that sweet sweet recording equipment.

1. The latest book or movie that made you cry?

Coco . Fucking Pixar, the tear-jerking bastards! I watched it with my youngest daughter and she was like “Daddy, why are you crying?!” Ha ha! My oldest daughter watched it the next day and she was crying too! Good flick.

2. The fictional character most like you?

I’m like Wonder Woman — I make women wonder! But seriously, I’m stranger than fiction! I mean there isn’t a fictional character with a studio and loads of instruments churning record after record is there! Ya dig?

3. The greatest album, ever?

AM Waves of course! Ha ha! Honestly, couldn’t choose just one. This type of question can never have a satisfactory answer. It’s so subjective and really depends on time, mood, and taste.

4. Star Trek or Star Wars ?

Star Trek: are you out of your Vulcan mind?! Star Wars just doesn’t resonate with me. Always found it cheesy, to be honest. Give Me Kirk and Spock any day. “Khan!!”

5. Your ideal brain food?

Music, life, and love — although they are one in the same. I’d also say this is more soul food. Brain can be overrated!

6. You’re proud of this accomplishment, but why?

I’m proud that I’m still enthusiastic about making & playing music and still hungry & learning. So much left to do. All these years later, and I still feel my best work is still ahead of me. Always looking forward.

7. You want to be remembered for …?

I wanna be remembered for my body of work and the love I have put into it. Also, I want people that know me to remember me as some one who liked to laugh out loud and lived a life worth living.

8. Of those who’ve come before, the most inspirational are?

Shuggie Otis, Jimi Hendrix, Ennio Morricone, the Beatles, James Brown, Jeff Porcaro, Steely Dan, Carol Kaye, Alan Parsons, Mike Finnigan, Rudy Love, and so many many more. I could go on and on. I also find inspiration from my kids who keep me grounded and honest. They’re not that impressed with me being a musician! It’s just “normal” to them you know.

9. The creative masterpiece you wish bore your signature?

None. Don’t really think in terms of that honestly. Somebody else’s work is just that. I’m all about trying to reach my potential and do my best work. At the end of the day that’s the name of the game.

10. Your hidden talents . . .?

I’m pretty good at making guacamole! Honestly, I’m not hiding any of my talents: what you see is what you get. Other than music I’m pretty useless sadly!

11. The best piece of advice you actually followed?

“Look both ways before you cross the street.” — Mom. Ha ha! In the real tip, as cheesy as it might seem, the best advice I can personally give to a creative person is always to finish what you start and move forward no matter what… be a finisher!

12. The best thing you ever bought, stole, or borrowed?

My late ’70s Gibson ES 335 guitar that my then girlfriend bought me in 1992. It’s never been far from my hands over the years. A real guitar for life. It’s a thing of beauty!

13. You feel best in Armani or Levis or . . .?

Levi’s fo’ sure! Suits are for “suits”. Comfort is king and denim is my thing!

14. Your dinner guest at the Ritz would be?

I’d invite the Ginger & Mary Ann from Gilligan’s Island for obvious reasons! But seriously having a home-cooked Mexican meal at home with my family beats having dinner with politicians and so-called intellectuals any day!

15. Time travel: where, when and why?

Back to the ’70s to buy up loads of musical equipment! I’d bring it back to my studio and go crazy man! YEAH! The amount of times I’ve had this conversation with other musicians is ridiculous!

16. Stress management: hit man, spa vacation or Prozac?

Studio every time! It’s the one place where everything makes sense, and anything is possible. As Roy Ayers so aptly put: “Music is my sanctuary.”

17. Essential to life: coffee, vodka, cigarettes, chocolate, or . . .?

Morning coffee is survival juice! Don’t like chocolate and I don’t drink or smoke. It’s a fools game!

18. Environ of choice: city or country, and where on the map?

London City, man. Still, my fave place to be after all these years. Also, being in my studio and also hanging out with my kids at home watching a shark program on TV is perfect!

19. What do you want to say to the leader of your country?

You disgust me! Not to mention they are not my leaders. Bloody idiots in charge now. Really depressing. Just thinking about it is upsetting!

20. Last but certainly not least, what are you working on, now?

My studio tan! Actually in addition to all the studio japes I’m traveling a lot playing live gigs. More than ever. On my way back from Germany as we speak where I was playing drums with Jonathan Jeremiah. I’m off to Japan in about 10 days to play some shows with Young Gun Silver Fox which I’m really looking forward to. We’ve got more shows lined up and I’m hoping to start writing some new songs for the third album in September when the whole summer festival season finishes up.

Otherwise, there will be some more upcoming shows with Jonathan and YGSF and the release of the Library Music documentary film that I’ve been working on for the last three years or so in October. So the plan is to stay busy plus I have an upcoming album with Misha Panfilov and productions with Colorama and Diane Birch.

• Young Gun Silver Fox Discography at Discogs
• Young Gun Silver Fox (@younggunsilverfox) • Instagram photos and ...
• Young Gun Silver Fox on Spotify
• Young Gun Silver Fox: Music
• Young Gun Silver Fox - Home | Facebook

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Monty Music / T/A Candelion

July 29, 2018

When Young Gun Silver Fox released West End Coast in 2016, yacht rock was mostly a joke. But what Andy Platts and Shawn Lee knew then—and what “Lenny,” from their recently released AM Wave proves—is that a jam is a jam, regardless of whether you personally take yacht rock seriously or not. Getting down with a big group of people can close even the most ironic of distances.

Lee and Platts are not in this thing for the laughs, but they’re not fools, either; they know the waters they’re sailing here and flirt openly with pastiche throughout their lyrics which find Platts’ heartbroken protagonist getting blotto in a bar he claims is being tended by none other than Lenny Kravitz. The track is gauzy and warm, with Platts’ sweeping melody and a breezy vibraphone line set against a blues-pop guitar lick so smooth you can see John Mayer’s face contorting in ecstasy every time you hear it. But the exuberance in Platts’ voice and the song’s ineffable sweetness make the stakes feel low, as if the pain he’s trying to drink away is little more than an excuse to get down to the watering hole. It’s a hunch that’s ratified by the chorus, when a whole bar joins in in a wall of harmony as bold as bright as the lights at last call. “Pour me one for the road,” Platts sings. “I don’t wanna think about tomorrow,” comes the response from a joyful choir of voices. It’s a moment so indelible, so impossible to argue with, that even the most hardened cynic might crack a smile.

• YOUNG GUN SILVER FOX: Canyons (Monty Music/Candelion)
• March 11, 2020
• By Bill Buckley

YOUNG GUN SILVER FOX are a pair of inventive and prolific music craftsmen …Andy Platts from Mamas Gun and multi-faceted muso Shawn Lee. Platts and Mamas Gun have won acclaim for their blue eyed soul albums while singles like the recent ‘Say You’ll Be Mine’ – a sweet, soulful ballad featuring K-Pop vocal star Kwon Jin-Ah – have been soul chart riders. Lee for his part is a proper music chameleon. The 55 year old Wichita-born multi instrumentalist is a noted producer and award-winning video game, TV and film composer. Of mixed ancestry (his mother enjoys Lebanese and American Indian ancestry and his father is Irish American) and now based in London, he’s recorded solo and as a member of various bands across different genres. Amongst his various recorded incarnations is Shawn Lee’s Ping Pong Orchestra.

The pair bring all their past experiences and influences to the Young Gun Silver Fox sound, which, on the sleeve notes to this, their third album, they describe as “ Westcoast, AOR, soft rock and boogie “. To flesh that out we could say that the sound is a hybrid of America, Steely Dan, Fleetwood Mac, The Doobie Brothers, Carly Simon, Hall & Oates, Michael McDonald and 70s soul and disco. It’s unashamedly old-fashioned, melodic and harmonic (some, I believe, call it “ yacht rock “) and by now you may be familiar with it via this album’s first single, ‘Kids’. The sound is sweet and accessible but the message in the music is a little more enigmatic (yes, in the Steely Dan way!) The pair say that ‘Kids’ is all about “l iving through the lens of a child – or placing yourself in the shoes of a child ” while the general theme of the ‘Canyons’ album is the story of “ the arc of a relationship – with diversions into semi-autobiography, fantasy and removed observation”.

Make of that what you will… but the music is terrific. Highlights abound…. ‘Long Distance Love Affair’ is all enveloping in its beauty… the single in waiting; ‘Danny Jamaica’ comes on like a 70s TV theme (think ‘Rockford’); while ‘All This Love’ is as plaintive a ballad as you’ll hear this year.

Platts’ falsetto is sweet and pure throughout; while Lee’s inventiveness seems to know no bounds. It’s all very clever and very smart but each track packs its own accessible punch.

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Soul and Jazz and Funk is an independent soul news and reviews website compiled by Charles Waring and Bill Buckley , two of the UKs most experienced and respected Soul music writers.

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Breaking news, isis takes responsibility for moscow concert shooting that killed 60, injured 145.

At least 60 people were massacred and 145 others were wounded after several gunmen opened fire during a concert in Moscow on Friday, according to Russian officials.

ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack in a brief statement posted on Telegram on its affiliated news agency Amaq. The terrorist group did not provide any evidence to substantiate their claim.

Disturbing video posted online showed gunmen in military uniforms shooting screaming civilians with automatic weapons as others ducked for cover at the Crocus City Hall, where Russian rock band Picnic was about to take the stage for a sold-out show.

Other footage shows the men firing at concertgoers at point-blank range below the venue’s entrance sign as bloodied bodies lay motionless on the ground.

Russian media reports said that the assailants threw explosives, triggering the massive blaze at the hall, which can hold 6,200 people. Video showed flames and black smoke light up the night sky as scores of ambulances, fire trucks and riot police flocked to the chaotic scene. 

Helicopters dropped water on the building as responders evacuated around 100 people from the basement, Russian media reported. The fire caused the venue’s roof to collapse.

Russia’s Investigative Committee, the top state criminal investigation agency, confirmed that more than 60 people were killed. Another 145 were injured, of which 115 victims — including five children — were hospitalized. 

“Unfortunately, the number of victims may increase,” the agency said in a statement.

Law enforcement officials said several men in combat fatigues entered the concert hall and fired on concertgoers.

“Suddenly there were bangs behind us — shots. A burst of firing — I do not know what,” one witness who asked not to be named  told Reuters .

“A stampede began, everyone ran to the escalator,” the witness said. “Everyone was screaming, everyone was running.”

Volleys of gunfire can be heard ringing out repeatedly in videos posted by Russian media. None of the venue’s security guards had guns and may be among those who were killed, according to reports.

It was not immediately clear what happened to the attackers. Some Russian outlets reported they fled before special forces and riot police arrived.

A US intelligence official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Associated Press that US intelligence agencies had learned ISIS’ Afghanistan branch was planning an attack in Moscow and privately shared the information with Russian officials earlier this month.

On March 7, the US Embassy in Moscow warned American citizens about the threat of terrorist attacks in Moscow — specifically at concerts.

“The Embassy is monitoring reports that extremists have imminent plans to target large gatherings in Moscow, to include concerts, and US citizens should be advised to avoid large gatherings over the next 48 hours,” the embassy said at the time.

Just three days ago, Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the West of making “provocative statements” about potential terror attacks in Russia. He dismissed them in remarks aired on Russian media, NBC News reported.

“I’ll remind you of recent, let’s say directly, provocative statements of certain official Western structures about potential terror attacks in Russia,” Putin said.

“All of this looks like obvious blackmail and an attempt to intimidate, destabilize our country,” he said before the Russian security agency FSB.

ISIS  bombed a Russian passenger plane  over Egypt in Oct. 2015, killing all 224 on board, most of whom were Russians returning from vacation.

The terrorist group, which still operates in Syria and Iraq with branches in other countries, has claimed credit for a number of violent attacks in Russia’s Caucasus and other regions over the years.

On March 7, Russia’s top security agency said it stopped an attack on a Moscow synagogue planned by an ISIS cell. Authorities killed several members in the Kaluga region outside of the capital.

A few days earlier, Russian authorities claimed six alleged ISIS members were killed in a shootout in Ingushetia in Russia’s Caucasus region.

The mass shooting is one of the deadliest attacks in Russia in years. Russia’s foreign ministry called it a “bloody terrorist attack.”

“The entire world community is obliged to condemn this monstrous crime,” Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said. “All efforts are being thrown at saving people.”

White House National Security Adviser John Kirby called the videos and images from the attack “hard to watch.”

“Our thoughts are going to be with the victims of this terrible, terrible shooting attack,” Kirby said. “There are some moms and dads and brothers and sisters and sons and daughters who haven’t gotten the news yet. This is going to be a tough day.”

Kirby said there was “no indication at this time that Ukraine, or Ukrainians were involved in the shooting.”

Zakharova demanded to know how the US could know Ukraine was not involved. She said Washington should immediately pass any information it had to Moscow — or stop making such statements.

“On what basis do officials in Washington draw any conclusions in the midst of a tragedy about someone’s innocence?” Zakharova said.

Kirby told reporters that he does not believe the embassy’s warning earlier this month was related to Friday’s attack. When asked if the US had any prior information about the assault, Kirby said he is “not aware of any advance knowledge that we had of this terrible attack.”

Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak claimed Kyiv “had absolutely nothing to do with these events” in a video message posted on Telegram.

Hours before the attack, the Russian military paralyzed Ukraine’s electrical grid after targeting power sources, leaving more than a million people without power.

Security at Moscow’s airports and railways stations was tightened in response to the shooting. All mass gatherings have been canceled for the weekend in the capital city, the mayor announced.

“A terrible tragedy occurred in the shopping center Crocus City today,” Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said. “I am sorry for the loved ones of the victims.”

The attack comes just days after Putin secured his grip on the country for another six years  in a landslide election victory .

The Kremlin said Putin is aware of Friday’s attack.

“The president constantly receives information about what is happening and about the measures being taken through all relevant services. The head of state gave all the necessary instructions,” spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.

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