André 3000 On His Surprise Flute Album: ‘It’s Pure Excitement – Like A Child Seeing Bubbles For The First Time’
André 3000 announced this week that he would release a flute album with no lyrics, and fans are intrigued.
John Coltrane started André 3000’s jazz journey. His initial instrument was the saxophone, but he switched to Coltrane’s bass clarinet, then the flute. “Woodwinds had a softer, smoother sound,” he explains. “[It] just felt right to me.”
It is one of pop’s most drastic changes. New Blue Sun is rap-free. “I Swear, I Really Wanted to Make a “Rap” Album, But This Is Literally the Way the Wind Blew Me This Time” is the first track.
“I wanted to make a rap album because you want to please your fans. I want to silence them,” says André. “New Blue Sun is lovely. I value it more than rapping about how cool I am or how this girl is fine. Those are human things, but I’m attempting to deal with a value system.”
Have you given André 3000’s new instrumental album? What are your thoughts?
