Rolling Stone - India (January 2020)

> ISSUE 00144 > JANUARY 2020
> rollingstoneindia.com











10 Best Indian
How Singles, EPs,

Coldplay’s Albums & Music

Chris Videos of 2019


Martin Lucky Ali

Fixed Teams Up

Himself With Eliezer


Botzer




























PRABH DEEP









THE POLITICS IN HIS HIP-HOP

Contents



















ISSUE 144
‘ALL THE NEWS THAT FITS’
40






Prabh Deep:

India’s Most Fearless
Rapper


New Delhi’s moshpit-starting,
soul-searching star is now thinking
beyond hip-hop in 2020.
By Anurag Tagat

Contents 12























The Mix


12 How Indo-Canadian
Producer Arnob Bal
Is Shaping the Sound
of Indian Indie
Musicians
The Mumbai-based sound
engineer has recently worked
on music with Indian artists
Tejas, Short Round and The
Koniac Net.
14 Magnetic Fields
2019: Notes from the
Nonstop Desert Party
The music festival is one of the
country’s must-attend events.
56 Lucky Ali and Israeli
Artist Eliezer Botzer
Collaborate on the
Soulful ‘On My Way’
The Indo-Israeli collaboration
has also led to a full-length
album called ‘Lemalla.
’34 Q&A: H.E.R.
The alt-R&B rising star talks
blues, genre stereotypes and
life as a child prodigy.


Departments



71 Playlist
Billie Eilish’s “Everything I Arnob Bal PARIZAD D
Wanted,” Grimes’ “My Name Is
Dark,” The Weeknd’s “Blinding
Online Exclusive ON THE COVER
Lights” and more.
72 Music Reviews Photographer: Ashish Sahu
English pop star Harry Styles Styled Exclusively: UNITED COLORS OF BENETTON
makes retro-rock with a Fireball Festival
sensitive touch on his second On January 12th, Greenwood Resort in Guwahati will host Fireball Festival Art Director: Tanvi Shah
LP ‘Fine Line,’ Tinashe’s ‘Songs which will be headlined by San Diego metal giants As I Lay Dying. Also on
For You,’ an R&B treat and the bill are Bengaluru thrash metal band Inner Sanctum, Guwahati metal Fashion Editor: Neelangana Vasudeva
Ozuna’s reggaeton in space. outfit Rectified Spirit, Gangtok arena rock group Arogya and more. Prabh Deep’s Hair and Makeup: Make Over by Anuj Dogra


January 2020 | Rolling Stone India | 3

INDIA USA

Gus Wenner
Radhakrishnan Nair PRESIDENT & CHIEF OPERATING
OFFICER, ROLLING STONE
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF & PUBLISHER
Jason Fine
EDITOR, ROLLING STONE
EXECUTIVE EDITOR Nirmika Singh Sean Woods
DEPUTY EDITOR, ROLLING STONE
SENIOR WRITER Anurag Tagat
Joe Hutchinson
SENIOR WRITER & Riddhi Chakraborty CREATIVE DIRECTOR, ROLLING
STONE
VIDEO PRODUCER
Catriona ni Aolain
STAFF WRITER David Britto DIRECTOR OF CREATIVE CONTENT,
ROLLING STONE
TRAINEE WRITER Jessica Xalxo
SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER Palak Joshi Jann S. Wenner
FOUNDER AND EDITORIAL
FASHION EDITOR Neelangana Vasudeva DIRECTOR, ROLLING STONE
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Sunil Sampat,
Soleil Nathwani
ART DIRECTOR Tanvi Shah
ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTOR Hemali Limbachiya
ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR Anshul Bhansali
Jay Penske
PRODUCTION MANAGER Mangesh Salvi CHAIRMAN AND CEO
SENIOR DIGITAL MANAGER Jayesh V. Salvi
ADVERTISING & SALES ROLLING STONE is owned and pub-
lished by Penske Media Corporation.
EXECUTIVE PUBLISHER Minal Surve
George Grobar
BRAND DIRECTOR Tulsi Bavishi CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
MUMBAI [email protected]
Debashish Ghosh
DEPUTY GENERAL MANAGER Noha Qadri MANAGING DIRECTOR
MUMBAI [email protected] Kevin LaBonge
VICE PRESIDENT, GLOBAL
GENERAL MANAGER Manoj Sharma PARTNERSHIPS AND LICENSING
DELHI [email protected] Gurjeet Chima
SENIOR DIRECTOR,
CIRCULATION MANAGER Bhautik Mehta INTERNATIONAL MARKETS
(9819728984) Laura Ongaro
EDITORIAL AND BRAND DIRECTOR,
MIS & OPERATIONS Santosh P. Gajinkar INTERNATIONAL
(9969571319)
EDITORIAL OFFICE:
401, 4th Floor, Todi Building, Mathuradas Mills Compound,
Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel, Mumbai 400013.
Tel:67487777.
E-MAIL: [email protected],
[email protected]


REGIONAL OFFICES:
24/01, First Floor, Hauz Khas Village,
New Delhi 110016;
33/1, Santhome Ist Stage, 1st A Cross,
Indira Nagar, Bengaluru 560038;
2, Nabapalli (Bindanpalli), Kolkata 700084


Copyright © 2019 by ROLLING STONE LLC.
All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or
in part without permission is prohibited.
The name ROLLING STONE and the logo thereof are
registered trademarks of ROLLING STONE LLC, ROLLING STONE (ISSN 0035-791x)
whose trademarks have been licensed to is published 12 times per year, which
MW.Com India Private Limited. is subject to change at any time, by
Penske Business Media, LLC, 475
Published by Radhakrishnan Nair on behalf of Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10017.
MW.Com India Private Limited. The entire contents of ROLLING
STONE are copyright
© 2019 by ROLLING STONE LLC,
Published at MW.Com India Private Limited, and may not be reproduced in any
401, 4th Floor, Todi Building, Mathuradas Mills Compound, manner, either in whole or in part,
Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel, Mumbai 400013. without written permission. All
Tel:67487777. rights are reserved. International
Publications Mail Sales Product
www.rollingstoneindia.com Agreement No. 450553.



4 | Rolling Stone | January 2020

Correspondence


+ LOV E L ET T ER S & A DV ICE










> ISSUE 00143 > DECEMBER 2019
> rollingstoneindia.com











Alter Bridge Keep It
Heavy

‘Walk The Sky’ is probably one of my fa-
“To see A.R. vorite albums and the songs that they’ve
Rahman on the put together on the record are truly
amazing. It’s quite an irony since I’m not
cover supporting a big fan of heavy rock music but some-
thing just connected me to Alter Bridge’s
A .R .RAHMAN English music and sound. The piece was really fresh and it’s
great to know that sometime in the future
musicians in India
I might just see them perform live. 
THE MENTOR is refreshing..” — Rohit Roy
The maestro is on a nationwide talent hunt for promising
young artists he will mentor for Nexa Music — Abhishek Kapur



A.R. Rahman: The Mentor


I think every Nineties Indian kid has grown up grateful the artists must be to be supported
listening to A.R. Rahman songs. So to see him and mentored by a legend. Also, “Ahimsa”
on the cover supporting English music and was the perfect collaboration with Irish
musicians in India is refreshing. I, as a listener, rockers U2 that we didn’t know we needed
look up to him and I cannot imagine how until now.

Connecting With
Sarathy Korwar

SPOTLIGHT The sounds on Sarathy Korwar’s album
are interesting and one of the major
reasons why I got into his music. They
Eric Nam’s Rise take you on a journey that you didn’t
imagine. From his most recent album,
“Mumbay” is definitely my favorite
song solely because I relate to it more
I have been a fan of Eric Nam than the other songs.
for a long time. From his Arirang
days to his own podcast - it’s —Naveen Kamath
beautiful to witness his journey.
Reading this interview of him
and where he does acknowledge
his Indian fans, it’s a feeling
that I cannot put into words. CONTACT US
With Nam acknowledging and le tte rs: rolling stone india,
reassuring his fans here that he MW.Com India Private Limited,
will come to India as soon as he 401, 4th Floor, Todi Building, Mathuradas
sees an opportunity is what we Mills Compound, Senapati Bapat Marg,
wanted to hear. Looking forward Lower Parel, Mumbai 400 013.
to seeing him perform live in e -m ail: [email protected]
India someday soon. Letters/e-mails will be edited for brevity.
su b scrib e r se rvice s:
— Natasha Mistry [email protected],
022-61436327-29
RollingStoneIndia RollingStoneIn

January 2020 | Rolling Stone | 5





TheMıx













WHAT’S NEW, WHAT’S NEXT, WHAT’S NUTS
















Marcus


King’s True


Blues



He used to be an insecure
outcast. Now the guitarist is
introducing Southern rock
to a new generation
















































PHOTOGRAPH BY Cameron Wittig

The Mix
The Mix




BOOKS
Rock & Roll


Exposure





Ethan Russell remembers getting a call from writer Jon-
athan Cott in 1968. “He said, ‘Do you want to photograph
my next interview?’” says Russell, who had at that point photo-
graphed only one band: Blue Cheer. Cott’s interview happened to
be with Mick Jagger for Rolling Stone.
“I thought, ‘This is it,’” Russell says. “‘I’m happy
for the rest of my life.’” Russell would become one
Ethan Russell
of the most prominent photographers in rock, cap- Photographs
turing the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and the KQLY PRESS
$50
Who. His new book, Ethan Russell Photographs, is
a collection of iconic images. “When I was around
them, I was very shy,” he says of the bands he shot. “I very seldom
told them what to do.” Which worked out: “You get the most in-
teresting pictures when the people are not engaged with having
their picture taken. [Because] having your photograph taken —
what the fuck is that?” ANGIE MARTOCCIO























WILD HORSES SCHOOL DAYS ▶
For the cover of 1976’s Hasten Chuck Berry and Mick Jagger
Down the Wind, Russell shot backstage, 1969. “Here we
Linda Ronstadt after sunset at have [rock’s] Generation One
her Malibu home. “The horse,” talking to Generation Two,”
he says, “was a complete Russell says. “It’s a pretty
accident.” historic moment.”




But it all turned out OK. King started taking FAST FACTS how crazy-good his vocals are, how he can go any-
MARCUS KING classes at a local music school to study jazz, lead- TRUCKIN’ King’s where on guitar,” says Auerbach.
ing him to where he is now: one of the most ex- most surreal mo- King is a big, soft-spoken guy who talks
ix years ago, Marcus King felt lost. A citing guitarists to break through in years. With ment? Covering with the battered wisdom of a veteran touring
long-haired, pot-smoking kid going to a gruff, soulful rumble of a voice, a deep love of “In Memory of musician (“I love soul food, but you can’t eat that
S school in the small town of Piedmont, Muscle Shoals, and a fluid, rapid-fire guitar style Elizabeth Reed” shit every day”). He comes from a long line of
South Carolina, he struggled to fit in — he that recalls both Duane Allman and Mountain’s with Tedeschi music lifers in South Carolina; his grandfather
Trucks Band on
hated sports and missed enough classes to Leslie West, King has been blowing minds at tour in 2018. was a country guitarist who played with Char-
nearly be expelled for truancy. “I have nothing events like Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Fes- CLEAN GREEN ley Pride, and his dad was a local blues hero. “His
good to say about Piedmont, no good memo- tival and headlining big rooms like New York’s King is trying to granddad had a Gibson, his dad had a Gibson,
ries,” says the guitarist. “They were trying to put Beacon Theatre on his own. King is about to re- be healthy: “It’s and now Marcus has a Gibson — it’s all ingrained THIS SPREAD: ©ETHAN RUSSELL, 7
me away, trying to put me into a juvenile deten- lease an excellent album, El Dorado, produced been a year of in his brain,” says Auerbach.
tion center, trying to shave my head, put me in a and co-written with the Black Keys’ Dan Auer- sobriety, with King says that music “was medicine for my
jail. And I was like, ‘I didn’t do anything. I just bach, who had been wanting to work with him the exception of family.” It turns out he means this literally: “My
missed a couple days of class.’” for a few years. “It’s staggering how good he is, herbs,” he says. grandfather started having really bad ulcers, so

January 2020 | Rolling Stone | 9

PLAY WITH FIRE
Rolling Stones founder and guitarist
Brian Jones at home in East Sussex,
England, 1969, before he died in his
swimming pool that July. Russell claims
Jones spontaneously put on the flag shirt
and grabbed the gun. “He was probably
hungover,” Russell says.


























MILK AND HONEY
John Lennon and Yoko Ono,
1968. “Photographing Mick
Jagger was a huge fucking
deal,” says Russell. “John
Lennon was that on steroids.”
EMPTY PAGES
Steve Winwood, 1968. “He
wasn’t very communicative,”
Russell says. “He’s a stoner...
in his own world a little bit.”








ROCK & ROLL CIRCUS
Taj Mahal and the Stones rehearsing for The Rock GET OFF MY CLOUD
and Roll Circus at Londonderry Hotel in 1968. “It was Charlie Watts and Keith Richards on the Stones’ touring
family entertainment,” Russell says of the concert film. plane in 1972. “We were transitioning at this point into the
“When he came to the door, Keith leapt to his feet, celebrity culture,” Russell says. “They were at the top of
strode over, and gave him a hug. Something I’d never the pyramid. Behind me as I’m taking this picture is Truman
seen Keith do.” Capote.”




the doctor suggested he start playing again. He “It’s erbach heard King, though, he thought his and told him how much he loves his music. “It
never stopped again until he died.” Marcus was staggering sound could translate even beyond the jam- still doesn’t feel real, at all,” King says.
playing as early as three years old, and his instru- how good he band world. He invited King to Nashville, King is touring throughout 2020, including
ment became an important tool as he dealt with is,” says Dan pushed him to record solo, and wrote songs opening some dates for Chris Stapleton. As his
his mental health. “I’ve struggled with it since Auerbach. with him on the acoustic guitar. “I think it was career takes off, one of his goals is to raise aware-
I was a kid: depression, parts of bipolar disor- “How crazy- really nice for him to get into the studio and ness about mental health, especially in music. “I
ders, obsessive-compulsive, chronic anxiety, all good his voice let his guard down, mix it up with some differ- guarantee you Otis Redding did not go to a ther-
this stuff,” he says. Playing especially helped him is, how he can ent musicians,” says Auerbach. “We wrote as apist,” King says. “A lot of us tend to use music as
get through the death of one of his close friends go anywhere many songs as we possibly could and just let our therapist. But sometimes it’s good to talk to
in middle school. “I had no way to get it out,” he on the guitar.” the cream rise to the top.” a professional.”
says. “I needed to speak to somebody, even if it “I feel really proud of it,” King says of the new Still, he acknowledges the strange healing
was [myself].” album. He talks about other highlights from the effect of his guitar. “Music is kinda like your dog
King started the Marcus King Band at age past year, including rising to the occasion at the sometimes,” King says. “You feel like it’s the only
15. Within just a few years, Warren Haynes Crossroads Festival, where he met Bill Murray, thing that’s never hurt you. The only thing you
released the group’s first album. When Au- Bonnie Raitt, and Clapton, who embraced King can really trust.” JONATHAN BERNSTEIN

10 | Rolling Stone | January 2020

The Mix





Mumbai Musicians Randolph



Correia and Sidd Coutto Form



New Band Laptop





The pair’s debut hard-hitting single ‘Granted’ is set to release soon

recording and jam at Mumbai’s Island eclectic than one might
now we have City Studios. He says, imagine. It won’t be just
a three-song “We said let’s just plug in sticking to the genre
EP coming out and play. There was no that you hear on the EP.”
soon.” planning, there was no, Coutto adds, “I’m playing
Before the ‘Let’s do this [or] I have drums and singing and
yet-to-be-titled an idea’ we just went into Randolph is playing
three-track EP the studio and played guitar – we decided not
drops in a month, and came up with seven to hold ourselves back
Laptop are read- or eight different ideas after making music for 20
ying their debut including vocal ideas. So something years. We’re
single in the form literally the arrangement thinking, ‘How can we
of the glitch rock is exactly the same like we entertain the audience
offering “Grant- did at the jam.” in a one hour or two-
ed,” slated to The musicians tell us hour span, taking it up
be released in a that the way they are and down?’ Whatever
we have in order to do
that technology-wise and
instrumental wise and it’s
not just restricted to the
two instruments we have
on stage.”
Both Correia and
Coutto are also quite
complimentary to each
Randolph
Correia other. “Randolph has
been my favorite guitar
player since I was 16,” says
wo indian and they are playing a Coutto. “We mostly ran
bands that are laptop. But here, there are into each other during
Tsynonymous two guys playing on stage the same gigs also being
with shaping the sound and there is no laptop,” from the same city and
of the country’s rock says Coutto. we were always hanging
scene in the Nineties and A year ago, the two- out and having the same
early 2000s are Mumbai some began conversing laughs and jokes,” the
outfits Pentagram and on starting a project guitarist says. Coutto also
Zero. Now, Pentagram’s together. Those conver- tells us that working with
guitarist Randolph sations eventually led to Correia reminds him of
Correia aka Func and them jamming and writ- his younger self and how
drummer Sidd Coutto ing a bunch of material. he was energized starting
from the erstwhile Zero Coutto says, “We decided out in his first band. On
Sidd
have joined forces to form to just do something as a Coutto what the project means
a new pulsating electro- two-piece band with our to Correia, he says, “It’s
rock duo called Laptop. musical talent into one few weeks accompanied going to approach their the selfish desire to get KUNAL SHAH; ROYCIN D’SOUZA
“It was kind of funny project. Then time flew by a trippy music video. live set is “almost like a back into the same feeling
because normally you see by and a couple of Correia tells us that the DJ.” The guitarist says, we did like back in the
two guys on stage playing months back we started song was born out of a “I think it will be more Nineties.” DAVID BRITTO


January 2020 | Rolling Stone | 11

The Mix


How Indo-Canadian




Producer Arnob Bal Is




Shaping the Sound of




Indian Indie Musicians




The Mumbai-based sound engineer has recently worked on music with Indian
artists Tejas, Short Round and The Koniac Net



hen growing of film scores, the Ocean’s friend’s request, he knew Canada and she happened
up in St. Eleven soundtrack and he wanted to produce to have an aunt living in
WJohn’s, ambient electronic tracks their music. He says, Bandra. Bal narrates that
Newfoundland in Canada, which opened up my “The energy was just after finding out he was
Indo-Canadian multi- mind.” Bal also began to unbelievable.” Bal adds, “I musically inclined, the aunt
instrumentalist/producer develop an appreciation for have no idea how I’m going gave him a phone number
Arnob Bal managed songwriting while still in to convince these random of a local musician. That
to get his hands on school. dudes that I don’t know musician happened to
American rock band Red After graduating from that I should produce an be Mumbai rockers The
Hot Chili Peppers’ Memorial University album for them.” After Bal’s Koniac Net’s drummer
documentary Funky of Newfoundland, Bal friend got him acquainted Karun Kannampilly. “He
Monks which chronicles traveled for a few years and with the group, they began took ownership of me,
the making of their 1991 lived in Scotland before work on The Lipstick invited me to places and
album Blood Sugar Sex moving to Toronto. “I Junkie’s debut self- made sure that I showed
Magik. “I watched it spent a year in a dead- titled record (2014). The up. If there’s a party or
just over and over again end job working for an producer explains that this something, nine times
religiously because I knew American health insurance was the first album where out of 10 I would just go
how to play that album company.” Once he quit his he came in with a pen and even if I felt like I didn’t
at that time, at least on job, the producer started paper and a proper plan want to go,” says Bal. The
guitar, bass, drums, so I working on making his to execute. He says, “The following year, Bal also
was just fascinated by that.” own music. In 2010, Bal second that I showed up tried his hand at producing
He adds, “As I watched it began collaborating with for this for the first time Bollywood tracks but didn’t
more, I noticed [American artists in Toronto and by to make this album with a fancy it too much. He says,
producer] Rick Rubin more 2013 he recorded musician band, I felt I’ve just been “I found that the feedback
than the Chili Peppers and I DrewLIVE (formerly training my whole life to do was also uniform and
saw what he was doing and known as AndrewLIVE)’s this in my mind [and] I’ve commercialized and in a
kind of how he was guiding album LIVE From The just been going through corporate way.”
them. I was like, ‘Oh that’s 32nd Floor. He says, “That this process and then Bal’s next project
what a record producer was the first full-length finally I have the chance to probably has to go down
does. That should be my album I ever produced. do it.” He adds, “It was such as his most ambitious yet.
career.’” And the title of the album a smooth process.” The producer worked with
Bal tells us that his was because we both lived In 2015, Bal moved to Canadian alternative band
father was a singer and together on the 32nd Mumbai after the passing Roundelay on their 2017
that his mother was always floor of this condominium of his father and he says, album There Just Might Be singer live in my hometown
a patron of the arts. He in Toronto.” He adds, “I dedicated to actually Enough Time. What makes St. John’s Newfoundland.
says, “Music was a big “Looking back it was just living in Bombay, living it ambitious was that all of The drummer was living
thing in my family.” The such a huge deal for me.” in the city, making friends Roundelay’s band members in Toronto which is a two
producer’s musical taste Next, Bal was eager to and actually making were scattered around and a half hour flight at
includes everything from work with a rock band. connections.” different parts of Canada least from St. John’s and
hip-hop and jazz to rock, After watching Toronto During this time, Bal’s at the time. Ask Bal what the bass player was living in
metal and even country rockers The Lipstick then-girlfriend was visiting he did and he says, “Two Whistler, British Columbia,
music. “I was buying CDs Junkies at a gig upon a him in Mumbai from guys, the guitarist and which is on the other end of


12 | Rolling Stone | January 2020

the country, five time zones D’Souza’s Frank Gabriel electronica leaning single Round dropped his latest songwriter Mali’s forthcoming
away. I was like, ‘Listen, you Audio studio. “River” which included Bal’s offering Favourite Strangers, record. Ask Bal what the best
guys stay where you are. I 2019 has been quite touch under the moniker with producer credits for part of his job is and he says,
will fly to you.’” And that’s a year for Bal in terms FamLi. By April, The Koniac both records going to Bal. “Every now and then you put
how Bal got the recording of music that’s been Net put out their new Currently, Bal is working on something that you’ve
done for the band. He released by Indian artists record They Finally Herd on voice-overs, his own done and it’s actually good
returned to Mumbai to he’s worked with. In Us and in June Mumbai- electronica music under and you’re shocked. You’re
mix the record at The January Mumbai singer- based singer-songwriter the moniker FamLi as like, ‘Wow!’ That’s satisfying.” PARIZAD D
Koniac Net’s guitarist Jason songwriter Tejas released his Jishnu Guha aka Short well as Mumbai singer- DAVID BRITTO


January 2020 | Rolling Stone | 13

Magnetic







Fields 2019:





Notes from the

Nonstop Desert Party



The music
festival is one of

the country’s
must-attend
events

























































SACHIN SONI
Australian producer HAAi performing
at Magnetic Fields 2019.

VEN THOUGH we drummer Jyotin Elangbam of the festival respectively. Over at the JioSaavn Stage, THE HARP
attended Magnetic – were a refreshing dose away Diggs delighted us with her the likes of Pune producer
EFields 2018 and came from all the electronic music funk remixes, R&B tunes and Pulpy Shilpy (day two) and MEETS
away from it quite chuffed, at the festival. The band ran trippy jazz. Diggs' selection Chennai’s lo-fi artist JBABE
2019’s edition went a notch through songs off their 2018 also included English acid jazz (day three) treated attendees ELECTRONICA
sets atop the Alsisar Palace. WITH
higher and probably cement- debut EP AKA Lo Peninsula band Jamiroquai‘s “Cosmic to wonderful sundowner
ed the event as a must-at- such as the gritty “Another Girl” which went down well
tend for any music festival Divine Joke,” the distorted bass with the crowd. Delhi Sultanate Pulpy Shilpy’s poetic words ‘ASRAR’
junkie. Here are some of the offering “Sleight of Hand,” the for his part spun vinyls which accompanied with jazz and
highlights from the three-day wistful “Flashback Kid,” their ranged from reggae, ska, drum soul influences made for quite Day two saw the BUDX
nonstop party extravaganza 2017 melancholic single “Tidal and bass and more which got a moving set. JBABE – who South Stage filled with
which took place between De- Waves” and more. everyone grooving. also performed on day two attendees eager to check out
cember 13th and 15th at the with his band, alt-rockers The the collaborative project
Alsisar Palace in Rajasthan. Natasha Diggs F16s – sported a sequined be- ‘ASRAR’ comprising Mumbai
dazzled jacket and performed harpist-vocalist Nush Lewis
tracks off his recently released and producer Riatsu. The
SPRYK’S debut album Play the Piano performance was specially
DREAMY Drunk Like a Percussion curated for Magnetic Fields
2019 and it didn’t disap-
Instrument Until the Fingers
AUDIO- Begin to Bleed a Bit. JBABE’s point. Riatsu triggered bass
chilled out electronica jux-
lines and synths while Lewis
VISUAL SET taposed with rock elements, strung together beautifully
synths and lush vocals created arranged harp parts and
Mumbai producer Tejas Nair a fascinating sundowner quaint vocals that sat togeth-
aka Spryk had a treat for our atmosphere. The two artists er superbly. Overall, the set
eyes and ears on day one of sets were perfect for attendees was well put together and
the festival. The electronica to begin with for what was to we hope it makes its way to
artist presented a sublime be long nights ahead. other cities soon.
audio-visual set at the BUDX
South Stage by Budweiser
Magnetic Fields commission ‘ASRAR’
Experiences. Spryk went featuring Nush Lewis (left) and
from triggering samples to Riatsu on the BUDX South Stage.
playing some sweet snare and NATASHA PULPY
kick drum patterns on an
octopad while pensive visuals DIGGS AND SHILPY AND
were projected on a thin BFR SOUND JBABE’S
sheet in front of the produc-
er. Spryk also engaged the SYSTEM’S ADORING
audience with jazzy electron-
ica tunes which was a good MORNING SUN DOWNER
fit at the festival. DELIGHT SETS
LO AT THE

PENINSULA RAY -BAN
SHOWCASE STUDIOS JBABE

SHOEGAZE DESERT
PSYCH OASISSTAGE

ROCK
Imphal shoegaze group Lo New York City-based DJ
Peninsula amped things up Natasha Diggs and reggae
with their psychedelic tunes dancehall artist Delhi Sul-
on the first day at the BUDX tanate (BFR Sound System)
South Stage. The group – both put on emphatic “good FROM TOP: WOLFMAN; MOHIT MUKHI
comprising guitarist-vocalist morning” sets over at the
Nitin Shamurailatpam, bass- Ray-Ban Studios Desert Oasis
ist Avinash Thokchom and Stage on day two and three


January 2020 | Rolling Stone | 15

WHEN THE

F16s
SERVED Maribou State

SOME
RIFFS

On day two of the festival
Chennai band The F16s, like
Lo Peninsula earlier, brought
some rock to the party amid
all the dancefloor vibes
around us. The group was at
their effervescent best churn-
ing out raucous riffs, guitar
solos, pulsating drum parts,
clever keyboard work, groovy
bass lines as well as frontman
Josh Fernandez’s dreamy
vocals. The F16s’ set consisted
of material from their 2016
album Triggerpunkte as well
as from this year’s four-track
EP WKND FRNDS.
PACIFIST
TURNED MARIBOU PALMS Palms Trax

THE STATE’S TRAX KEPT

PEACOCK ECLECTIC THE PARTY
CLUB AND GOING ON
UPSIDE DIVERSE THE LAST

DOWN LIVE SET DAY AT THE


Mumbai post-hardcore band U.K. duo Maribou State RAY-BAN
Pacifist’s performance at the comprising Chris Davids and STUDIOS
Peacock Club stage, to put it Liam Ivory took electron-
mildly, was thumping. The ica music to a whole new DESERT
group – comprising vocal- level with a diverse live set. OASIS STAGE
ist Sidharth Raveendran, For their performance, the
guitarist-producer Apurv pair was accompanied by
Agrawal, drummer Varun a drummer, an additional If you are attending Mag-
Sood, bassist Utkarsh Jaiswal percussionist who doubled netic Fields, you better be
and guitarist Ashish Dharkar up as a bassist and two sing- ready to party not just over
– ran through material off ers churning out honeyed the weekend but well into
this year’s debut EP Greyscale vocals. The band displayed the final performance of the
Dreams and created quite the moody funk and R&B tunes festival. Palms Trax, who
headbanging atmosphere in- with elements of jazz, soul hit the Ray-Ban Studios
side the Peacock Club, as part and rock thrown into the Desert Oasis Stage, went on
of a showcase put together by mix at times. Definitely to play a pumping last set.
artist and event label REPro- one of the highlights of The Berlin-based electronic
duce Artists. It was intriguing the festival, Maribou State artist’s techno sounds were
to hear a band of Pacifist’s delivered quite a punch that the perfect swan song for the
FROM TOP: ABHISHEK SHUKLA; WOLFMAN
decibel level make their way was perhaps missing from festival as attendees filled
to the Magnetic Fields lineup. last year’s lineup, when U.K. the sand around the stage
Hopefully, the festival contin- jazz/electronic artist Kamaal with their dance moves and
ues to program heavy acts like Williams pulled out of the grooved along like they had
them for future editions. lineup at the last minute. never before. DAVID BRITTO

The Mix























































Alt Pop Group Chennai Street



Band Release Debut LP



‘Payanangal’


n 2015 when record was mixed by engi-
Tamil Nadu’s neers Pradvay Sivashankar
IChennai Street The seven-track album ranges from fusion rock, poignant and Vivek Thomas. Next,
Band formed with just Chennai Street Band is
composer/producer ballads, sing-along tunes and more working on music videos
Srihari Jagannathan and for “Nadodi,” “Yaaro Aval”
drummer Goutham Healer and “Mayavi.” On the
they were initially playing began working on their title track) and rock songs their stories; it kind of live front, a tour is in the
a lot of commercial own material. Now, (“Mayavi,” “Vaazhkai Oru made me realize we are all pipeline. The band also
gigs. “We played film the group is out with Vattam”). Jagannathan the same. It was liberating has plans to start work
music predominantly,” their debut seven-track tells us that the inspira- and life-changing for me.” on a Hindi EP titled Sa-
says Jagannathan. After album Payanangal. tion for the songs comes He adds, “[The record is] a farnama at the beginning
meeting guitarists Akshay The new LP – which the from his time traveling on cycle of life.” of next year. “We want
Yesodharan and Renin band started tracking in solo trips. He says, “I met Payanangal was re- to tour, perform live and
Raphael, bassist Adithya 2017 – includes everything people from all across the corded at Voice and Vision take the music to as many COURTESY OF THE ARTIST
Gopi and keyboardist from pop offerings (“Nado- globe who were like-mind- Studios in Chennai and music festivals as we can,”
Sebastian Satish at di,” “Yaaro Aval”), ballads ed. I used to journal my predominantly produced says Jagannathan.
a gig was when they “Paravaigal Naam” and the thoughts after hearing by Jagannathan. The DAVID BRITTO


January 2020 | Rolling Stone | 17

Chris Martin decided he was W hen coldplay first appeared








After 20 years of leading one

in our pages, in 2000, Rolling
of the world’s biggest bands,
Stone wondered: Were the new
Brit-pop group “the next Ra-
diohead? Or the next Verve,
or Travis?” Today, it’s clear
done pleasing other people they were none of those things. Over the past 20 years, Cold-
— and hit a new creative high play have carved out their own place in the world: as stadium-
filling, genre-defying optimists in an age of irony. They are argu-
ably the biggest band in the world today — their tour behind 2015’s
By Jann S. Wenner A Head Full of Dreams grossed $523 million, a run they kicked off
with a set at the Super Bowl with Beyoncé and Bruno Mars. All
of that success caused frontman Chris Martin to take a step back.
“There was a slight sense of peace,” he says on a recent afternoon
in New York. “All we have to do now is follow the muse.” Coldplay’s
eighth album, Everyday Life, is unlike anything they’ve made be-
fore, a meditative double disc that embraces gospel, folk, and even
Afrobeat. Martin addresses such hot-button subjects as gun con-
How audio of Philadelphia police officers harassing innocent black sus-
trol, mass incarceration, and racism (“Trouble in Town” features
pects), as well as fatherhood (he has two children with ex-wife
Gwyneth Paltrow). He’s proud of the album, even if he’s a little
uncertain of its commercial viability. That contentment is some-
thing Martin has been working toward as long as he’s been writ-
ing. Here’s how he got there.
Chris start for you?
What was the urge in you to play music? When did that
When I was 11, I was at a very old-fashioned [boarding] school,
and this teacher came in that was a bit of a maverick. I’d been told
before that I wasn’t allowed to be musical, really, because I didn’t
sing in the choir and stuff. And then this guy came in and said, “No.
Everybody’s musical.” There were a bunch of these kids’ keyboards
Martin around the room, and he said, “Everyone go and mess around.”
Something just opened. At the end of the class, I said, “Hey, this
is what I got!” And he was very encouraging. That’s when the lit-
tle fire started.
In that moment?
In that moment. I didn’t know what to do about that for a few years.
I was having a bit of a rough time around 13, 14 [years old], and
that’s when I knew: “I’ve got to go and make something of myself.
Fixed Just hanging out and playing football is not working for me.”









Himself MACHETE BANG BANG












18 | Rolling Stone | January 2020



CHRIS MARTIN





You didn’t fit in with those guys? What that did was ease a big pressure, and made peace. All we have to do now is follow the muse. I
I did a bit, but I was going through some stuff with me question, “Hey, maybe some of the stuff I’m just wanted to sing about other people and how I
religion and sexuality, getting all confused, like learning about God and everything, I’m not sure if feel about other people, how I feel about the world
most kids at that age. You’re like, “What is happen- I subscribe to.” For me today, God is everything and right now and everything that’s going on. It’s not
ing?” And it can be brutal. But that lit the fire of, everybody, and it’s love, and it’s the miracle in every really a concept beyond: “What does every day
“All right. I’m going to just work.” cell of everything. look like for me and everybody else?”
Who were you listening to? You’ve been making commercial music And then at the end you say, “Got to
I had a very strange dual education. On the one for almost 20 years. You’ve made eight re- keep dancing when the lights go out.” Is
hand, I was listening to a lot of church music, be- cords in that time. Why does it take you so that the message to take from this album?
cause we had to go and sing those hymns every day long to make a record? Yeah. I think, honestly, the thing we’ve done with
— those beautiful, big songs. Then I was into this That’s a great question. I feel we could have made this album is like, “Fuck it. I don’t care what any-
band called James, all the sort of shoegazing stuff 50 records in that time, but they’d be even worse. body thinks. Just let it flood through.” The way I
in England in the early Nineties. The Cure. Then I Is that self-effacing? feel about life right now is, you’ve got to just hold
was into U2 and R.E.M. This guy in the year above It’s not self-effacing at all. But Rolling Stone and us it so preciously and embrace it and embrace ev-
me was obsessed with soul and rhythm & blues. have a checkered history, so I don’t know what you erybody, and do your best to look after other peo-
The new album opens up with this full- might think about it. All journalists and us have ple, ’cause ultimately that’s looking after yourself,
out invocation of church, and a gospel choir. a checkered history, and we embrace that, but I to see us as one. We travel the world so much that
Throughout the album, there’s a lot of ca- don’t want to ever assume, “Yeah, we’ve made eight I really see us as one big family. I don’t believe in
thedral stuff. What was your relationship masterpieces.” I remember when we first landed in tribalism. I don’t believe in nationalism. I believe,
with God and the church grow- America, to do SNL, and I read a Roll- like, we were put here by something way greater
ing up? ing Stone review of our single, and it than us, and I’m in awe of that and so grateful to
I was lucky when I was a kid, because was not good. be here, let alone to be in this job.
my mom is from Zimbabwe. So I’d Which single? You have a couple of kids songs on there,
go there and see a very different side We had to grow Our first, “Yellow.” I was like, “Right. like “Daddy.”
of the world. That made me realize a bit of balls to We’ve got to get better.” “Daddy” is partly about a bunch of people I know
there’s a much bigger story going on be able to do It’s interesting that you re- whose dads abandoned them. It’s partly about me
than just me. My relationship with member that, other than the 30 feeling like, “Am I with my kids enough?” And it’s
God at that time was to see God as a this one. It’s other good things we said about partly about the mass incarceration problem in
man in the sky with a beard, who was the first time Coldplay. We said you were the America. Because so many dads are forcibly re-
quite nice, but also quite punitive. we really said biggest band of the year [in moved from their families on a systemic and insti-
If you did things wrong, you might what we think. 2005]. tutionalized basis, which is wrong. So those kind of
risk burning for possibly a substan- It’s completely Yeah, thank you. Why does it take so emotions all bubble together and then something
tial amount of time, which is terrify- long? There’s just something in my like that comes out.
ing for kids. In the midst of the scar- unfiltered, and body which says when something’s It doesn’t even sound like a rock song.
iness of it is also a real warmth that it’s very raw. finished. And it’s only happened eight We’re not a rock band. Let’s get that straight!
comes from a lot of the great proph- times. Actually seven times in the last And then you’ve got “Guns” [“The
ets, Jesus included. So there was a 19 years, because once it didn’t hap- judgment of the court is we need more
lot of beautiful stuff being fed to me. pen, and we still released the album: guns...”], which is a really uncharacteristic
So, for a while I was like, “Half of this our third album, called X&Y. kind of Coldplay song. It sounds like a pro-
feels really right and half of it feels re- But that did rather fantastical- test song.
ally scary.” ly, didn’t it? Clearly, because I live in Los Angeles now, I’m
You share that background with U2. That But how it did is not [important]. much more aware of the Second Amendment is-
was very much at the core of who they What’s the moment that says, “We’re sues. I play music all the time, and suddenly a
were and how they started out. Still, today, done now”? song sort of drops from the sky, and those are the
they’re preaching. If this sounds pretentious, forgive me, [but] if the ones that are the good ones. So many songs on this
So, what happened to me was, when I went to album title is there in our heads, it’s like a pic- album happened like that.
boarding school, I walked a bit funny. And I was ture frame. And it’s very clear what fits inside it. It sounds very Paul Simon, in the vocals
also very homophobic, because I was like, “If I’m So even if there’s 15 quite-good songs, if they don’t and the rhythm.
gay, I’m completely fucked for eternity.” And I was fit the picture frame, they don’t come in. So there The honest answer is that it comes from listening
a kid discovering sexuality. “Maybe I’m gay. I can’t are a lot of spare things floating around. Not as to Paul Simon and Rammstein, which is a strange
be.” I was terrified. I was in a boarding school with many as Bruce [Springsteen], who released that marriage. I was asking one of our producers, Bill
a bunch of quite hardcore kids, and for a few years 72-track Tracks... [Rahko], who’s a heavy metal-er, to teach me how
they were very much like, “You’re definitely gay,” So how does Everyday Life feel differ- to play those kind of riffs. I thought it would be in-
in quite a full-on manner, quite aggressively tell- ent to you? teresting to try stuff like that on an acoustic folk
ing me that. It was weird for me for a few years. Well, it’s its own world. We had to grow a bit of song.
Did you think you were gay? You must balls to be able to do this one. It’s the first time we When did you find that falsetto voice?
have. really said what we think about some things. And When Radiohead broke through, I was
I don’t know. I was like, “Even if I am, I can’t be, it’s trying to be empathetic. It’s completely unfil- a teenager, and they were from a similar
because it’s wrong.” So that was creating terrible tered. It’s very raw and pure. background to me. So it opened up my whole
turmoil. In a certain way, it feels like a concept al- world in terms of “Maybe this can be done.”
Did they convince you that you were? bum. Why a concept album, or even a dou- That record was The Bends, and Thom Yorke
I started to worry about it, for sure. At about 15 ble album, in a time when people are main- had heard Jeff Buckley singing falsetto. And
and a half, it all just stopped overnight, once I was ly concentrating on singles? then I found out “Oh, wow, I can sing really high
like, “Yeah, so what if I’m gay?” Why are we shooting ourselves in the balls? Be- like that.” I think that at the age of 17 [or] 18,
What stopped? cause that’s what I was told to do. The last thing Jeff Buckley and Radiohead really opened up a
The worry about anyone teasing you. It might have we did was so fun, and we played to a lot of peo- whole new world for me.
been reading about Elton [John], realizing that a ple in a lot of places. And we did the Super Bowl, You worked with Brian Eno for a couple
lot of my heroes are gay; it doesn’t really matter. and it was amazing, so there was a slight sense of of albums. How much did U2 influence you?

20 | Rolling Stone | January 2020

used by the forces that gave you this gift in the
first place.
Did you pick up anything more specific
than that from Bruce?
I also love his music. I first got in through listen-
ing to Johnny Cash’s “Highway Patrolman” cover,
which led me to Nebraska. I was like, “Oh, this is
not what I thought Bruce Springsteen was.” Then
I went back to [Greetings From] Asbury Park and
Born to Run. It all started feeding in, and looking
at his attention to detail...
He’s single-minded. He’s a rigorous fuck-
ing thinker. You and I met backstage at a
Bruce show.
Yeah, we did. Across a crowded room. You said,
“Can you get me a drink, please?” and I said, “No,
I’m a rock star.”
I knew you were a rock star. You were
suspicious why a member of the press was
sitting opposite you in the dressing room.
Definitely. At the time, I’m like, “This is the guy
who has Us Weekly, and paparazzi, and stuff.” I’m
like, “I don’t know how I feel about this.” I now
have very different feelings about you as a person,
who I really love.
Let me just ask you two things. I saw
somewhere you were described as the
world’s sexiest vegetarian.
Yeah. I think that’s wrong on three counts.
What other self-deprecating news do
you have for me?
phrase “stadium band” means to me is a collec- I’m North London’s most hardworking pescatarian
tive consciousness, really. Are there going to be who eats turkey. Less of a glamorous title.
points when the whole building is singing the What does being a sex symbol, stadium
same thing, or in the same zone? It’s not them star do to your head?
watching you, or you playing to them — it’s us You’d have to ask someone else. I don’t feel like
creating this one thing together. ’Cause it’s a big that right now, Jann. When I’m doing it, I feel
energy. like that.
What are you thinking about onstage? You’re kind of an anti-rock-star — except
I’m thinking about those moments. We really love that you’re extremely discreet.
when the wristbands light up. They were basical- I don’t know what you mean by that.
ly made by this guy that made sex toys. He was You play your cards close to the vest.
supposed to come to a show 10 years ago and he I do. Yeah.
couldn’t get to the show, and he wrote an email And you stay out of the way of the press.
to Phil, who’s my best friend, our creative direc- I try to.
IN MY PLACE Top: Martin performing in Amman, tor, and Phil said, “We’ll arrange something.” And Why?
Jordan, in November. Coldplay played most in return, this guy said, “By the way, I’ve been in- All our songs are very personal. So it’s all in there,
of their new album, an experience they called venting this wristband that lights up. Do you guys all of the loves and the losses and everything. It’s
“a dream.” Above: Martin with Beyoncé at the
Super Bowl in 2016. She joined Coldplay for want it?” Phil’s like, “Are you fucking [kidding]? all in there. And I’m more subscribed to the Bob
“Formation.” Yes.” So we invested in it and made it. So I look Dylan thing of don’t explain any song, because
forward to when those switch on, because that’s why ruin someone else’s interpretation of it? All
when I really feel like, “OK, I love [performing of our songs are very personal to me, and must in
for] this many people.” I love it. some way have been poured through the percola-
When you go see Bruce Springsteen, it’s
tor of our life.
On our third album, you can definitely hear U2.
FROM TOP: MATTHEW MILLER; MATT COWAN/GETTY IMAGES think that U2 and R.E.M. were an influence in When Bruce Springsteen came into my life, it Yeah.
That’s the only time, if you want the honest an-
the same. He’s very consciously trying to
You were quoted as saying you want to
swer, that we said, “Let’s step into that space.” I
be the biggest band in the world.
lift you up.
how they operate: how they treat each other, how
Have you done that?
was the same as when Rumi the poet came into
my life. It was fucking life-changing. Because
they split their money and credit, and their un-
I would never say that.
ashamedness in allowing themselves to be big. It’s
Bruce made it and then was like, “OK, what am
I’ve heard it before. The Beatles said that.
funny to be talking about this when we just made
I going to do from this position?” Rather than,
U2 famously said that. What’s that about?
a record that’s tiny and small.
I don’t care about that thing anymore. I feel like
“I’ve made it, let me retire and have a horse
I realize that our job is just to be the best us in
ranch.” [He says], “What am I going to do with
But still, you’re going to be a stadium
the world. And exist because we love it, and we
this gift I’ve been given?” And he delivers on
band.
Who knows? Whether anyone comes is [to be
it a thousand times over. He pours everything
really love it, and reach as many people as want
seen]. And we’re not touring this album. We’re
into it. I realized from seeing Bruce, [my job] is
to be reached by making records and by traveling
to be totally and unashamedly of service to the
doing some strange little events and some tiny
around to see people. We are the best Coldplay
ever.
shows, because it’s more intimate. What the
people that are listening. Just to be 100 percent
January 2020 | Rolling Stone | 21





1








From Cardi to Kacey to Drake to Mitski,

it was a decade shaped by new-look rock
heroes, country rebels, dance-floor
confessors, and reflective rap gods






The on My Own
Dancing







Robyn 2010

Best “I’M RIGHT OVER HERE, WHY CAN’T YOU
see me?” Robyn might as well have been
singing to U.S. pop audiences in the 2000s,
who mostly ignored her as she spent years
refining her bright, fizzy synth-pop sound
to perfection. Then came “Dancing on My
Own,” the killer single that elevated her to
something approaching voice-of-a-gener-
ation status among America’s burned-out
youth. Written and produced with fellow
Songs Swedish ace Patrik Berger, it’s a relatable hit
of heartbreak at the club with a chaser of em-
powering uplift — exactly the disco anthem
we needed in the long hangover of the finan-
cial crisis. Robyn was no torch diva, but she
sang the hell out of this one, her warm vocals
pushing against the precision-tuned track.
“Dancing on My Own” just kept building as
the 2010s went on, soundtracking a mem-
orable scene in HBO’s Girls and countless
karaoke nights. “All the big pop acts that I’ve
been into over the years — whether it’s ABBA
of the ing melodies and honest human emotion,”
or Prince — managed to combine amaz-
Robyn said. “But coming out of the super-su-
per-commercial pop industry in the Nineties,
maybe people forgot about the fact that pop
music can do both of those things.”



Decade



The Best Songs of the Decade



3. Rolling 5. All Too Well Formation
in the Deep Taylor Swift 2012
Adele 2011 the devastating cen-
freshly hurt by the end terpiece of Red is about Beyoncé 2016
of her relationship with a relationship that’s long NONE OF BEYONCÉ’S many hits embodied
an older photographer, over, except in Swift’s her unrivaled cultural power in the 2010s
then-21-year-old Adele memory — and in her ex’s better than “Formation,” a stylish song-of-
walked into producer dresser, where he keeps myself flex that was also a rallying cry for
Paul Epworth’s northwest a borrowed scarf he can’t millions. Celebrating her roots in Alabama,
London studio and made bring himself to return. Louisiana, and Texas, she claimed the black
the greatest breakup song The disappointment in her experience in the Deep South as a source of
of the 2010s. “I never get voice is still fresh as she pride; with a single horny couplet, she forever
angry, but I was ready to thinks about the sweet- changed the meaning of date night at Red
murder,” she later recalled. talking guy who turned out Lobster. The genius of “Formation” — espe-
“It’s me saying, ‘Get the to be “so casually cruel in cially taken in conjunction with the striking
fuck out of my house’ in- the name of being honest.” imagery of its music video and Super Bowl
stead of me begging him to (She freestyled that line performance — is in its bold tangling of the
come back.” You can hear while soundchecking for a 4 personal and the political, wrapping the trag-
it in her voice, an all-time concert: “I was just playing edy of Katrina in the glamour of a Givenchy
performance whose roaring these chords over and over gown and daring you to call it a contradic-
fury is downright biblical. onstage, and my band tion. “I’m an artist,” she said, knowing some
“Rolling in the Deep” was joined in and I went on had missed the point, “and I think the most
a global chart-topper that a rant.”) Tabloids quickly powerful art is usually misunderstood.”
made Adele a superstar identified the scarf thief as
and proved that classic Jake Gyllenhaal, but the
soul could still conquer the brilliance of “All Too Well”
world. “Carole King is the is in how it makes you feel
last person [before Adele] like you were right there anthem. Like, ‘Let’s have a into a nine-minute epic at guest rapper Pusha T
who wrote the kind of with her, too. toast with a douchebag!’” that’s sad, frightening, and during the song’s record-
lyrics women immediately Speculated to be a mea almost incomprehensible ing. The result is peak Old
could relate to,” marveled 6. Runaway culpa for his dust-up with in its scarred beauty — Kanye.
Aretha Franklin. “I love Kanye West 2010 Taylor Swift at the 2009 from its slasher string intro
to hear a schoolgirl on “it’s like a man’s anthem,” VMAs, “Runaway” mixes to its vocoder-smeared 7. Thank U, Next
the school bus yellin’ ‘We West told Access Holly- self-indictment, self-aware- closing. “I need more Ariana Grande 2019
coulda had it all!’” wood, “but it’s a woman’s ness, and self-obsession douchebag,” West screamed when grande split up
with SNL’s Pete David-
son after a very public
whirlwind romance, the
obvious thing to do was to
Alright drop a celebrity diss track.
Instead, she released one of
the most generous breakup
songs of all time — an ode
to lessons learned and
Kendrick Lamar 2015 self-love set to a fluttery
track that suggests a mind
“AS A KID FROM COMPTON you can get all at peace already moving
the success in the world and still question on to new discovery. “Even
your worth,” Lamar told Rolling Stone almost got married/And for
in 2015. In the most lasting single from his Pete, I’m so thankful,” she
era-defining masterpiece To Pimp a But- sings. Grande wrote sev-
terfly, he dramatizes that inner conflict in eral versions of the song,
vivid, immediate terms. “Alls my life, I had including one where she
to fight,” he begins, quoting Alice Walker’s and Davidson get married:
The Color Purple to evoke generations of “Then we broke up again,
inherited trauma. By the time so we ended up going with
Pharrell’s buoyant production that verse,” she said.
kicks in, Lamar has found
reason to believe: “If God 9. I Like It
got us, then we gon’ be Cardi B feat. Bad Bunny PREVIOUS PAGE: JOE SCARNICI/FILMMAGIC. THIS PAGE, FROM TOP: ANDREW WHITE/
alright.” In the context 2 and J Balvin 2018 PARKWOOD ENTERTAINMENT; SHAMIL TANNA/CONTOUR BY GETTY IMAGES
of the album’s complex nobody ever accused
emotional journey, it’s Cardi B of thinking small.
a moment of cautious “I Like It” is her hugely
optimism. Once “Alright” expansive vision of hip-hop
reached the world, it became as a multicultural, world-
something more: an anthem for wide block party. Cardi
a new civil-rights movement, its chorus brings in Puerto Rican
chanted at countless Black Lives Matter rapper Bad Bunny and
protests across America. Colombian reggaeton star

24 | Rolling Stone | January 2020

8 feelings they engender)
that becomes a global
smash. “It was just that
word,” she said of the title.
“It’s really cool.” Pensive
but proud, “Royals” is
hushed low-fi pop-rap,
with Lorde mumbling her
lines like a kid dreaming
up poetry while distract-
edly staring at her phone.
It is a classic dispatch
Follow from teenage wasteland
rendered in a whole new
Your Arrow language of millennial
malaise.
12. Old Town Road
Lil Nas X 2019
Kacey Musgraves 2013 lil nas x — a 19-year-
old peddler of Twitter
THE TEXAS COWGIRL made her big memes deploying a $30
entrance with “Follow Your Arrow,” and web-sourced beat — made
right from the git-go, she had her own history topping the Hot 100
style. Over guitar twang, the then-25- for a record 19 weeks with
year-old Musgraves serves up some his two-minute country-
homespun advice: “Make lots of noise/ hip-hop masterpiece. “I
Kiss lots of boys/Or kiss lots of girls if got bored one day and
that’s something you’re into.” Originally made this song,” Nas told
written as a poem for a friend who was Rolling Stone of “Old
taking a trip overseas, the song whipped Town Road,” a moment of
up a fair amount of controversy, but pop disruption that cheekily
Musgraves refused to back down. “Even appropriates cowboy tropes,
if they don’t agree with the girls-kissing- samples a Nine Inch Nails
girls thing, or even the drug reference,” track, and features Billy Ray
Musgraves said, “I would hope that they Cyrus, Young Thug, and
would agree that no matter what, we all child country star Mason
should be able to love who we want to Ramsey, among others, on
love and live how we want to live.” She’s various remixes, tapping a
been following her arrow ever since. bottomless well of American
cross-racial conversation.
As Nas said, “Wow, it’s rock,
country, hip-hop, all in the
same room.” Yeehaw!
13. Your Best Ameri-
Balvin to shine on her trap their defense, it’s a pretty can Girl
groove, riding a sample great little jam. Along with SO, HOW WAS YOUR DECADE? Mitski 2016
from the 1967 boogaloo being inescapably catchy the indie-rock anthem
classic “I Like It Like That.” (Caribbean in feel but MIRANDA LAMBERT of the decade didn’t
All her guests rise to the powered by a 1970s soul come from a record-geek
occasion — who else but sample), “Hotline Bling” The Country Star on Taylor college-boy band. It was
Balvin would compare was also a marvel of the Swift, Pregnancy, and Spanx by a 25-year-old Japanese
himself to Lady Gaga internet, inspiring countless American woman singing,
and Jimmy Snuka in the covers and memes of its My favorite album was: Brent “Your mother wouldn’t
Cobb’s Shine On Rainy Day.
approve of how my mother
video to mark a new era in
same verse? But Cardi runs
FROM TOP: ALYSSE GAFKJEN; MATT BARON/SHUTTERSTOCK One smash. Lorde 2013 from was: Rushing. Take a breath, and take it in. The best didn’t grow up in the U.S.,”
My favorite song was: “Girl
Top 40 democracy.
raised me” over My Bloody
shit like cardio, turning
Crush,“ by Little Big Town.
Valentine guitar swells. “I
“I Like It” into a Number
The artist who had the best
11. Royals
decade was: Taylor Swift. The TV
show I couldn’t stop streaming
Mitski Miyawaki said of
10. Hotline Bling
was: Godless and Ozark.
inspired by a picture of
the song. “It came from
The misstep I learned the most
Drake 2015
wanting to just fit into this
Kansas City Royals slugger
very American person’s life,
drake (rightfully)
George Brett, and Jay-Z
new slang term was: “AF.” Something cool I did that
slammed the Grammys for
and Kanye West’s Watch
and simply not being able
nobody noticed was: Getting married. The best outfit
to.” Yet, as the shyly hulking
the Throne, a 15-year-old
awarding this not-very-
I wore this decade was: A yellow dress with pink heels
guitars gain power and her
with a gold pistol attached, to the ACM Awards in Vegas.
New Zealander, Ella Mar-
rappy song Best Rap Song
The most “2010s” moment of the 2010s was: The inven-
and Best Rap/Sung Perfor-
ija Lani Yelich-O’Connor,
voice pushes forward, you
tion of Spanx leggings. The strangest thing someone
mance, wondering if they
can feel her power past
penned a softly swaggering
said about me in the media was: I was pregnant, again.
ode to her own fantasies of
picked those categories just
alienation toward an ecstasy
of her own making.
greatness (and the mixed
“because I’m black.” But in
January 2020 | Rolling Stone | 25

The Best Songs of the Decade


Shallow ideas. With “Springsteen,”

he ditched fiddles and
pedal steel for the chug-
ging sound of the song’s
Lady Gaga and namesake and unfurled the
Bradley Cooper 2017 memory of a teenage love
affair that had sparked at a
GAGA BEGAN the 2010s as music’s new glam Springsteen show between
queen, but her glitter started to fade a little as “I’m on Fire” and “Born
she detoured into jazz and Lilith Fair country to Run.” It’s all true, up to
rock. “Shallow” reignited the drama she was a point. “It didn’t happen
loved for. Gaga’s duet with actor Bradley Cooper, with Springsteen, ironical-
from the 2018 remake of A Star Is Born, built ly, it happened with anoth-
a towering moment of power-ballad glory er artist,” Church said.
with not much more than an acoustic
guitar, their chemistry, and Gaga’s 22. Drunk in Love
sweeping vocals. “We just had Beyoncé feat. Jay-Z 2013
an instant connection,” Gaga “i kind of freestyled the
said later of Cooper. “I felt 14 verse,” Beyoncé explained of
comfortable with Bradley.” this ode to morning-
Gaga wrote the song with after memories of an
superproducer Mark Ronson, all-nighter spent riding the
originally thinking it might run “good-good” wood of her
in the closing credits of the film. man’s “surfboard.” Her hus-
Instead, it serves as a pivotal onstage band, Jay-Z, freestyled his
triumph for Ally, the insecure singer Gaga plays part as well, unfortunately
in the film. As Ronson said later, “Everybody’s life referencing Mike Tyson
experience and trials and tribulations are being and Ike Turner. Yet nothing
channeled in that song.” could take away the power
of Beyoncé celebrating her
own desire.
23. Despacito
15. Mi Gente Parquet Courts zoned to the top of the charts. being a woman out after Luis Fonsi and Daddy
J Balvin and out gloriously as Savage Nearly six minutes long dark. She said of the song’s Yankee feat. Justin Bie-
Willy William 2017 turned choosing between and layered with inventive, difficult inspiration, “I was ber 2019
“the beautiful thing roasted peanuts and lico- acrobatic rhymes, it turned assaulted,” adding, “I was puetro rican pop stars
about ‘Mi Gente,’” said Bal- rice into a rich existential “raindrop, drop-top” into just so terrified of men for Fonsi and Daddy Yankee
vin in 2018, “is that I wrote riddle. a cultural catchphrase, a while.” already had a hit with
it in Spanish with Willy and made the simple act of their breezy collabora-
William, a producer from 17. Get Lucky spending too much money 21. Springsteen tion “Despacito.” Then
Paris....And it hit Number Daft Punk feat. feel like a bold avant-garde Eric Church 2011 Bieber hopped on the
One [in the charts] around Pharrell Williams and statement. country rebel Church remix and the most
the world.” Colombian Nile Rodgers 2013 specializes in building popular mostly-in-Span-
reggaeton star Balvin the french robots took 19. Hold On small moments into big ish song ever was born.
campaigned for a borderless the edge off a rough decade Alabama Shakes 2012
pop future, crooning about with this plush disco pas- the new-school South-
musical inclusion over pro- tiche featuring funk wizard ern blues-rock band wrote SO, HOW WAS YOUR DECADE?
ducer William’s infectiously Nile Rodgers on guitar its breakout single the
forlorn synth-horn riff and and Pharrell Williams on old-fashioned way, riffing QUESTLOVE
rattling beat. “Mi Gente” the mic. “I don’t know if during a club show while
was a smash even before it’s a disco track,” Williams frontwoman Brittany How- The Roots Drummer on
Beyoncé swooped in to give later hedged. “It feels a ard made up lyrics about Cancel Culture and LOL’ing
it a remix. As Balvin noted, little bit more, like, post “trying to inspire [herself]
“It wasn’t a strategy to make [disco].” Replacing the to keep working, stay posi- The artist who had the best
it bigger....It was for the Seventies disco-diva wail tive.” The elusive rawness of decade was: Donald Glover. I
enjoyed watching him make
culture.” with Williams’ light falsetto “Hold On” was a huge part every snarky critic eat their
helped “Get Lucky” rise of its appeal. smug shit. My least favorite
16. Stoned and Starv- like a phoenix while still trend in music this decade was: FROM TOP: KEVIN WINTER/GETTY IMAGES; EVAN AGOSTINI/INVISION/AP IMAGES/SHUTTERSTOCK
ing feeling warm and invitingly 20. Oblivion All the obituaries I had to write
Parquet Courts 2012 human. Grimes 2012 about its participants. The best
new slang term of the decade
cat-sitting for a friend, with sunrise-tinted bangs was: This can be really corny to answer. Probably the
Andrew Savage of 18. Bad and Boujee and an otherworldly so- most telling is “LOL.” Nine times out of 10 we aren’t
Parquet Courts decid- Migos 2016 prano, Canadian eccentric laughing when we do “LOL.” The best live show I saw in
ed to go on the stoned “we did it the trap way, Claire Boucher ushered in the 2010s was: The Roots/Outkast/Lionel Richie. Lionel
bodega crawl through not the pop way,” Offset a new era of oddball dance Richie took names and kicked ass! The misstep I learned
Ridgewood, Queens, that told Rolling Stone, re- pop with her 2012 LP, the most from in the 2010s was: Cancel culture and all
became the inspiration flecting on the unlikely rise Visions, and its standout of its consequences is real. Something cool I did that
nobody noticed was: Getting Jay-Z on Twitter.
for the decade’s premier of “Bad and Boujee” from single “Oblivion,” which
indie-guitar banger. the strip clubs of Atlanta contemplates the perils of

26 | Rolling Stone | January 2020

Truth




Hurts






Lizzo 2017

“TRUTH HURTS” took a long, strange journey to
become Lizzo’s first Number One hit. She wrote it in
2017, inspired in part by a tweet (“I did a DNA test
and found out I’m 100% that bitch”) from a
little-known British songwriter to whom Lizzo
later gave a co-writing credit. But the song didn’t
become a hit until two years later, after a
groundswell of popularity on Twitter
and TikTok, and its appearance in
24 the spring 2019 Netflix rom-com
Someone Great. “That song is my
life, and its words are my truth,”
Lizzo said. Indeed, it’s the ultimate
Lizzo anthem, a sassy sing-rap ode to
euphoric self-love in the face of getting
your heart stomped that perfectly sums up her status
as a twerk-soul voice of the people. That DNA test
she took? It was 100% correct.





“What I heard is that 27. Chandelier on “Chandelier,” which 28. Archie, out of that,” Alvvays’
he was in the club in Sia 2014 she based on her own Marry Me Molly Rankin explained.
Colombia and heard the an author of hits by struggles with drinking. Alvvays 2014 By soaking the satire in
song,” Daddy Yankee Rihanna, Beyoncé, Flo “Sometimes I’ll write one “a lot of people ‘grow up’ sweet distortion and an
said. “Justin Bieber Rida, and many others, Sia that I relate to,” she said. and get mortgages and achingly pretty melody, the
always does a great job had her own huge smash “Those are the ones I don’t have big dumb weddings, Canadian band wound up
when it comes to inter- rewriting party-girl clichés give away.” and this song takes the piss with one of the decade’s
pretation.” most romantic songs at the
same time.
25. Adorn
Miguel 2012 30. We Found Love
in the early 2010s, as Rihanna feat.
R&B artists chased the hip- Sorry Calvin Harris 2011
hop and EDM zeitgeist, this calvin harris’ rave-y
California upstart showed demo of this song floated
up out of nowhere sounding Justin Bieber 2015 around for months (it
like a singer from another was rejected by Nicole
era; Miguel exuded the “SORRY” MARKED a new maturity for the Scherzinger of the Pussycat
style and grace of a Motown then-21-year-old Bieber, who was looking Dolls). Then Rihanna got a
FROM TOP: ERIKA GOLDRING/WIREIMAGE; GABRIEL OLSEN/GETTY IMAGES
romantic on his plush debut to move past his unfortunate bad-boy hold of it and turned it into
slow jam, a song that felt phase into new musical and personal an uplifting modern stan-
sweetly old-school right territory. “Sorry” was co-written by Justin dard that’s been crushing
down to its anachronis- Tranter, who took pride in creating songs wedding receptions ever
tic-sounding title. that “let men be allowed to be vulnerable,” since. “I want each track to
and produced by Skrillex, who strove to be as good as it can possibly
26. Mask Off “keep it simple” with an almost elegiac be,” Harris said, “and that
Future 2017 beat. “It was about a girl,” Bieber usually means me not sing-
the atlanta rap later said. And like so many great ing on it.”
spaceman was one of the songs that are simply about a
decade’s most prolific, girl, it’s coy and tender and just 29 31. Sign of
unpredictable artists. delicately cocky enough to give the Times
“Mask Off” was Future the tune a shot of big-boy ener- Harry Styles 2017
at his far-out best, over gy. Bieber worried it might be a it sure wasn’t the
Metro Boomin’s flute-loop little too safe. But as Skrillex later traditional way to start a
sample. As his collaborator put it, “When you listen to his post-boy-band solo career.
Kendrick Lamar put it, lyrics, you can tell he’s becoming Styles could’ve begun life
“He’s his own genius.” an adult.” after One Direction with a

January 2020 | Rolling Stone | 27

The Best Songs of the Decade
The Best Songs of the Decade

sugary pop tune. Instead, 35. Night Shift Teenage
he wrote a song connecting Lucy Dacus 2017
the Seventies-glam balladry “the first time I tasted
of Bowie and Queen to our somebody else’s spit/I had a Dream
own worried moment. As coughing fit,” Virginia sing-
Styles explained to Rolling er-songwriter Dacus sings
Stone, “‘Sign of the Times’ to kick off this six-minute
came from ‘This isn’t the indie-rock ballad, one of Katy Perry 2010
first time we’ve been in a the decade’s truly bracing
hard time, and it’s not going breakup songs. “I dated this “WHEN I PUT THAT SONG ON,” Lorde told
to be the last time.’” person for like five years,” The New York Times, “I’m as moved as I am
she said. “To kiss anybody by anything by David Bowie, by Fleetwood
32. Bodak Yellow else — it felt really weird.” Mac, by Neil Young. It lets you feel something
Cardi B 2017 you didn’t know you needed to feel. There’s
the flow was borrowed 36. Sicko Mode something holy about it.” Slick California pop
from Kodak Black’s “No Travis Scott feat. Drake tinged with just the right aftertaste of
Flockin,” but the trans- 2018 romantic nostalgia, “Teenage Dream”
formation of stress-mode it unfurled was one of five Number One hits
fury into feminine glam- more like a from Perry’s album of the same
or was pure Cardi. She playlist than a 40 name. No one had done that since
wrote her rhymes on a single: three Michael Jackson’s Bad. Perry con-
plane, listening to a beat distinct sections cocted the song with producers
her producer J. White had and three guests Max Martin and Dr. Luke during
sent her. “Every bitch that in just over five sessions in Santa Monica, Califor-
I don’t like came to my minutes. A verse nia, building around what she called “a
head,” she said. “And I pic- from Drake — recorded Chaka Khan-fierce little beat.” Considering
tured me slapping it to the day before Scott’s LP the song’s almost scientifically pop precision,
them.” When she knocked Astroworld was set to be it’s no surprise its recording involved rework-
Taylor Swift’s “Look What released — contributed to ing the song “four or five” times to nail “that
You Made Me Do” from the chopped-up format. As euphoric feeling of having a teenage love, all
the Number One spot, Scott put it, “Something so over again.”
Swift sent her flowers to crazy for the kids.”
celebrate.
37. My Church
33. Hold On, Maren Morris 2015
We’re Going Home morris didn’t have a aspiring Texas songwriter with a dead buddy’s sister ble future-blues that an-
Drake 2013 record deal when she had her debut country hit. that becomes a road trip, nounced the arrival of a
if the drum pattern on recorded “My Church,” and then a heartbreaking major talent. Packing a nov-
top sounds like “Billie a gospel-tinged stomper 38. God in Chicago hookup that may turn out el’s worth of narrative into
Jean,” there’s a reason: about flipping through Craig Finn 2017 redemptive. Or not. “I a five-minute slow jam,
Drake and producer Noah the car radio and finding a hybrid of deadpan piano attempted to turn it into it name-checked Stanley
“40” Shebib’s humble salvation in Hank Williams dirge and spoken- a more traditional song,” Kubrick and dissected a
attempt to channel their and Johnny Cash. A couple word short fiction, the the Hold Steady frontman drug-buddy hookup with an
power as a “Quincy of million streams later, the decade’s best story song said. When the chorus aspiring dental student at
Jones-Michael Jackson wearily details a drug run finally lands, its like the sun Coachella, outing a genera-
production duo” and create bursting through a dank tion’s numbness.
a timeless track that could Midwestern sky.
“be played at weddings SO, HOW WAS YOUR DECADE? 42. High for This
in 10 years.” R&B with a 39. Bad Liar The Weeknd 2011
hip-hop mindset, “Hold MARGO PRICE Selena Gomez 2017 a creepy song in which a
On, We’re Going Home” gomez ditched the man tries to talk a woman
cemented Drake’s place as The Country Singer on Disney-princess pop of into doing drugs before
the central hitmaker of the Sturgill, Dolly, and Her DMs her teens for the grown- they have sex, “High for
decade. up grooves of Revival in This” was the ideal intro
The best album of the de- 2015, telling Rolling to the Weeknd’s narcotic
34. Bad Guy cade was: Sturgill Simpson’s Stone, “I felt confident and sound. The opening track
Billie Eilish 2019 Metamodern Sounds in Country comfortable in who I am. I on his debut LP, House of
Music. That album changed the
“i don’t want to be in the game. My favorite song of the felt sexy. I was aching to do Balloons — a chronicle of
pop world,” Eilish said. “I 2010s was: Brittany Howard’s stuff like that.” She nailed “whatever thoughts I was FROM TOP: RICH FURY/GETTY IMAGES FOR IHEARTMEDIA; STEPHEN LOVEKIN/SHUTTERSTOCK
want it to be, ‘What kind “Stay High.” It’s a song I wish I it two years later with this having when I was under
of music do you listen to?’ wrote. The artist who had the spare confession hooked to the influence at the time”
‘Billie Eilish music.’” In best decade was: Dolly Parton. the bass line of the Talking — forecast R&B’s brooding
that spirit, her signature There’s not a lot of things that people see eye to eye Heads’ “Psycho Killer.” An future.
on anymore, but Dolly is this cultural icon. The craziest
goth-pop banger refuses to thing that happened to me in the 2010s was: I went from art-pop adventurer was
be pinned down, musically being a waitress to playing SNL. The show I couldn’t stop born. 43. Call Me Maybe
or emotionally; Eilish is watching was: Breaking Bad. I’ve watched it twice all Carly Rae Jepsen 2011
on her knees one moment, the way through. The misstep I learned the most from: 41. Novocane “we liked how it turned
a dominating bad guy the Checking my DMs. You open a couple of dick pics and Frank Ocean 2011 out, but I can’t say I ex-
next, swerving through an you’re like, “OK, I’m not going in there again.” ocean’s debut single was pected this,” said Jepsen of
underworld all her own. a sexy, unnerving, indeli- “Call Me Maybe,” one of the

28 | Rolling Stone | January 2020

most dominant Songs of the 47. 212
Summer of all time. Every- Azealia Banks 2011
one from Katy Perry to the Sounds of the Decade after falling into “a bit
Cookie Monster covered it, of a depression and shit”
and it inspired countless Think all music sounded the same during the 2010s? Well, you’re sort when her first attempts to
song-as-meme videos. Not of right. Here are five sonic trends that defined the times. break through in the music
a bad debut for a third- business proved unsuccess-
place in the 2007 season of ful, Banks made it work
Canadian Idol. by going back to New York
Saxual Healing rap basics, jump-cutting
44. Beez in WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE The sassy spawn of “Careless Whisper” from street queen to prep-
the Trap WHERE WE HEARD IT After two decades of total exile, the sax- school mean-girl thespian
Nicki Minaj 2011 ophone made its big, blustery return in 2011 as the scream- to R&B diva. Before the
following a directive, ing partygoer on Katy Perry’s “Last Friday Night” and the ascendancy of Nicki Minaj
“Nicki needs some rap hype man of Lady Gaga’s “The Edge of Glory.” By mid- and Cardi B, “212” crowned
shit,” from her record label decade, it was practically inescapable, showing up in songs Banks the fiercest female
Cash Money/Young Money, by Fifth Harmony, Jason Derulo, and even Taylor Swift. MC alive.
producer Kenoe delivered WHO USED IT BEST Carly Rae Jepsen, on “Run Away With Me”
a track with a spartan, 48. Girl Crush
slow-rolling boom that Little Big Town 2014
gave the fiery rapper tons The Millennial Whoop some radio programmers
of space to rock out and de- in Nashville might have
liver a master class in old- WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE Over-the-top melisma, Gen Y-style worried about its homo-
school playground swagger. WHERE WE HEARD IT Early in the decade, singers inexplicably erotic undercurrent. But
“I am,” Minaj noted, “always started yelling “Wa-oh-wa-oh” in their songs — Katy Perry “Girl Crush” was immedi-
on “California Gurls,” Kesha on “Tik Tok,” Frank Ocean on
in the trap.” “Ivy.” Sometimes it sounded happy, sometimes it sounded ately recognized as one of
sad, but it always seemed awesomely unnecessary. the most indelible jealousy
45. Mariners Apart- WHO USED IT BEST Comedy pop trio the Lonely Island, who songs in country music
ment parodied it on “F**k Off” history. “I knew as soon
Complex as I heard the hook of the
Lana Del Rey 2018 first chorus that we had to
the first taste of Del have this song,” Little Big
Rey’s revelatory Norman Trap Hi-Hat Snaps Town’s Karen Fairchild told
Fucking Rockwell! was this WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE The skittering soul of Atlanta Rolling Stone.
psychedelic-folk gem, a me- WHERE WE HEARD IT Drum-machine hi-hats programmed at
ta-pop collaboration with a speed and complexity no human could ever play fluttered 49. Every
Jack Antonoff that shuf- out of the South via hits by Migos, Future, and others, Breaking Wave
fles classic-rock allusions and became a go-to beat — from Beyoncé’s “Drunk in U2 2014
(“kiss the sky,” “candle in the Love” to Ariana Grande’s “Break Up With Your Girlfriend, with production assists
wind”) and emotions, piv- I’m Bored” and Halsey’s “Without Me.” from Danger Mouse and
WHO USED IT BEST Migos, on the diamond-bright “Stir Fry”
oting on the linchpin title One Republic’s Ryan
verse of Leonard Cohen’s Tedder, Bono and team
abjectly needy “I’m Your delivered a soaring anthem
FROM TOP: MICHAEL TULLBERG/GETTY IMAGES; CHARLES SYKES/INVISION/AP IMAGES/SHUTTERSTOCK; STEVE
Man.” But Del Rey owns Whisper Pop exploring his sense of “how
JENNINGS/FILMMAGIC; DIA DIPASUPIL/GETTY IMAGES; AMY HARRIS/INVISION/AP IMAGES/SHUTTERSTOCK
every word, carving out a hard it is to give yourself
complex sad-girl perso- WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE “Wait, what? Speak up, damn it.” completely to another
na rooted in Laurel Canyon WHERE WE HEARD IT In olden times, you couldn’t be a pop star person.” If the song conjures
singer-songwriter tradition. if you couldn’t belt out your lyrics. But in the 2010s, a new Coldplay, it’s a testament
wave of singers started whispering their way into our hearts
— Lana Del Rey evoked entitled California malaise with her to how fundamental U2
46. N**as in Paris bored, breathy sighs, while moody teens Lorde and Billie remains to the sound of
Jay-Z and Kanye West Eilish went for more of a mumbling-into-their-sleeves vibe. mainstream rock. And the
2011 WHO USED IT BEST Eilish, on “Bad Guy” acoustic version is just as
appearing as their one-off good.
duo, Watch the Throne, in
Paris on June 18th, 2012, 50. Turn Down
Kanye West and Jay-Z ‘Glitch-core’ Vocals for What
performed their dazzling WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE The emo A.I. apocalypse DJ Snake and Lil Jon 2013
victory lap “N**as in Paris” WHERE WE HEARD IT Twenty years after Auto-Tune made its a french producer and
12 times before a rapturous debut on Cher’s “Believe,” vocals are chopped, pitch-shift- an Atlanta hollerer team up
crowd. That excess was the ed, and digitally messed with to a hilarious degree. Justin for a defiant party anthem
point; inspired by West’s Bieber got turned into a sad dolphin on “Sorry,” and so over-the-top you can’t
fashion-world exploits at Selena Gomez became a yodeling Cylon on “It Ain’t Me.” help but laugh out loud
the time, the song was the WHO USED IT BEST Kanye West, who made his voice an every time you hear it. The
anguished bass guitar on “Runaway”
highest high on Watch the song showed up every-
Throne, featuring a dubstep where, including Michelle
breakdown and a Will Fer- Obama’s social media feed,
rell cameo. It’s also the most where she rocked out to it
purely cathartic moment of CONTRIBUTORS Jonathan Bernstein, Emily Blake, Jonathan Blistein, David Browne, Nick Catucci, Jon in a Vine clip promoting
either rapper’s epic career Dolan, Brenna Ehrlich, Suzy Exposito, Jon Freeman, Andy Greene, Kory Grow, Will Hermes, Christian Hoard, good nutrition: “Turnip for
Charles Holmes, Joseph Hudak, Brendan Klinkenberg, Elias Leight, Joe Levy, Angie Martoccio, Danny
so far. Schwartz, Claire Shaffer, Rob Sheffield, Hank Shteamer, Brittany Spanos, and Simon Vozick-Levinson what!”

January 2020 | Rolling Stone | 29

In the 2010s, genres merged and 1
melded, pop felt more global

and more intimate, and the
biggest superstars were the

most ambitious rule breakers






The My Beautiful Dark

Twisted Fantasy







Kanye West 2010
Best FORGET, IF YOU CAN, THE RED HAT, THE OUTRA-


GEOUS tweets, the overpriced sweatpants. (You’ve
maybe already forgotten the gospel record he put out
two months ago.) Remember, instead, the gravity-de-
fying artistic leap that Kanye pulled off with his fifth
LP. Stung by the ferocious backlash to his 2009 VMAs
meltdown — a moment that, quaintly in retrospect,
seemed like rock bottom for his public image —
Albums
he hid out in Hawaii and emerged with the ultimate









of the










Decade










ROY ROCHLIN/GETTY IMAGES



The Best Albums of the Decade



case for his genius/jerk- And while he memora- marital collapse, personal 3. To Pimp alright” into a #blacklives-
off duality. The secret bly heaped contempt on triumph, radical blackness, a Butterfly matter slogan and “how
sessions at Avex Honolulu racist laws and the South Southern roots, Kendrick Lamar 2015 much a dollar cost” into a
Studios saw Nicki Minaj, Park writers’ room, Kanye and boundless musical lamar defined hip-hop’s riddle for the ages.
Rick Ross, Justin Vernon, saved the most bitter vision. She rocks out with state of the art with a
and others turning in shots on My Beautiful Jack White on “Don’t Hurt sprawling 78-minute epic 5. Blackstar
career-best performanc- Dark Twisted Fantasy for Yourself,” kicks gun-tot- as influenced by Ralph David Bowie 2016
es under the guidance himself (“Blame Game,” ing country on “Daddy Ellison and John Coltrane bowie spent his whole
of Kanye’s absurd yet “Runaway”). Under all the Lessons,” and links her as it is by Biggie and Tupac. career as rock’s cracked
effective house rules (“No bluster, this is a concept story to a deeper sense of The groundbreaking rap- actor — but he saved
hipster hats”...“Just shut album about his own African American roots on per embraced cutting-edge one of his most stunning
the fuck up sometimes”). inability to stop breaking “Formation.” Lemonade was beat architecture while performances for the final
Presiding over it all was America’s heart. Nearly a the only place in pop where knighting new-school jazz curtain. After years on the
the greatest producer of decade later, it still hurts. Father John Misty and masters like Kamasi Wash- down-low, Bowie dropped
his generation, pulling Kendrick Lamar felt equally ington and Robert Glasper, Blackstar on his 69th birth-
from 40-plus years of 2. Lemonade at home, part of swerving from the free day — but just two days
popular music to spin his Beyoncé 2016 a collaborative conver- jazz of “For Free?” to the later, the world was shocked
symphony of wounded “who the fucks do you sion helmed by the queen G-funk of “King Kunta.” to learn the Starman was
pride, from the lush falset- think I is?” Beyoncé asked herself, reigning supreme as At the center of it all was gone. As his producer Tony
to soul of “Devil in a New on her monumental sixth the rare pop goddess who Lamar’s chaotic ambition Visconti said, “He made
Dress” to the heavy-metal LP, proceeding to deliver a inspires as much love and and smoldering confusion, Blackstar for us, his parting
thunder of “Hell of a Life.” thunderclap statement of empathy as shock and awe. as he turned “we gon’ be gift.” It’s the testament of a
man who knows he’s got no
time to waste — he stretch-
es out into sci-fi space
Red from Kendrick Lamar and
jazz, drawing inspiration
D’Angelo, still experiment-
ing up to the end. Visconti
summed it up: “His death
was no different from his
Taylor Swift 2012 life — a work of art.”

AT THE TENDER AGE of 22, 6. Take Care
Swift was already America’s Drake 2011
favorite country singer. But drake has never been
with Red, she grew up with a more magnetically, con-
bona fide pop classic, proving foundingly Drake than he
she could do it all. As she told was on this primal sigh of
Rolling Stone, “Different a second official album.
phases of your life have differ- The deliciously dark self-
ent levels of deep, traumatizing own “Marvins Room” finds
heartbreak.” Swift effortlessly him duetting with the re-
went outside her Nashville cording of a woman, while
safety zone for the album, the title track pairs him
collaborating with Swedish pop with Rihanna, his verses
scientist Max Martin, Kanye gliding past her elegant
West collaborator Jeff Bhasker, choruses. Throughout, he
and alt-rock songwriter Butch makes his newly found
Walker; after Swift and Martin high life seem like a luxe
finished Red’s electro-stomping cocoon; “I’m rich,” he
first single, “We Are Never Get- said at the time. “I can do
ting Back Together,” she called whatever I want.” What
it “a breakup song in the form he managed, somehow,
of a parade.” But everything she was to reinvent poor-me
tried made sense. Swift hit all longing as rich-boy swag-
the levels on Red, showing off ger, christening a new era
her mastery of Nashville twang, of male vulnerability in
disco flash, guitar-hero swagger, hip-hop.
even a dubstep drop. She set
out to top Prince (“Red”), U2 7. Melodrama
(“State of Grace”), and Britney Lorde 2016
(the Martin-produced “22”) lorde’s debut, Pure
— yet every moment sounds Heroine, injected breathy EMMA MCINTYRE AMA 2019/GETTY IMAGES FOR DCP
unmistakably like her. “All 4 candor into pop music,
Too Well” remains her most making her a teen star.
majestic rock ballad: like the With its follow-up, she
young Bruce Springsteen, if took her sound to the
somebody dared him to sing next level. Working with
about a scarf instead of a car. producer Jack Antonoff,

32 | Rolling Stone | January 2020

21 Adele




2011



“IN ORDER FOR ME to feel confident with
one of my songs, it has to really move me,”
Adele has said. “That’s how I know that I’ve
written a good song for myself — it’s when
I start crying.” With 21, the world cried
with her. Adele’s debut, 19, established her
staggering jazz-steeped vocal firepower.
For its follow-up, she found co-writers who
helped her create material worthy of her
talent, especially Paul Epworth,
who co-wrote the searing
post-breakup stomper
8 “Rolling in the Deep” and
the soaring old-school/new-
school R&B tune “He Won’t
Go.” Adele communicates
bracing vulnerability, even as
her singing seems resolutely in
charge, which created a pop blockbuster
that has sold 31 million LPs worldwide and
stands with forebears Dusty in Memphis
and Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black among
the great Brit soul records of all time.






and drawing equal influ- This Is Presley said. “We’re doing
ence from Kate Bush and dishes and writing songs
Katy Perry, she dove into
heartbreak, sadness, and Happening about it.” Drawing from
the deep end of her own
bluegrass, honky tonk, and
loneliness on wrenching rootsy rock, Pistol Annies
delivered a modern country
ballads like “Liability” and classic.
“Writer in the Dark,” and LCD Soundsystem 2010
the dance-floor explosion 11. Golden Hour
FROM TOP: KEVIN WINTER/GETTY IMAGES FOR NARAS; PIETER M. VAN HATTEM/CONTOUR BY GETTY IMAGES
“Green Light.” “You need JAMES MURPHY’S New York Kacey Musgraves 2018
to be awe-struck,” she said crew, LCD Soundsystem, defined musgraves changed what
of her approach to music, the dance-rock boom of the country singers could
summing up the sense 2000s. With their third LP they talk about with her live-
of wonder amid turmoil poignantly evoked the feeling and-let-live hit “Follow
that makes Melodrama so of weary hipsters searching for Your Arrow.” But it was
uniquely arresting. meaning after the party. “Every- her 2018 LP that fully
body’s getting younger/It’s the reimagined the genre.
9. Interstate end of an era — it’s true,” Murphy There is a celebration of
Gospel mourns on the opener, “Dance psychoactive plants set
Pistol Annies 2018 Yrself Clean.” The hooks are sharp, to vocoder and banjo
the best nashville the beats kinetic, and the lyrics to (“Oh, What a World”),
supergroup of the century songs like “Drunk Girls” and “All a love letter to the
— comprising ace song- I Want” are droll, sarcastic, and LGBTQ community
writers Ashley Monroe, heartbroken. This Is Happening (“Rainbow”), a yeehaw
Angaleena Presley, and made the Top 10 and helped LCD filter-disco diss track
Miranda Lambert — fill Madison Square Garden for a (“High Horse”). Golden
created a set of bone-deep legendary farewell gig. Hour took home a
reflections on midlife that Grammy for Album of
could be hilarious (the the Year, and even led
post-divorce shuffle “Got to a gig opening for
My Name Changed Back”) pop heartthrob Harry
or heart-scarring (the gru- Styles, who said of
eling image of depression 10 Musgraves, “It’s impos-
of “Best Years of My Life”). sible to listen to [her]
“We’re not on a soapbox,” too much.”

Rolling Stone | 33

The Best Albums of the Decade


Blonde harder. It inaugurated a

new retro-Nineties golden
age. “Stoned and Starv-
ing” became a millennial
Frank Ocean 2016 anti-anthem, a five-minute
power drone about the
BEFORE HIS SECOND ALBUM, Ocean was a prisoner search for junk food: “I was
— to the strictures of R&B, to the success of his stun- debating Swedish Fish/
ning 2012 debut, Channel Orange, and to misconcep- Roasted peanuts, or lico-
tions about his sexuality. So he doubled down on his rice.” Pure poetry.
experimental ambitions with an enigmatic opus that
pushed his art into wide-open new territory — interpo- 17. Acid Rap
lating the Beatles, referencing indie-folk artist Elliott Chance the Rapper 2013
Smith, and name-checking David Bowie and Brian chicago upstart Chance-
Eno in the LP’s extensive liner notes. Blonde was pre- lor Bennett’s second release
ceded by a series of blown release dates in the summer — a free mixtape that
of 2016; when it finally arrived, it came with a zine has been downloaded 1.7
full of sensual, summery imagery that million times — introduced
proved a nice complement to songs a turbulently psychedelic
like the gorgeously swooning “Pink new sound and voice that
+ White,” the bleary guitarscape seemed hopeful even when
“Ivy,” and the tensely drifting 12 he was rapping, “I know
chipmunk-soul lament “Nikes.” you scared/You should ask
Ocean’s lyrics reference Trayvon us if we scared too.” At a
Martin and Hurricane Katrina, time when Chicago was
grounding his escapist sound in the being cast in the media
politics and pain of as an endless war zone,
real life, and making Blonde feel like a Chance’s frenetic ebullience
trick mirror for our times. inspired against-the-odds
optimism.
18. So Beautiful
or So What
13. Yeezus It” and his own hit “Mi queen Anitta together with in 2013: a nonstop manic Paul Simon 2011
Kanye West 2013 Gente,” which kicks off Aruban singer Jeon. “My guitar rave, from a band simon’s most satisfying
just when it looked like Vibras, the most universal music doesn’t discriminate,” of merry Texas pranksters set in decades was made
Kanye the celebrity was Spanish-language LP of the Balvin sings. It was running wild in Brooklyn. by going back to basics,
finally threatening to de- 2010s. Balvin’s internation- a well-timed message. Parquet Courts crammed instead of building songs
vour Kanye the musician, alist ease comes through their breakthrough album, around beats as he had on
he bounced back with on “Brillo,” a duet with 16. Light Up Gold Light Up Gold, full of recent LPs. “The stimuli
his most intense, con- new-school flamenco singer Parquet Courts 2013 relentless guitars and was a guitar in my lap,”
frontational album ever. Rosalía, while “Machi- just what you least shroom poetry, daring all he said. But his 12th solo
Yeezus was a surprise blast ka” brings Brazilian pop expected from indie rock other bands to try a little album also engaged the
of industrial avant-rap,
constructed with the help
of producer Rick Rubin,
who was brought in late
in the process. As Rubin Brothers
told Rolling Stone, “I
was thinking like Alan
Vega and Suicide, that kind The Black Keys 2010
of noise-synth minimal
vibe.” Kanye amped the BEFORE THEY RECORDED their sixth
aggression, from “Black album, the Black Keys were hardly in the
Skinhead” to “New Slaves” safest creative space: The Ohio garage
to the Nina Simone-Billie duo had drifted apart personally, and
Holiday tribute “Blood on drummer Patrick Carney had just gone
the Leaves.” But he saved through a crippling divorce. “Pat was fried
his best trick for last, with from his divorce,” said singer-guitarist FROM TOP: ANDREW CHIN/FILMMAGIC; STEPHEN LOVEKIN/GETTY IMAGES FOR IHEART RADIO
the vintage soul of “Bound Dan Auerbach. “When he heard the lyrics
2” — his most obscenely to ‘Next Girl,’ he was just so stoked. The
tender love song. rest of the session, it was smooth sailing.”
Brothers went on to become their most
15. Vibras cathartic record, with lyrics touching on
J Balvin 2018 marital discord and hope for the future,
colombian reggaeton set to beautifully smudgy R&B, soul, and
smoothie Balvin was all 14 low-fi funk. “Tighten Up,” the Danger
over the radio in 2018, Mouse-produced slice of staccato bump
thanks to his appearanc- and grind, even became the band’s pop-
es on Cardi B’s “I Like radio breakthrough.

34 | Rolling Stone | January 2020

present, sampling blues gnettes that leverage small it’s bookended by two lost
and gospel as Simon’s lyrics moments and vague mal- gems from the Nineties (the
invoked a CAT scan, a kid aise into big revelations. SO, HOW WAS YOUR DECADE? twitchy “Burn the Witch”
on triple deployment in “The album is...a year of LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA and the gentle “True Love
Iraq, Jay-Z on a billboard, emotions,” she said. “Twelve Waits”), the real triumph
and a Vietnam vet working months of fucking every The ‘Hamilton’ Creator on of A Moon Shaped Pool
in a carwash while trying day, up, down, up, down.” Musical Surprises is everything in between,
to write a film script. Even The highlight is “Depres- with Jonny Greenwood’s
when his subject matter is ton,” in which a failed My favorite album of the 2010s gorgeous orchestration and
otherworldly (the Afri- house-hunting trip leads to was: Beyoncé’s 4, just because Thom Yorke’s vulnerable
can-flavored “The After- heartbreaking observations it has one of my favorite songs songwriting pushing the
life”), the storytelling feels on aging, loss, and alone- of all time, “Countdown.” I band to new heights of
think the surprise drop for her
unmistakably real. ness. self-titled album was the most emotional realness.
innovative thing about the
19. 1989 22. A Moon 2010s — it changed the way 23. Body Talk
Taylor Swift 2014 Shaped Pool we exist. My favorite song of Robyn 2010
on the cusp of turning Radiohead 2016 the 2010s was: I will refer you to “Countdown.” The robyn was an internation-
25, Swift took the biggest radiohead kept a low artist who had the best decade was: Donald Glover. He al star at 15, but it took 15
was being recognized for different talents in different
risk of her career, aban- profile for much of the things, all at the same time. The craziest thing that more years to make her first
doning country to follow decade — all the better happened to me in the 2010s was: Honestly, it’s the full-length masterpiece.
the “blatant pop music” to floor us when they Hamilton wave that keeps cresting. I thought we’d do Body Talk proved there may
she’d tried on Red into returned after a five-year well with school groups [and] maybe run one or two be no artist better at mar-
a full-scale dance-floor gap with this deep, dark years. Everything else has been gravy. rying modern pop science
rebirth. 1989 channeled the dream of an album. While with soulful club jams, har-
music of her birth decade nessing precisely calibrat-
and created a synth-pop ed hook fests to ego-dissolv-
fantasia, experimenting ing dance-floor bliss. The
“Wildest Dreams,” indulg- Anti “Dancing on My Own” is
heart-on-sleeve scenario of
musically and lyrically
on songs like the cheeky
“Blank Space” and the
the paradigm, while “Hang
With Me” is Euro-disco
atmospheric romance of
ing an electro introspection with achingly real emotions,
and the robo-rap show-
that influenced Lorde and Rihanna 2017 case “Fembot” brings out
Carly Rae Jepsen, among a feminist subtext in her
many others. RIHANNA BEGAN this century music that parallels Janelle
as the queen Monáe’s cyber soul.
20. A Seat at of bangers, unloosing a string
the Table of unstoppable hits like “Um- 24. Modern
Solange 2016 brella,” “S&M,” and “We Found Vampires of
solange knowles spent Love,” while making compact the City
years fitting herself into R&B albums at an equally Vampire Weekend 2013
different musical boxes. impressive clip. With Anti, after forming at
But with A Seat at the one of pop’s most success- Columbia University,
Table, she found the right ful singles artists mastered the boat-shoe-wearing
mix of modern R&B and album-oriented expression blog-loved indie-pop crew
Seventies-steeped soul, and made the best music toned down the sunny
and emerged as a poet of her career. “I was deter- globe-trotting guitars
FROM TOP: PATRICK LEWIS/STARPIX FOR HBO/SHUTTERSTOCK; SAMIR HUSSEIN/WIREIMAGE
laureate of the 21st-century mined not to settle for what of their 2008 debut and
black-female experience, everybody thought this should stared down quarter-life
articulating frustrations be, or when they thought it crisis with a broodingly
with racial stereotypes should come, or how,” she lovely album of reflec-
(“Mad”) and fetishes said. “I stuck to it until I felt tions on morality, God,
(“Don’t Touch My Hair”), something again!” The process uncertainty, and roman-
while honoring her roots took nearly three years, and tic decay; fittingly, they
by writing the album in included contributions from debuted Modern Vampire’s
her family’s Louisiana Timbaland, DJ Mustard, The first single, “Unbelievers,”
hometown. “I wanted to re- Weeknd, and many others. dressed as skeletons on
claim that space,” she said. Rihanna got psychedelic with late-night TV just days
Mission accomplished. a cover of a song by Aussie after Hurricane Sandy
space-pop band Tame Impala, shut down New York,
21. Sometimes and referenced Florence + the Machine. More impressive was 25 and on songs like “Diane
I Sit and Think, and the way she made her sonic wanderlust feel urgent, sculpt- Young” and “Hannah
Sometimes ing some of her most immediate songs, like the vulnerable, Hunt,” Ezra Koenig turns
I Just Sit shimmering “Kiss It Better” and the Drake duet “Work,” and the search for faint glints
Courtney Barnett 2015 how she capped off the album with a smoldering run of modern of redemption in his own
the sharpest indie-rock torch ballads. On “James Joint,” she tells us that she’d “rather emotional wreckage into
singer-songwriter of her be/Smoking weed/Whenever we breathe/Every time you kiss a drama of Dylan-esque
generation, Barnett packed me.” On Anti, freeing her mind opened up a window to a new grandeur.
her debut with vivid vi- kind of soul. 26. Beyoncé

January 2020 | Rolling Stone | 35

The Best Albums of the Decade



Beyoncé 2013 watching a loved one die of
recorded in a secrecy cancer, singing “One thing
that made the Manhattan that’s real clear to me/
Project look like a chill No one dies with dignity,”
hang, Beyoncé’s self-titled taking on tragedy with
fifth album was the mother plain-spoken truth.
of all surprise releases
when it hit in 2013 — an 29. Teens of Denial
especially insane feat Car Seat Headrest 2016
since Beyoncé came with a indie-rock prodigy Will
blockbuster visual album Toledo got his start just
as well. The music inside out of high school, writing
was her most ambitious up songs in his parents’ house
to that point, especially on or, sometimes, alone in
mountainous sex sagas like their car, and putting the
“Drunk in Love,” an epic results on the internet. By
duet with Jay-Z, and the his 10th LP, Teens of Denial,
sumptuous, string-bathed he had a real band and total
“Rocket,” which opens with mastery of chaotic guitar
the queen intoning, “Let me poetry à la Pavement, hay-
sit this ass on you.” It was maker hooks à la Guided
the sound of the glossiest 31 by Voices, and gut-check
star in the world chasing unburdening à la Liz Phair.
her musical and physical “I’m so sick of/Fill in the
urges in any direction that blank,” he sings on the al-
felt true. bum’s opening anthem, but
there is as much empathy
27. Damn. as apathy on highlights like
Kendrick Lamar 2017 the crushing six-minute
after the sprawl of To centerpiece “Drunk Driv-
Pimp a Butterfly, with ers/Killer Whales.”
its widescreen jazz-rap
portrait of the nation, 30. Thank U, Next
Lamar changed gears Ariana Grande 2019
completely. Damn. was his after dealing with a se-
most unabashed rap banger ries of personal traumas —
to date, rocking hard from a terrorist attack at her
start to finish, scoring his Manchester concert, the
first Number One hit with death of ex-boyfriend Mac
“Humble.” Despite guests Miller, and her breakup
from Bono to Rihanna, with Pete Davidson —
Lamar kept the flow fast Grande channeled her
and furious as he raged feelings into the stellar
about “the feelin’ of an Thank U, Next. “NASA”
apocalypse happenin’.” When We All Fall swirled into space, while
As he explained, “The best “Ghostin” stared tragedy in
entertainers have to have the face, and the title track
the most wickedest sense was a graceful break-up
of humor, to be able to take Asleep, Where ballad for the ages. The
pain and change it into LP was part of a creative
laughter.” surge for Grande, her
28. Southeastern Do We Go? second album in less than
six months. “I just want to
Jason Isbell 2013 fucking talk to my fans, and
after then-girlfriend, sing, and write music and
fiddle-player-songwriter Billie Eilish 2019 drop it,” she said.
Amanda Shires, helped get
him to quit drinking and EVERYONE KNOWS that pop was big business in the 2010s, but that didn’t stop 18-year-old Eilish 32. Norman
go into rehab, alt-country from making her insanely catchy blockbuster debut the DIY way. Writing and recording with Fucking Rockwell!
singer-songwriter Isbell her brother at their childhood home in L.A.’s Highland Park (sometimes singing her vocals while Lana Del Rey 2019
made this focused album, slouched in bed), Eilish reinvented punk rebellion for the extremely online generation, from the del rey made captivating
a stripped-down, often gleeful button-pushing of “Bad Guy” to the goth drama of “My Strange Addiction,” to the straight- noir pop throughout the
reflectively quiet collection edge eye roll of “Xanny.” As her dad explained to Rolling Stone, Eilish “has no tolerance for 2010s. For Norman Fucking
of unsparing honesty and people she’s not interested in and doesn’t give a shit whether you like her or not.” That uncompro- Rockwell!, she immersed
vivid detail. With Shires mising spirit came through in her distractedly mumbled vocals, sinister delivery, and a lyrical sen- herself in L.A. singer-song-
adding harmonies, he sibility inspired by horror movies like Alien and The Babadook. Despite (or perhaps because of) its writers, from classic Laurel AMANDA EDWARDS/FILMMAGIC
addressed his demons on total disinterest in mainstream pop formula, the LP touched a nerve no one could have expected; Canyon albums to recent
“Cover Me Up,” and with the week When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? came out, Eilish had 14 songs in the Top 100, work by her friend Father
“Elephant,” he authored and when it debuted at the top of the charts in the spring of 2019, she became the first artist born John Misty. “I just feel
a penetrating song about in the 21st century to have a Number One album. such a connection to that

36 | Rolling Stone | January 2020

Be the singer-songwriter world,”

she said. The result was
a modern masterpiece of
Cowboy doomily romantic California
ache. Her torpid Seventies
majesty seemed to stretch
out endlessly, whether Del
Rey was offering a passing
Mitski 2018 prayer for the late Dennis
Wilson, singing about danc-
“I MISS SEEING that swaggering cowboy on- ing to the Eagles in Malibu,
stage,” Mitski Miyawaki told Rolling Stone, or losing herself in the
explaining the title of her stellar fifth album. “I fading-sunset glow of “Ven-
miss being mesmerized by that, and I thought, ice Bitch” and “Mariners
‘Well, I should just be that cowboy that I want Apartment Complex.”
to see onstage.’ I’m just going to be the thing
that mesmerizes me.” On Be the Cowboy, the 35. Black Messiah
then-27-year-old singer-guitarist was a new D’Angelo 2014
kind of indie-rock hero — a self-determined neo-soul architect
young woman crafting perfectly sculpted, D’Angelo’s first album in
powerhouse songs that fuse goth romanticism, 14 years was an immacu-
noisy guitar tumult, folk earnestness, and arty lately layered, relentlessly
pop savvy, while channeling her twentysome- funky, and politically ur-
thing ennui into indelible lyrics like “Nobody gent statement, reflecting
fucks me like...me.” Miyawaki, who lived in 13 a concern for detail that
different countries before her family settled in often seemed missing in
the United States, played in a metal band after the straight-to-streaming
college, but eventually found her musical voice era. You can hear echoes
writing songs like the elegantly sludgy, starkly of ragtime and jazz,
unburdening “Your Best American Girl,” a Parliament, and Prince as
breakout indie hit from her 2016 LP, Puberty D’Angelo fills each song
2. Massive media buzz helped lead to a spot with his beguiling, twist-
opening arena dates on Lorde’s Melodrama ingly intricate multipart
tour. With Be the Cowboy, Mitski made 33 harmonies. Released in
her inner turmoil feel universal, from the part as a response to a
cathedral-size swoon of “Pink in the Night” jury’s failure to indict a
to “Me and My Husband,” a trenchant mar- Ferguson, Missouri, cop
riage parody set to Beatlesque piano chords. for the shooting death
“I don’t really see the point in putting togeth- of Michael Brown, Black
er a bunch of words for the sake of my own Messiah was a comeback
expression,” she said. “I’m interested in having no one expected that felt
someone understand me.” right on time — and one of
the most welcome returns
of the decade.
Invasion 36. Dark Matter
Randy Newman 2017
american music’s
34 of Privacy greatest comic ironist
released only one album
in the 2010s, but it was a
Cardi B 2018 gem, perhaps Newman’s
most mordant assessment
CARDI B DIDN’T NEED to make music to become a yet of his fellow man.
Dark Matter catalogs
star. She was already a huge social media presence
FROM TOP: LEANN MUELLER; TIM MOSENFELDER/GETTY IMAGES charisma as she spit unforgettable lines like “I started Missile Crisis on the brink
and a hilarious reality-TV personality. But she re-
historical calamities:
corded one of the most entertaining hip-hop albums
science on trial in “The
of our era anyway, radiating brash old-school Bronx
Great Debate,” the Cuban
speaking my mind and tripled my views/Real bitch,
in “Brothers,” and fascism
on Broadway in the sar-
only thing fake is the boobs.” Cardi did a bloody-
donically smiley “Putin.”
shoed stomp up the charts with the dragon-breathed
And when he pares back
“Bodak Yellow,” declared herself “like Big Pop mixed
his sweeping classic-
with Tupac” on the Chance the Rapper-assisted “Best
Americana sound for
Life,” and convened a cross-cultural convo with Latin
pop stars Bad Bunny and J Balvin on the surprise
somber family tragedies
like “Wandering Boy” and
summer smash “I Like It.” As she told Rolling
darkness really hits home.
myself.” On Invasion of Privacy, she’s the only Cardi
the world will ever need.
. . . Stone, “I used to tell myself that I will always be “Lost Without You,” the
January 2020 | Rolling Stone | 37

The Best Albums of the Decade



37. Channel and jealousy over the
Orange Ctrl subtle dance-floor
Frank Ocean 2012 40 shudder of
when ocean brags about SZA 2017 “Pienso en Tu Mirá,”
his “great gray matter” guided along by a
on Channel Orange, it is R&B SINGERS IN the 2010s festival-ready electronic
truth in advertising. Lush often seemed to hide their bass, and “Bagdad,”
and mysterious, evoking voices behind walls of reverb which riffs beautifully
the downcast smolder of and booming trap beats. SZA on Justin Timberlake’s
Seventies Sly Stone and broke that mold on her self- 2000s touchstone “Cry
the inner visions of Stevie assured debut. “I had to just Me a River.”
Wonder, the moody soul say what was on my mind,” she
romantic’s first official told Rolling Stone. “I de- 41. Coloring Book
release is a gorgeously cided to take down the reverb Chance the Rapper 2016
bleary midnight ride into and be in the forefront.” She after kids told him
an L.A. where unemployed created Ctrl with a small team they were inspired by his
dudes live off their stripper of producers, who holed up in popular mixtape, Acid
girlfriends and cab drivers an L.A. studio listening to Bra- Rap, to drop LSD, Chance
double as shrinks for love- zilian jazz, Nineties hip-hop, reflected on “the respon-
lorn back-seat confessors. and Nirvana for inspiration. sibility of being a popular
Ocean’s bold vision helped The result is a winningly can- artist,” and grounded his
transform R&B into a more did breakthrough (“Let me tell next release in gospel as he
wide-open place for the rest you a secret: I’ve been secretly opened up about life issues
of the decade. banging your homeboy,” she like clean living and raising
sings on “Supermodel”), with a family (aptly seconded
38. A Sailor’s clean hooks that are easy to by the Chicago Children’s
Guide to Earth shout along to and several Choir on “All We Got”). The
Sturgill Simpson 2016 undeniable hits. “I think mood shifts from jubilant
hailed a savior of “real” [musical] clutter comes from (“No Problem”) to defiantly
country music after his nerves,” SZA explained. “It woozy (“Mixtape”). Millions
second album, 2014’s doesn’t come from choice.” took heart, and Coloring
Metamodern Sounds in Book became the first
Country Music, Simpson streaming-only album to
did everything he could both chart on the Billboard
to defy that notion on A 200 and win a Grammy
Sailor’s Guide to Earth, Platinum Award.
creating a love letter to his
son influenced by Marvin 43. Tempest
Gaye that was more like a Miranda Lambert 2014 Bob Dylan 2012
psychedelic-soul song cycle dylan told “Rolling
than a Nashville outlier. LAMBERT HAD as good a decade as almost Stone” his 35th studio
The album is full of sur- any other artist alive, and this nearly immacu- album had been “worked
prises, including Simpson’s late set is so catchy, confident, and wide-rang- out in rehearsals...during
endearing reimagining of ing that it’s almost unfair to other Nashville soundchecks.” Yet there is
Nirvana’s “In Bloom.” And stars. Lambert had just turned 30, and gone nothing casual about his
just to prove he hadn’t left were the gun-toting revenge songs that only collection of original
his roots totally behind, he had partly defined her work. “I’m not just material this decade. Songs
included “Call to Arms,” an burning houses down anymore,” like “Pay in Blood” and “Tin
anti-war anthem worthy she told Rolling Stone. “I Angel” are killer displays
of the deepest outlaw have more to sing about.” of late-career firepower,
tradition. She veers from tender while the music summons
39. El Mal 42 meditations on fame jump blues, Western swing,
to cheeky celebrations
and British folk ballads.
Querer of her hair color (the And seven years later, lines
Rosalía 2018 title track, which turns like “This is hard country
no artist in the “What doesn’t kill you, to stay alive in/Blades are
2010s brought only makes you blonder” everywhere, and they’re
together the ancient into an extremely sticky breaking my skin” cut even
and the modern as melody) to faux-vaudeville deeper than when he first
seamlessly as Spanish and Western swing. Every sang them. FROM TOP: KEVIN WINTER/GETTY IMAGES FOR COACHELLA; JOHN SHEARER/WIREIMAGE
singer Rosalía did song is perfectly constructed
on her magic trick of but feels like it is broadcast 44. Days Are Gone
a second LP, which from her soul — none more Haim 2013
uses centuries-old so than “Bathroom Sink,” a “when we started
Andalusian flamenco portrait of self-doubt, written playing...we didn’t know
as a taking-off point by Lambert alone, that grows people in any scene,” Alana
for a modern pop from acoustic sketch to Haim told Rolling Stone.
adventure. Rosalía raging rocker, the sound of a That sense of freshness and
delivers smoldering world-beater willing to show pure pop innocence came
lyrics about rapture her vulnerabilities. through in the L.A. trio’s

38 | Rolling Stone | January 2020

unshakably catchy songs. more concentration and
The three sisters of Haim 45 continuity,” Cohen noted.
retro-fit fluttery Nineties Equally droll — and never
R&B, synth-y Eighties pop morbid — the songs ad-
rock, and breezy Southern dress loss and relationship
California soft rock, leav- travails over beautifully
ening tunes like “Falling” minimal waltzes, with Co-
and “Don’t Save Me” with hen’s coal-mine-deep voice
a seemingly innate sense Hamilton seeming to rumble into
of melodic craft. Every (Original the eternal. His words are
song on Days Are Gone Broadway as powerful as his vocals.
bristles with bright hooks Cast “My lost was saying found/
and skittery percussive My don’t was saying do,”
energy; the peak moment Recording) he offers, chasing the dark
of cocaine-crisp L.A. 2015 truth right up to the end.
gold is “The Wire,” which
reimagines the Eagles’ THE RECORDING OF 49. Watch
“Heartache Tonight” as if an absurdly unlikely the Throne
Fleetwood Mac had been hip-hop musical about Jay-Z and Kanye West
in the studio to help out on Founding Father 2011
harmonies. Alexander Hamilton a decade after Kanye
transformed how Amer- proved himself as an
46. Wrecking Ball ica thinks about musical elite producer on Jay-Z’s
Bruce Springsteen 2012 theater, Broadway, and The Blueprint, modern
america was crawling out itself. Creator Lin-Man- rap’s greatest frenemies
of the Great Recession in uel Miranda combines reunited for this gold-plated
2012, but Springsteen still rap, R&B, and show monument to their own
had business to settle: “The tunes with absolute au- imperious cool. “If we were
blood on our hands will thority, quoting Biggie, gonna do it, we were gonna
come back on us twice,” Eminem, and Rodgers do it together,” Jay said, ex-
he sings, running out the and Hammerstein, en- plaining their insistence on
money changers over a tering its most indelible in-person sessions in New
hip-hop/gospel beat on lines (“I’m not throwing York, Paris, Los Angeles, and
“Rocky Ground.” Wrecking away my shot!” “Who Bath, England. “No mailing
Ball was his most savagely tells your story?”) into it in.” Their tag-team act on
despondent LP in years, the national vernacular, “Otis” and “N----s in Paris”
surveying our democracy while inspiring en- is as purely delightful as rap
in chains on the ballad dorsement from Obama got in the 2010s, but what
“Shackled and Drawn,” and the dumb fury of makes Watch the Throne a
while still praying for a Trump. highlight of both their cata-
shared language of love logs are the glimpses of spir-
and support on “We Take itual and political turmoil
Care of Our Own.” “I’ve on “Murder to Excellence,”
written about this stuff “New Day,” and “No Church
for...30 years,” he told in the Wild.”
Jon Stewart in a Rolling
Stone interview. Wrecking Fleet Foxes, and Iron and 50. Emotion
Ball shows how vital his Wine had crystallized at SO, HOW WAS YOUR DECADE? Carly Rae Jepsen 2015
FROM TOP: BRUCE GLIKAS/BRUCEGLIKAS/FILMMAGIC; OVIDIU HRUBARU/SHUTTERSTOCK
voice remains. the dawn of the decade. hungry to prove she was
“Say nothing of my fable, LINDSEY JORDAN OF SNAIL MAIL more than the one-hit
47. 22, a Million no,” Vernon sings. “What wonder of “Call Me Maybe,”
Bon Iver 2016 on Earth is left to come.” The 20-Year-Old Indie-Rock the Canadian singer worked
“it used to be just a G Prodigy on Bon Iver and Boof with indie co-producers
chord on a guitar for many 48. You Want like ex-Vampire Weekend
years,” Justin Vernon said It Darker My favorite album of the 2010s member Rostam Batman-
about the dramatic sonic Leonard Cohen 2016 was: The self-titled 1975 album. glij and Blood Orange’s
The artist who had the best
evolution on Bon Iver’s confined to his Los decade was: Frank Ocean. Devonté Hynes, as well as
gorgeously glitchy third Angeles home for health He just did. The craziest thing old hands like Swedish song
album. “This time we went reasons, Cohen recorded that happened to you in the doctor Max Martin, to make
looking for different kinds lyrics his son, Adam, later past 10 years was: Touring in her own flavor of Madon-
of sparks.” With its dense produced into finished Asia and having fans in Jakarta. na-steeped synth-pop. “[I’m]
Selling out shows in places
layers of synths, processed tracks to create the where I just, like, would never have been able to travel a woman who is very fasci-
samples, Auto-Tuned vo- 82-year-old torch poet’s to before, and having people sing the words back. The nated by the subject of love,”
cals, and fluttering horns, rumbling prayer of a final TV show I couldn’t stop watching was: Euphoria. The she said, “who loves nothing
22, a Million was both album. “This particular best slang term of the decade was: Calling some- more than creating music
a myth-busting creative predicament is filled with thing that’s ugly or bad “boof.” My most surprising about it.” The hook overload
rebirth for Vernon and a many fewer distractions encounter with a fellow artist was: Justin Vernon. I’ve is intoxicating, and Jepsen’s
firm farewell to the wave of than other times in my been listening to Bon Iver since I was, like, 13. The most emo passion feels sweet and
“2010s” thing of the 2010s was: Kanye and Donald
sad-sack folk-strumming life, and actually enables Trump. That shit was crazy. self-aware in a way you can’t
that acts like Bon Iver, me to work with a little help but get behind.

January 2020 | Rolling Stone | 39

Prabh










Deep:

















India’s Most







Fearless




Rapper New Delhi’s moshpit-







starting, soul-searching
star is now thinking beyond

hip-hop in 2020

BY A N U R AG TAGAT
Photography by Ashish Sahu
























40 | Rolling Stone India | January 2020

Styled exclusively in:
United Colors of Benetton
Fashion Editor :
Neelangana Vasudeva
Art Director :
Tanvi Shah
Hair and makeup :
Anuj Dogra








































































Jacket, T-shirt,
joggers and
sneakers, all by
United Colors of
Benetton




January 2020 | Rolling Stone India | 41

PR A BH DEEP


O beats and words. With help from synth-






bass artist Hashbass aka Harshit Misra,
keyboardist Archit Anand and more, songs
like “Amar” and “Maya” began to show off

soul, R&B and pop.
n Christmas Day,
Prabh Deep premiered the video for Prabh’s production chops, which leaned on
In July came his collaboration with
“Amar,” a super-smooth horn section- Srinagar rapper-producer Ahmer and Sez,
aided track in which he’s actually talking “Elaan.” One of the most important songs
about preparing for his death, his of 2019 that almost foretold the ongoing
soul’s journey to immortality and even lockdown in Kashmir, Prabh Deep proved
a fleeting reference to the 1984 anti- why he’s one of the country’s most fearless
Sikh riots. rappers with his verse. He questions,
He outlines the most important things “Apne aap kolo puch/Twaade dil
to him in life on the song: “Iss duniya ch vich paida kitti kinne nafrat?”
pehla pariwar mera/Duji meri neend mainu (Ask yourself, who created such
pyaari/Teeja mera kamm naale/Chauthi hatred in your heart?) KING was If you change
meri maut jiddi kara mai tyaari.” Family, mellower than this, but it didn’t
sleep, work and a death he’s preparing for – stop Prabh Deep from pulling no someone’s
that’s perhaps where the New Delhi-based punches on the closing title track,
firebrand hip-hop artist and producer’s in which he mixes references to mentality
priorities lie at this juncture. Despite Pokémon as well as Indian prime
the reference to ’84, there’s a separate minister Narendra Modi and U.S. with your
album (tentatively called 84-18) that he’s president Donald Trump. He says
working on, whereas his latest EP KING with a laugh when he’s asked about songs, just on
is “very personal.” He adds, “I got bored of it: “I love to mix and match and
rap, man. I wanted to try some soul and bringing two different cultures a personal
I suck at it, but I’m still trying. I’m not together and see how people
scared of experimenting and changing my react to it.” level, then
sound. Some artists they’re really scared
of changing their sound, because they fear Excerpts from the exclusive there can
they’ll lose their audience. With me, it’s interview:
different. Whenever I change my sound, I When you’re producing and be a bigger
gain a new audience.” rapping and in control of it all,
Recently turned 26, Prabh Deep was how much self-doubt is involved change
heralded as the next big thing in 2017 in that process?
itself, when he and producer Sez On The There is no such thing as self- in society
Beat worked together on the former’s debut doubt for me, particularly. I know
album Class-Sikh, the first big release on when a song is not finished yet, so as well.
New Delhi/Mumbai-headquartered label I’m not going to put it out. That’s
Azadi Records. He might be a total braggart the only thing... the next album is thinking
and ready to throw down on songs like “G a solo project and I’m mixing and
Maane” and “Suno” off Class-Sikh – which mastering it. I learned how to play differently.
even won him the Toto Funds the Arts keys, synth-bass and all that stuff.
Music Award in 2018 – but Prabh’s socially Self-doubt toh nahi hota, so I keep .
conscious verses and stance taken on issues working on songs until I know
like drug abuse and the world’s increasingly it’s finished.
right-wing bent has been a much-needed The title track off KING opens with
elbow to the face of mainstream (and largely Pokemon references and Modi-Trump
superficial) Punjabi music. references. What is your thought flow in
He leveled up in 2019, from start to finish. terms of pop culture references and tying
With the One Eight Project at Bira91’s April them together?
Fools Fest in New Delhi early last year, a (Laughs) I love to mix and match and
live band featuring saxophone, drums and bringing two different cultures together and
singers made the rapper think beyond just see how people react to it. People reacted






42 | Rolling Stone India | January 2020

Bomber
jacket, T-shirt
and denims by
United Colors
of Benetton

PR A BH DEEP









to it pretty crazily. The same people who There could be an extended version of drop more music. Maybe when we get really
like Pokémon are the same people who the song, with more from me and Ahmer. famous, we’ll come back to this and then
don’t like Modi (laughs). I thought, ‘These everything will be smoother.
two things are my favorite!’ That was my Do you sit down and write every day? People asked ‘Why are you making fun of
whole point. You see what’s happening in Nah, man, I don’t follow that process other rappers?’
the country right now and it’s pretty fucked at all. I don’t have any rapper processes People aren’t open to ideas here. Like the
up. I’ve said it, like, six months ago, what’s and I don’t even consider myself as a Beebay thing, for example, it’s everywhere
happening now. rapper anymore because I just… I’m in in the States – hip-hop runs on that funny
a zone where I just sit down with my shit. There is a comedy aspect to hip-
There’s a soul music influence on KING mic, hit record and spit. The thoughts hop as well, which is what people don’t
and I think that goes well with how come naturally to me and I sit down and understand in India. That’s what we tried
philosophical you get on this record. write, but otherwise I don’t force myself to do but kaafi hate bhi mila usse [we got
What’s the objective? to sit and say, ‘I have to finish this song hate for it].
I feel like when people change today.’ If it’s coming from the inside and
from within, there’ll be a bigger I really want to, then I’ll do it. People were really hurt?
change in society as well. If you Yeah man, really butthurt. These guys
change someone’s mentality with Amidst this constant cycle of were like, ‘Give me your address, I’ll come to
your songs, just on a personal level, I’ve had the touring, writing and recording, your house.’ I’d say, ‘Here’s my address, come
then there can be a bigger change in where do you feel most comfortable to my house and I’ll beat you up’ (laughs).
society as well. People start thinking opportunity when you want to write something, People acted really funny, man.
differently. whether it’s angry and even soul-
to sit in searching? You were trying to promote good rap too.
Have you seen that with people I think it’s in my bedroom. I’ve You have this sub-label coming up soon.
who come up to you after shows? a big-ass had the opportunity to sit in a big- What was the starting point?
For sure, man. People come up ass studio in different countries but I always wanted to start my own thing.
and say things like, ‘We used to studio in when I come back home, this is my I was just waiting for the right time and
support BJP’ and ‘We had fucked-up zone where I can just create. It just for someone to sign. I was waiting for the
opinions.’ But after understanding different comes out naturally, I don’t have to opportunity. I had heard a lot of demos from
somebody else’s perspective, they think about any concepts or anything. a lot of artists, but I never clicked with any
have a clearer mind about what’s countries but The words just fit perfectly. I don’t of it. But then I met this crazy soul/jazz
right and wrong. Shit really changes. have to worry about how people are singer Arshia Saxena from Bombay just last
when I come going to react to it or how much week. She blew my mind in the booth, I fell
In addition to your own stuff, you money I’m going to make from it. The in love with her voice. She’s a reflection of
featured on “Elaan” by Ahmer. back home, whole KING EP had songs close to my me, in a sense, like how fast I work and how
What was it like contributing to heart. It’s still very close to my heart, I am. I just go on the beat and kill it in one
that song? this is my because everything I wrote, every hour. That’s what she did in front of me and
“Elaan” is a very close to my heart. word is straight from the heart, it’s I was like, ‘Damn, this is crazy.’ I had to sign
I remember writing this verse in zone where coming from a real place. her. I signed her as soon as we finished the
different locations – I was in Bombay song. I told her the deal of sub-label and
one time with Uday [Kapur, Azadi I can just Earlier this year, you had Beebay told her the plans I had and she was on-
Records co-founder] in a hotel. I TV with [singer] Lit Happu and board. It’s really exciting for me.
wrote half of the verse there, I wrote create. Sez, which was a riot in terms of I’ve been talking to this girl and heard her
another half in a metro when I taking down terrible desi hip- stuff but wanted to see what she could do
saw uncles talking about politics and hop but also encouraging people under pressure in the studio, because that’s
thought about how fucked-up their to check out the good ones. What where the main game is. She’s killed it there
ideology is. I wrote some of it at happened to it? and that’s when I thought about signing
home and at the studio. That’s why We stopped, we’re not doing it any her. There’s also Harjas Preet aka HRJS,
it came out so hard-hitting and powerful. more. Sez is going in a different direction, who’s a rapper, I like him so much and I’d
When Sez played the beat and I heard Happu is going in a different direction love to sign him. This is not a political, hip-
Ahmer’s verse, I was like, ‘Fuck, I need to and so am I. We’re just focusing on our hop space [with my label]. It’s a very soul,
add this verse to this song. This was meant own stuff. jazz scene. We’re taking it in a different
for this song’. It fit perfectly. Ahmer and Sez It was fun while it was on. But you have direction.
had to stop me because I was writing too to understand, we haven’t even tapped
much. The original verse was much longer. into 1% of the population right now [with You’re putting out material constantly.
So there could be a part two of the song? our music]. We have to work hard and What side do you stand on? Rappers being






44 | Rolling Stone India | January 2020

Crew neck knit,
denims and
sneakers by
United Colors
of Benetton

Blazer and knit by
United Colors of
Benetton

prolific because people are following them, From now on, we made the decision that
or taking time with a record? from Delhi only, we’re traveling with our own
I believe in both things. I believe in party, with a full crew. Otherwise, we’re not
consistency. I’m really fast, I can make doing a show.
three songs in a day. I’ve done it and I can People might say you should be more
do it again. What I do is, I see the kind of accommodating.
projects that aren’t fitting into the record Yeah man, but they don’t understand. I
and put them out as singles. On top of that, don’t want to do six shows a week. I want
I’m working on another record. The new one to do one show in a month and give people
should be out in February or March. I’m still an experience. A good 90-minute set that
finishing a couple of songs. people can go crazy and feel, ‘Oh shit, we saw
You have to keep making something crazy today’. Good production,
music. Some artists just put good visuals and ambience, all these things
out two singles and make matter to me, because people pay good
I don’t want their fans wait, which is a money to see me and I don’t want that
cool thing to do and then experience to go to waste.
to do six drop an album. It could I have material for like two hours and
go wrong as well, though, 30 minutes. Name one rapper who has that
shows a week. when people wait for too much material.
long and then the album…
I want to do (laughs) it’s a very tricky And you’re ready to perform it?
thing. People wait years Yeah of course, I’ll do it. I don’t like to sit
one show in for your album and then on it. I have a third album coming out and a
it’s just 30 minutes of couple of singles, a few more collaborations.
a month and the same shit you’ve been There’s lots of material that’s already out and
putting out before. What’s the strangest part is people know the new
give people an the point? songs too.

experience. What has changed in You also have a fashion line that’s about
terms of your live shows to start, called FLY. What can you tell me
A good in the past year? about that?
20 19 has been a It’s not a clothing line or a merch kind
90-minute set rollercoaster ride for me of thing. It’s more of an artist thing, where
in terms of shows. The there’s a designer on board and I’m getting
that people KING EP tour was perfect into fashion now, competing with (brands
because that was our own like) Off-White, Supreme. My designer
can go crazy. production and everything Shaurya Vir Singh and I, we manifested it for
was in our own control. so long, we talk so often and knew we didn’t
crazy today’. When we got other shows, want to do it on a smaller scale.
though, I realized there’s That’s the ideology we follow with music
no structure in India when too – let’s go big and make it huge. That’s the
it comes to gigs. Nobody is reason when you check the analytics and the
solving any shit, everyone graph between October 2017 and December
is going on with their own 2019 – from when Class-Sikh released to now
drama. There are certain – it blew my mind, to see the craziest growth
rules to this, basic necessities for artists. in two years and it’s all organic. We didn’t
Sometimes when it’s not fulfilled, it just spend a single penny on promotions.
pisses you off. Very little things, like when It’s going to be a proper brand. Kind of
you’re on stage sound-checking for 40 how you hear about Beats By Dre used by
minutes and you’re on the last five minutes every artist in the West, we want to give out
of it and suddenly there’s feedback. It just clothing to every artist in this country, release
pisses you off, because you’re like ‘Yo, I’ve their music videos and support the system
been soundchecking for 45 minutes and and make an economy out of it. Indian
this is the first thing you should do, cut economy’s shit right now (laughs), so we
the feedback.’ want to bring this in.






January 2020 | Rolling Stone India | 47

10 BEST INDIAN on their debut eight- 6. Lifafa
Jaago
track album Babelfish,
Mumbai indie-pop
ALBUMS OF 2019 outfit Shubhangi Joshi
Collective packs a stellar
bunch of songs together
that flow seamlessly. The
This year brought hotly anticipated hip-hop, faith- band’s record – featur-
restoring indie tunes and evocative rock that ensured ing vocalist-guitarist
Shubhangi Joshi, bassist
the relevance of full-length records Titus Pinto, keyboard-
ist Nishant Nair and
drummer Aamir Ismail
– opens with “Last Ticket
1. Peter Cat Record- Singh deliver yet anoth- Herd Us encapsulates the Journey” which includes in a fashion that recalls
ing Co. er winner. By no means sound of that era extraordi- a pacing drum pattern ghazals and even bhajans,
Bismillah is Ocean easy to follow narily well, juxtaposed with and embellished key- Suryakant Sawhney sits
up, but Science City was modern pop motifs (and board parts. The band with a harmonium and a
readied years ago and then sci-fi lyrical allusions) and charms with “Curious mic to make a melancholic
released in chronology clever arrangements even as Cat” and presents funk- proclamation that’s turned
via U.K. label Peacefrog. we move into the 2020s. If groove on “Surfing With many club venues and
There’s a sense of affection some say that rock is dead, The Times.” Joshi puts festival grounds upside
and wonderment on songs then They Finally Herd forward cheeky lyrics down this past year. It
like “Monkey,” “Hello” and Us is a resurrection. – DAVID like “Spare me your last goes: “Doob raha hai
“Be Something,” but vocal- BRITTO minute, crying.” The desh yahaan (this land is
ist, guitarist and producer acoustic pop tune “Why drowning.)” In his sedate,
Nischay Parekh perhaps 4. Shubhangi Joshi Stay Away” is a slow yet jaded voice through the
grasps on to the most Collective flowing song that pulls course of eight kalei-
in 2019, New Delhi’s Peter heartfelt epiphanies on Babelfish you in one note at a time doscopic dance tracks,
Cat Recording Co. weren’t songs like “Summer Skin” while “Help Me Lifafa hits just the right
just about gypsy, jazz, (“Time’s a waste of life,” he Remember” is a bossa nerves about 21st century
psychedelic rock and waltz sings) and the duo space nova jazz-inspired existence. Over other-
like their previous releases. out on “Forward Slash” and number. The album also worldly layers of synth and
Much more rooted in jazz “One Hundred Shadows” features Joshi’s 2017 also house patterns, the
with hints of electron- while introducing serious single “Foolish,” the singer-producer oscillates
ic (“Where The Money grooves on “Crystalline.” flavorful “Cynic On The between youthfulness
Flows”), Bismillah present- — A.T. List” and the relaxing (“Chaku Chidiya”,) love
ed a celebration sound in record closer and live (“Nikamma,” “Din Raat”)
many ways (“Floated By,” staple “Ode To The and disillusionment
“Memory Box”). Tropical Moon.” – D.B. (“MJRH”). — A.T.
vibes permeate on “Soulless
Friends,” while there’s lush
nostalgic rock on “Heera,”
which tells us there’s delib-
eration but also acceptance
of the way things are (“I’m
This”). There’s a burst of Blackstratblues
brass on “Remain In Me”
and a cinematic end with
“Shit I’m Dreaming,” show- 3. The Koniac Net When It’s Time
ing us yet another warped They Finally Herd Us
chapter in the history of mumbai rockers The ONE COULD ARGUE that
Peter Cat. — ANURAG TAGAT Koniac Net comprising Mumbai instrumental rock 5
vocalist-guitarist David group Blackstratblues’ fifth
2. Parekh & Singh Abraham, guitarists Jason album, the eight-track When
Science City D’Souza and Aaron Dmello, It’s Time, is nothing short of a
bassist Adil Kurwa, vocalist stellar piece of art. The group’s
Mallika Barot and drum- talisman Warren Mendonsa shines
mer Karun Kannampilly on almost every track with his larger-
have crafted a remarkably than-life guitar solos and intricate
resounding album with the chord progressions. Drummer Jai Row
11-track They Finally Herd Kavi is at his thumping best when he is
Us. The record brings forth beating the daylights out of his kit on
catchy melodies (“Crawl- “Black Hole X3” with solid drum parts
ing,” “Here We’ll Be”), gritty and dynamic fills. Bassist Adi Mistry’s
guitars (“All Hail Backslid- ability to play to the mood and hold just
er,” “Cobra Avalanche,” “In the right groove sits perfectly with the
in pondering the bigger Vein”) and killer drum fills rest of the band as keyboardist Beven
picture, Kolkata-bred on “Alison.” For any Nine- Fonseca lays a canvas for Mendonsa to
dream pop duo Parekh & ties rock lover, They Finally go berserk on. – D.B.

48 | Rolling Stone | January 2020