Aaron Dessner Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift have done one another a bunch of favours over the years.

Aaron Dessner has opened up about his experience of working with Ed Sheeran on the latter’s upcoming fifth album, ‘-‘ (‘Subtract’).Sheeran announced the 14-track record earlier this week, saying that it reflects his “deepest darkest thoughts” against a backdrop of personal turmoil.“It’s opening the trapdoor into my soul,” the singer-songwriter explained. “For the first time I’m not trying to craft an album people will like, I’m merely putting something out that’s honest and true to where I am in my adult life.”The National’s Dessner teamed up with Sheeran on writing and production for the LP.

NME have announced the full line-up for the C23 Live showcase at SXSW Festival.The event will take place at Inn Cahoots in Austin, Texas on March 16 to celebrate the release of C23 and feature artists from the mixtape. The full ‘Bose x NME: C23’ mixtape will be released the day prior (March 15).The mixtape features exclusive tracks by 15 of the world’s most exciting and innovative emerging artists, creating an unmissable collection that will offer a definitive audio showcase of the future of music.

Ed Sheeran announced today that his fifth studio album, pronounced Subtract but styled as “-”, will be released on May 5.

Ed Sheeran has announced the release of his long-awaited new acoustic album - (Subtract), the final LP in his Mathematics era and more than a decade in the making.

Ed Sheeran has announced that he will release new album ‘-‘ in May, completing his series of mathematically titled LPs.Pronounced ‘Subtract’, the album will featured stripped back, acoustic songs, and was co-written and produced last year by The National’s Aaron Dessner – whom Sheeran met through his good mate Taylor Swift. Dessner, of course, having worked with Swift on her ‘Folklore’ and ‘Evermore’ albums.In a post on social media announcing the album, Sheeran revealed that the album has been in the making for many years, but that he scrapped all of his previous work and started afresh last year.“I had been working on ‘Subtract’ for a decade, trying to sculpt the perfect acoustic album, writing and recording hundreds of songs with a clear vision of what I thought it should be”, he writes.

Ed Sheeran has surprised fans by announcing details of a UK and European arena tour that kicks off later this month. Check out full dates and ticket details below.The news comes after the singer-songwriter today (March 1) announced details of new album ‘-‘ (‘Subtract’), his fifth LP to date and the final in his “mathematical album era” of records named after symbols.To launch and celebrate the new material, Sheeran will be playing dates in Manchester, London, Glasgow and Dublin this month, with a once-off show in Paris in April.

Ed Sheeran has announced the release of his long-awaited new acoustic album - (Subtract), the final LP in his Mathematics era and more than a decade in the making.

Ed Sheeran has shared details of his new album, ‘-‘ (‘Subtract’).The singer-songwriter’s latest album, which is the follow-up to 2021’s ‘=‘, is released on May 5 via Asylum/Atlantic. Pre-order it here and see more details including the tracklist below.‘-‘ is described in press material as the “last in his decade-spanning mathematical album era” and is an acoustic-driven album that was written and rewritten against a backdrop of personal turmoil.Aaron Dessner of The National teamed up with Sheeran on writing and production.Sheeran explained in a statement: “I had been working on ‘Subtract’ for a decade, trying to sculpt the perfect acoustic album, writing and recording hundreds of songs with a clear vision of what I thought it should be.

Ed Sheeran has announced the release of his long-awaited new acoustic album - (Subtract), the final LP in his Mathematics era and more than a decade in the making.

Julia MacCary editor Ed Sheeran announced his fifth studio album, “-,” will drop May 5, detailing his personal journey through “fear, depression and anxiety.” Pronounced “subtract,” the acoustic album will conclude his mathematical album era, which began over a decade ago with “+.” The album was produced and written with Aaron Dessner of the National and follows his latest release “F64,” which dropped Jan. 19 and memorialized his friend and SBTV founder Jamal Edwards, who died last year at 31. “I had been working on ‘Subtract’ for a decade, trying to sculpt the perfect acoustic album, writing and recording hundreds of songs with a clear vision of what I thought it should be,” Sheeran said in a statement. “Then at the start of 2022, a series of events changed my life, my mental health.”

Bon Iver have announced a 2023 summer tour of the United States. The 10-date August run will follow four Australian shows in March and eight European performances in June.

Gracie Abrams has celebrated the release of debut album ‘Good Riddance’ by performing on Jimmy Kimmel Live – watch her play ‘I Know It Won’t Work’ below.Abrams’ debut album was released on Friday (February 24) and the same day, she took to the late night TV show to perform the haunting ‘I Know It Won’t Work’.Speaking about the track to Billboard, Abrams said: “The ease at which a lot of the words came out was the painful part, because a lot of what was said in the song wasn’t said directly to the person [they’re about].“I do worry about some people thinking a song is about them when it isn’t,” she added. “I don’t know how to navigate my personal life and job being intertwined so seriously yet.”For the live performance, Abrams was joined by a three-piece band.

RELEASESThe Jonas Brothers have released new single ‘Wings’. The band will release their new album ‘The Album’ on 12 May.Chvrches have released new single ‘Over’.Krept & Konan have released a new remix of ‘Dat Way’, featuring Abra Cadabra, Beenie Man, Backroad Gee, French Montana, Clavish, Pa Salieu, K Trap, Bandokay, Double Lz and DoRoad.Babymetal have released new single ‘Light And Darkness’. Their new album ‘The Other One’ is out on 24 Mar.The National have released new single ‘New Order T-Shirt’.

The National have shared a second preview of their new album ‘First Two Pages Of Frankenstein’ – listen to the moving ‘New Order T-Shirt’ below.The band’s ninth album, and first since 2019’s ‘I Am Easy To Find’, will be released on April 28 via 4AD and feature cameos from Taylor Swift, Phoebe Bridgers and Sufjan Stevens. Swift will appear on ‘The Allcott’ while Bridgers is set to feature on ‘This Isn’t Helping’ and ‘Your Mind Is Not Your Friend’.

Aaron and Bryce Dessner of The National, have announced details of their self-titled debut album and shared its lead single.‘Complete Mountain Almanac’ was formed after Karijord set out to make an album “about climate change in 12 suites, representing the 12 months of the year,” and approached her friend of 15 years, Jessica – who works as a poet, dancer and multimedia artist based in Italy – to contribute “poetic and lyrical” elements to the project.The band and album’s title came from a book of poetry written by Jessica in the wake of her breast cancer diagnosis, as well as coming to reflect the environmental themes on the record. Watch the video for ‘May’, featuring a video directed by Olof Grind, below.The album was recorded at Paris’ St. Germain studios, and features instrumentation and co-production from both Aaron and Bryce Dessner.

EXCLUSIVE: IFC Films has picked up worldwide rights to writer and director Nicole Riegel’s sophomore feature and romantic drama Dandelion. A theatrical release is planned for next year.

Girl In Red has shared a new single produced by The National‘s Aaron Dessner – listen to ‘October Passed Me By’ below.The track, announced last week, serves as the long-awaited sequel to 2018 single ‘We Fell In Love In October’, and follows the singer’s 2021 debut album. ‘If I Could Make It Go Quiet’.In a statement about the song and its short film, Girl In Red said: “’October Passed Me By’ has been living in the back of my head since June 2021. Every fall since I put out ‘We Fell In Love In October’ in 2018, I was encouraged to do things on social media to talk about the song again.

Girl In Red has announced details of a new single, produced by The National‘s Aaron Dessner.The new track, ‘October Passed Me By’, was recorded with Dessner at his Long Pond studio in upstate New York and will be released on October 14, following the singer’s 2021 debut album. ‘If I Could Make It Go Quiet’.See the track’s autumn-themed artwork, a photo of Girl In Red at Long Pond with Aaron Dessner and full details of ‘October Passed Me By’ below.As Girl In Red writes in her caption, “the story continues…” – suggesting a link of sorts to her early single ‘Fell In Love In October’.A post shared by girl in red (@girlinred)Earlier this year, Girl In Red postponed her European headline tour at the advice of several medical experts.

Indigo Sparke's upcoming album Hysteria is an astonishing listen, written in the dead center of grieving a relationship directly after it ended. Produced by Aaron Dessner of The National, the album (out October 7) builds on Sparke's 2021 debut Echo (produced by Adrianne Lenker of Big Thief) with the title track offering a window into Sparke's maximalist feelings and stunning vocals. It's notable that a song about uncontrollable emotions feels this cogent and serene.

Taylor Swift has confirmed that Jack Antonoff worked on her upcoming new album, ‘Midnights’.The singer’s 10th studio album is set to land on October 21, and was announced during a surprise appearance from the singer at the MTV VMAs last month.Thus far, no collaborators or track titles had been revealed for the 13-track album, but Swift has now shared a behind-the-scenes video into the creation of her new album, which features footage of her and Antonoff collaborating at the piano.Antonoff has worked with Swift on each of her last five albums, from 2014’s ‘1989’ through to her 2020 lockdown albums ‘Folklore’ and ‘Evermore’, as well as last year’s re-recorded versions of ‘Fearless’ and ‘Red’.It’s not clear yet whether any of her other regular collaborators, including The National’s Aaron Dessner, were involved in the creation of ‘Midnights’.See the new BTS video below.A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift)Earlier this week, Swift revealed to fans that the back covers for different vinyl versions of ‘Midnights’ come together to make a clockface.Over the past month, Swift has been detailing a host of different editions of the LP version of the album. First came the ‘Jade Green’, ‘Blood Moon’ and ‘Mahogany’ editions of ‘Midnights’, all of which sport exclusive colour schemes, artwork and imagery.Earlier this week, she then revealed a ‘Lavender’ version of the album as part of an ongoing collaboration with Target.Taking to Instagram, Swift then revealed that all four collectible editions of the album come with specific back covers that, when placed together, make an entire clockfaceShe told fans: “Alright I’ve been wanting to show you this for a while.

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor Universal Music Publishing Group has named Jennifer Knoepfle executive vice president and co-head of US A&R, effective immediately, the company announced on Wednesday. Based in Los Angeles, Knoepfle will report to UMPG chairman-CEO Jody Gerson. According to the announcement, Knoepfle — who joins after 13 years at Sony Music Publishing, where she worked with Gerson — will work closely with David Gray, her fellow co-head of U.S. A&R, and the company’s team. Knoepfle was most recently senior VP of creative at Sony Music Publishing, where she had worked since 2009. During her tenure, she signed and/or developed such major writers as Jack Antonoff, Aaron Dessner, Dan Nigro, Ariel Rechtshaid, Bloodpop, Joel Little and artists including Willow, Tate McRae, King Princess, Remi Wolf, Maggie Rogers, Leon Bridges, Wallows, Salem Ilese, Noah Kahan and Lord Huron. She also has worked extensively with

The National played a surprise, secret acoustic set at Edinburgh’s Connect Festival in memory of Frightened Rabbit‘s Scott Hutchison – see footage below.Yesterday (August 28) festival-goers were alerted to the message, “Secret set added – 7.45pm at the Tiny Changes x Gardeners Cottage”, and soon discovered that The National’s Matt Berninger, Aaron Dessner and Bryce Dessner were performing at the Scottish festival’s new stage to pay tribute to their late friend.The band, who were headlining the festival, played ‘Sorrow’ and ‘About Today’, telling the crowd for the latter track, “Whenever we play this one we think of Scott,” and singing the words, “Today…You were far away…and I… Didn’t ask you why“.The Tiny Changes x Gardeners Cottage was set up at the festival in association with Tiny Changes, the charity for supporting young people’s mental health that was set up in memory of Hutchison who died by suicide in 2018.It’s Scotland’s first national children and young people’s mental health charity and raised more than £4,500 during the course of the festival weekend.Scott performed at the original Connect Festival in 2006 on a similar stage.Aaron Dessner of The National said: “Thank you so much, it’s a pleasure to support Tiny Changes. Scott was a really close friend of ours, and like you guys, we were huge fans of Frightened Rabbit.“We were devastated when he left.

The National returned to London last night (August 26) to headline All Points East 2022 – watch them perform new single ‘Weird Goodbyes’ with Fleet Foxes‘ Robin Pecknold below.‘Weird Goodbyes’ was released last week and features Bon Iver‘s Justin Vernon on vocals. While introducing Pecknold, The National’s Aaron Dessner said that their friend and collaborator had never sung the song before.Elsewhere in the set, The National played another new song – ‘Tropic Morning News (Haversham)’ – and hits from across their back catalogue.Watch them play ‘Weird Goodbyes’ with Robin Pecknold and see the full setlist below.The National have been performing ‘Weird Goodbyes’ live since late May. They played it for the first time in Pamplona, Spain on May 28 – the first National show in three years – where it was billed on the setlist as ‘Bathwater (Mount Auburn)’.Speaking in a statement about ‘Weird Goodbyes’, The National’s Matt Berninger said: “It’s about letting go of the past and moving on, then later being overwhelmed by second thoughts.”On the process of making the single, the band’s Aaron Dessner added: “‘Weird Goodbyes’ was one of the first new songs we made.

The National have today (August 22) released their emotive new single ‘Weird Goodbyes’, which features Bon Iver – you can listen to the song below.The track has been teased for some time, with the two artists finally confirming their collaboration last week.Speaking in a statement about ‘Weird Goodbyes’, The National’s Matt Berninger said: “It’s about letting go of the past and moving on, then later being overwhelmed by second thoughts.”On the process of making the single, the band’s Aaron Dessner added: “‘Weird Goodbyes’ was one of the first new songs we made. I was misusing drum machines, as usual, and stumbled onto this beat that got stuck in my head – it felt like something only Bryan could naturally play.

The National‘s Aaron Dessner says he has “picked up a focus” in his songwriting and production since working with Taylor Swift.Dessner co-produced and wrote on Swift’s 2020 albums ‘Folklore’ and ‘Evermore’, and also worked on numerous “From the Vault” tracks that appear on Swift’s re-recorded versions of ‘Fearless’ and ‘Red’ that arrived last year.Last March, after ‘Folklore’ won a Grammy for Album of the Year, Dessner credited Swift with “restoring [his] faith in music,” and has opened up again on the influence she has had on him in a new interview.Speaking to The i, Dessner said: “Even just working with Taylor, she’s a brilliant musician and so experienced in terms of making records, so I was learning from her – I picked up a focus, and also just the joy that she has.”Of working in the pandemic, he added: “It was almost like I was in some crazy boot camp for making a tonne of music really fast and fully producing it and then it would be released quickly.”Though he has said in the past that “this story, this era, has concluded” with ‘Folklore’ and ‘Evermore’, Dessner has confirmed that he anticipates that he and Swift “will continue to be in each other’s artistic and personal lives. I don’t know exactly what the next form that will take, but certainly, it will continue.”After his work with Swift and a host of other artists including King Princess, Dessner is now working on a new album with The National.Ahead of their headline show at London’s All Points East next week (August 26), Aaron’s twin brother Bryce Dessner has spoken to NME about the new material, and whether Aaron’s work with Swift will have attracted new fans to the band.

The National appear to be on the precipice of a new single release, as posters for a song titled ‘Weird Goodbyes’ (featuring Bon Iver) have begun to circulate.The band have been performing ‘Weird Goodbyes’ live, sans the guest spot from Bon Iver – which, presumably, will comprise some of its lyrics being sung by Justin Vernon – since late May. They played it for the first time in Pamplona, Spain on May 28 – the first National show to go down in three years – where it was billed on the setlist as ‘Bathwater (Mount Auburn)’. It’s been performed at seven show since, including this week’s headliner in Dillon, Colorado and at the Outlandia festival on Friday (August 12).

Gracie Abrams spoke to NME backstage at Lollapalooza 2022 and told us her songwriting process, what it’s like to work with The National‘s Aaron Dessner, and the potential name of an unreleased track she just performed live. Watch our interview above.Hours before taking on the festival’s Discord stage Saturday (July 30), one of her first performances since going on tour with Olivia Rodrigo, Abrams told us Chicago was one of her “favourite cities to play in.”“Having been here a couple of times on tour, they’re just the greatest people,” Abrams said.

“Where the Crawdads Sing” leveled up from its already high standing in the world of pop culture when singer/songwriter Taylor Swift announced that she had written a song that would be featured in the film adaptation. But what fans didn’t know was Swift wrote the song before production on the film had even begun.The novel, written by Delia Owens, tells the story of a young girl named Kya who lives on her own undisturbed out in a marsh, until she becomes a suspect in a potential murder.Swift wrote “Carolina” specifically for the new film, with momentum from her “folklore” album production, asking Aaron Dessner to produce it. She teased the single with the movie’s trailer on social media in March, writing “I wanted to create something haunting and ethereal to match this mesmerizing story.”“Taylor wrote this song when she heard that there was a movie being made out of this book,” director Olivia Newman told TheWrap in a recent interview.

Taylor Swift’s New York residences.According to police the suspect, who was arrested on Friday (July 1), entered one of the residential buildings on March 26. He allegedly walked “through an unlocked door and remained unlawfully”, later fleeing on foot when security asked him to leave, investigators said.Then on June 12, the same man then allegedly entered another residential building inked to Swift and “made threats through the intercom toward a 32 year-old female,” according to a spokesperson for the Office of the Deputy Commissioner, Public Information (via Billboard).NME has reached out to representatives of Swift for comment.In the past, Swift has faced previous issues with alleged stalked.In 2017, Eric Swarbrick, from Austin, Texas, was sentenced to 30 months in prison after pleading guilty to stalking the pop star and sending threatening letters and emails to her former record label, Big Machine.

New music from Taylor Swift has arrived.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music CriticTaylor Swift has gone to Carolina in her mind in her new single, which was released at midnight Thursday night — the first newly written original song she’s put out since the “Evermore” album in late 2020. But things are more brooding for her in that state of mind than they were for James Taylor.“Carolina” is the end-credits theme for the film “Where the Crawdads Sing,” which doesn’t reach theaters for another three weeks — July 15, to be exact — and the song provides a foretaste of the possibly jolting mood of the climax, where she and the movie’s protagonist are definitely not feeling 22.As much as it’s a direct outgrowth of Swift loving the source novel, fans may feel the song is a throwback … all the way back to the “Folklore”/”Evermore” era of two years ago, with those albums’ primary producer, Aaron Dessner, back on board for a tune lightly augmented with the Americana-friendly elements of mandolin and fiddle. Swift provided more insight into the song in an Instagram post.

Taylor Swift has announced the release of a brand new song called ‘Carolina’, which is produced by The National‘s Aaron Dessner.The track, which is set to arrive at midnight ET tonight (5am BST), is the theme song for new film Where The Crawdads Sing, directed by Olivia Newman and executive produced by Reese Witherspoon.A snippet of ‘Carolina’ was first previewed back in March in the trailer for the new mystery thriller. Swift’s vocals sound eerie as she sings: “They never saw me/ You didn’t see me here/ No, they never did see me here/ There are places I will never, ever go/ Things that only Carolina will ever know.”According to Witherspoon, the song was written while Swift was working on her 2020 album ‘Folklore’, after reading the 2018 Delia Owens novel of the same name on which the film is based upon.“She read this book and loved it so much, and then she heard we were making a movie [during the period] she was making her ‘Folklore’ album and then she wrote a song with that whole ‘Folklore’ team, which was so haunting and magical and beautiful,” Witherspoon said during a recent roundtable (via Variety).Newman explained that Swift submitted the song out of the blue after writing a “gorgeous letter” to the crew.

Taylor Swift revealed on social  media this morning that the release of her new song “Carolina” from the soundtrack of the upcoming film Where the Crawdads Sings will arrive at midnight tonight.

Taylor Swift's new song Carolina will be released tomorrow morning UK time, it's been announced.

Taylor Swift delivered surprise guests and a surprise acoustic performance of All Too Well along with a thoughtful half-hour of conversation about filmmaking with writer-director Mike Mills at the Tribeca Festival.