Slipknot guitarist Jim Root has criticised the “backwards” message of Rage Against The Machine‘s classic protest song ‘Killing In The Name’.
The explicit, politically-charged single was released back in 1992, and features on RATM’s self-titled debut album. It was written about the abuses of power and issues within US society.
In a recent interview with Music Radar, Root offered his opinion on ‘Killing In The Name’ while speaking about the lyrical themes of Slipknot’s forthcoming seventh album ‘The End, So Far’.
He told the outlet that the contents of the record – the follow-up to 2019’s ‘We Are Not Your Kind’ – had been affected by the “weird cultural moment” that the world finds itself in currently.
“Everything is so bizarre and so bananas, I don’t even know what’s going on with the world right now,” Root explained. “I couldn’t even tell you what is going on with the culture, because, being locked up for two years, and then you come out and everything’s upside down, it’s really… I don’t get it.”
He continued: “I thought rock ‘n’ roll, and punk and metal, and all that stuff was meant to be anti-establishment and against the man, and now it seems more and more like, ‘Obey!’ and do as you’re told sorta shit, and that seems backwards to me.
“I don’t know if I am the only one that feels that way. I haven’t really talked to anyone in the band about it, ’cause we’re just trying to get through these tours, through the protocol and the COVID shit, and all that.”
Root went on: “We haven’t really checked in with one another to see how we’re doing, how we’re feeling about the state of the world and all that, but when I hear a band that’s saying ‘Fuck you, I won’t do what you tell me‘ telling me to do what the government tells me to do, that seems backwards to me.
“I think people are just so fucking sick and tired of sociopolitical content because you are just hammered with it, no matter if it’s a news cycle, a feed on social media, or any of that shit.
He added: “What I get, when we go out and play shows, is people just don’t fucking care about that anymore. People have their issues, and people have their things they are concerned about. Yes, of course, and they always will. But for the most part people just wanna shut off, come out and forget about the world for a while, and they wanna have fun.”
Streaming service Fox Nation has revealed the first official trailer for Sharon Osbourne’s new documentary series, To Hell And Back. You can watch it below.
The upcoming series will see Osbourne fully document her experience at CBS, including the events that led to her departure from the American talkshow The Talk, as well as the subsequent fallout.
To Hell And Back will also include insight and personal stories from her husband and music icon Ozzy Osbourne, along with their children Jack and Kelly.
Additionally, the docuseries will feature interviews with those were part of and witnessed the controversy that led to Osbourne’s departure from The Talk, including Piers Morgan and Meghan McCain, former co-host of ABC’s The View.
On the announcement of the series, Fox Nation’s president Jason Klarman said in a statement: “We are excited to be the place that Sharon chose to tell her incredible story. From her remarkable career as a music manager, to creating television’s first celebrity reality show, to her dramatic exit from The Talk, Sharon will take viewers behind the scenes of it all.”
Osbourne added: “FOX Nation subscribers will have an unbridled look into the toll the cancel culture phenomenon had on my life and career. I hope telling my story for the first time will help audiences understand the impact this movement can have on individuals and families.”
A renowned TV personality, Osbourne has previously held roles on shows such as America’s Got Talent, X-Factor and The Celebrity Apprentice. She also created the Emmy-winning reality series The Osbournes, which documented the everyday life of her family.
Elsewhere, Ozzy Osbourne recently opened up about his determination to keep touring, despite being held back by a number of health complications in recent years.
“To see such great feedback for our first [global] release makes us really confident for the future,” said frontman Damiano David. “Of course, we didn’t expect that so we’re truly happy and we can’t wait to come out with other music.”
Speaking to NME for a Big Read cover feature earlier this year, David revealed that Måneskin had been writing and recording their anticipated third album in Los Angeles, California.
“We’re not able to label it yet – we’re not good at that,” the singer explained, adding that the record would be “critical [of society]” at times as well as being “honest through and through”.
Måneskin, who rose to fame after winning Eurovision 2021, are set to play a headline show at The O2 in London on May 8, 2023 (find tickets here). The concert will form part of a lengthy European tour, which begins in February.
Earlier this month, the company released the soundtrack to Elden Ring on streaming. Clocking in at over three hours, the 67-track album features music composed by a variety of From Software veterans, with the likes of Tsukasa Saitoh, Shoi Miyazawa, Yuka Kitamura, Yoshimi Kudo, and Tai Tomisawa all contributing.
The second release from Bandai Namco is the soundtrack to role-playing game Tales Of Arise, which is also now available on a variety of streaming services.
“Since the first videogames and all throughout the history of the industry, music has always been a core component of the gaming experience,” reads a press release from Bandai Namco. “Music made the games’ memories last longer and followed the players into their daily lives with amazing soundtracks to go back to and relive the stories they played.”
“We strive to delight our fans with more than just games, so we decided to bring videogame music to as many listeners as possible.”
Banda Namco’s decision to release its soundtracks outside of the original games comes after a series of calls for Nintendo to do something similar.
They too had asked Nintendo to “please put your soundtracks on Spotify and/or other music streaming services,” in 2019. “Namco, Square, Capcom and others have already seen the light, when will you?” but as it stands, it’s still impossible to legally listen to a bulk of Nintendo’s music outside of their games.
In other news, HBO has released the first trailer for its adaptation of The Last Of Us starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey – check it out here.
Despite being near the end of a tiring UK and European tour, Wallows are still lively and animated company when NME sits down with the LA trio in London. Cole Preston (guitarist/drummer), Braeden Lemasters and Dylan Minnette (vocalists/guitarists) have mostly been on road since the release of their second album ‘Tell Me That It’s Over’ back in March, but the benefits of touring have far outweighed any negatives.
For instance, without touring they may never have had the chance to visit Liverpool and walk the same streets as one of their biggest musical influences, The Beatles. This tour has also provided Wallows with their biggest UK crowd to date after the three-piece performed at Reading & Leeds for the first time, which, Minnette says, was an “incredible” experience.
‘Tell Me That It’s Over’ followed on from Wallows’ 2019 debut album ‘Nothing Happens’, which mixed lofty indie-folk with equally grimy and glossy overtones, and featured their double-platinum-selling Clairo collaboration ‘Are You Bored Yet?’. With ‘Tell Me That It’s Over’, Wallows are looking to further the momentum gathered by their first album, leaning more into the influence of electronic music this time round and taking cues from their in-demand producer Ariel Rechtshaid.
For the latest instalment of NME’s In Conversation series, Wallows discuss their long-standing relationship, their love of British music and their very early plans for their next album.
Wallows loved making their Reading & Leeds debut
“We grew up watching so many [Reading & Leeds] performances from bands that changed our lives,” Minette reflects now about the band’s debut appearance at the twin festivals back in August. “It always looks unreal, like [in terms of] the energy and the size of the crowd, and how passionate all of the music fans are.
“It definitely felt the same for us on stage: the turnout was great, and the energy was better than any energy we feel like we’ve seen in a crowd. It felt like our young dreams coming true.”
They’re big fans of British guitar music
Wallows have been vocal in the past about how they count Vampire Weekend and The Beatles as two of their key influences, but their love for British guitar music goes further than the latter. Lemasters in particular is a big fan of The Libertines and Pete Doherty, who he counts as one of his “idols”. “[Doherty’s] work is so genuine and so real,” he explains. “There’s such a passion to his music: it’s so authentic, and he’s an amazing lyricist and writer. It [comes] from a real place.”
The band would like to model their career on the likes of Arctic Monkeys, who they were sad to miss headlining Reading & Leeds. “We look at bands like [Arctic Monkeys] who started so strong, but their progression [since] makes complete sense,” Minette says. “They’ve only got bigger and better in a lot of ways. You can look at every era of this band, and every bit of this is so impressive – they never really repeat it.”
Wallows’ unwavering bond has become more important than ever
Unsurprisingly, Preston notes, “touring can be kind of exhausting and boring sometimes,” citing the mundanity of waiting at airports and sitting around in dressing rooms waiting for their shows to start. But, equally, touring can also feel otherworldly: “We’re on [tour]buses now, so you’re quite literally teleporting every night. You go to sleep and you wake up, and you’re somewhere new: [you feel like] you’re floating aimlessly around,” Minnette observes.
Wallows performing live, 2022 (Picture: Joseth Carter / Press)
What keeps Wallows engaged, though, is their strong inter-band bond. “I can’t imagine being a solo artist on the road,” Minnette adds. “We’re very lucky that we have such a great rapport… it helps us stay grounded and tethered to reality.”
Working with Ariel Rechtshaid was a game-changer
“It was a very fruitful collaboration with Ariel,” Minette says of working with the producer on ‘Tell Me That It’s Over’. The experience opened Wallows’ eyes to new ways of working, changed how they saw themselves as a band, and deepened their trust in one another creatively.
“The three of us and [Rechtshaid] ended up getting on really well as friends, which certainly made the collaboration a lot easier,” Preston adds. “He definitely opened up our minds and helped us let go of the preciousness of [our] demos… he challenged us, but also really navigated the ship forward.”
Tour life is influencing the next Wallows album
While they’re still very much in touring mode (“we still have a lot of it left, and we love playing this album live,” says Minnette), Wallows are gathering creative inspiration from life on the road, and talk has already turned to album number three.
“From a creative standpoint, we are thinking about the next album,” Minnette confirms, though they’re also keen that their fanbase doesn’t read too much into this news. “I feel like our fans will be excited about our ideas – but we might change our minds!”
Despite being near the end of a tiring UK and European tour, Wallows are still lively and animated company when NME sits down with the LA trio in London. Cole Preston (guitarist/drummer), Braeden Lemasters and Dylan Minnette (vocalists/guitarists) have mostly been on road since the release of their second album ‘Tell Me That It’s Over’ back in March, but the benefits of touring have far outweighed any negatives.
For instance, without touring they may never have had the chance to visit Liverpool and walk the same streets as one of their biggest musical influences, The Beatles. This tour has also provided Wallows with their biggest UK crowd to date after the three-piece performed at Reading & Leeds for the first time, which, Minnette says, was an “incredible” experience.
‘Tell Me That It’s Over’ followed on from Wallows’ 2019 debut album ‘Nothing Happens’, which mixed lofty indie-folk with equally grimy and glossy overtones, and featured their double-platinum-selling Clairo collaboration ‘Are You Bored Yet?’. With ‘Tell Me That It’s Over’, Wallows are looking to further the momentum gathered by their first album, leaning more into the influence of electronic music this time round and taking cues from their in-demand producer Ariel Rechtshaid.
For the latest instalment of NME’s In Conversation series, Wallows discuss their long-standing relationship, their love of British music and their very early plans for their next album.
Wallows loved making their Reading & Leeds debut
“We grew up watching so many [Reading & Leeds] performances from bands that changed our lives,” Minette reflects now about the band’s debut appearance at the twin festivals back in August. “It always looks unreal, like [in terms of] the energy and the size of the crowd, and how passionate all of the music fans are.
“It definitely felt the same for us on stage: the turnout was great, and the energy was better than any energy we feel like we’ve seen in a crowd. It felt like our young dreams coming true.”
They’re big fans of British guitar music
Wallows have been vocal in the past about how they count Vampire Weekend and The Beatles as two of their key influences, but their love for British guitar music goes further than the latter. Lemasters in particular is a big fan of The Libertines and Pete Doherty, who he counts as one of his “idols”. “[Doherty’s] work is so genuine and so real,” he explains. “There’s such a passion to his music: it’s so authentic, and he’s an amazing lyricist and writer. It [comes] from a real place.”
The band would like to model their career on the likes of Arctic Monkeys, who they were sad to miss headlining Reading & Leeds. “We look at bands like [Arctic Monkeys] who started so strong, but their progression [since] makes complete sense,” Minette says. “They’ve only got bigger and better in a lot of ways. You can look at every era of this band, and every bit of this is so impressive – they never really repeat it.”
Wallows’ unwavering bond has become more important than ever
Unsurprisingly, Preston notes, “touring can be kind of exhausting and boring sometimes,” citing the mundanity of waiting at airports and sitting around in dressing rooms waiting for their shows to start. But, equally, touring can also feel otherworldly: “We’re on [tour]buses now, so you’re quite literally teleporting every night. You go to sleep and you wake up, and you’re somewhere new: [you feel like] you’re floating aimlessly around,” Minnette observes.
Wallows performing live, 2022 (Picture: Joseth Carter / Press)
What keeps Wallows engaged, though, is their strong inter-band bond. “I can’t imagine being a solo artist on the road,” Minnette adds. “We’re very lucky that we have such a great rapport… it helps us stay grounded and tethered to reality.”
Working with Ariel Rechtshaid was a game-changer
“It was a very fruitful collaboration with Ariel,” Minette says of working with the producer on ‘Tell Me That It’s Over’. The experience opened Wallows’ eyes to new ways of working, changed how they saw themselves as a band, and deepened their trust in one another creatively.
“The three of us and [Rechtshaid] ended up getting on really well as friends, which certainly made the collaboration a lot easier,” Preston adds. “He definitely opened up our minds and helped us let go of the preciousness of [our] demos… he challenged us, but also really navigated the ship forward.”
Tour life is influencing the next Wallows album
While they’re still very much in touring mode (“we still have a lot of it left, and we love playing this album live,” says Minnette), Wallows are gathering creative inspiration from life on the road, and talk has already turned to album number three.
“From a creative standpoint, we are thinking about the next album,” Minnette confirms, though they’re also keen that their fanbase doesn’t read too much into this news. “I feel like our fans will be excited about our ideas – but we might change our minds!”
House Of The Dragon fans were left surprised and somewhat uncomfortable following one particular scene from the latest episode of the Game Of Thronesspin-off.
In episode six of the HBO series, viewers were introduced to a young Aegon Targaryen, portrayed by David Tennant’s son Ty. And it didn’t take long for him to become the most talked-about character of the week.
In one scene, the young king was seen masturbating in the window of his castle in King’s Landing, shortly before being caught in the act by his mother.
Viewers soon took to social media to comment on the awkward moment, with one writing: “Wasn’t prepared to see David Tennant’s son having a wank out a window, but there you go.”
Another tweeted: “The many awkward situations in #HouseOfTheDragon is making it sooo hard for me to watch. Does anybody have a lick of sense in this show?”
One viewer, meanwhile, shared their sympathies with Ty’s real-life parents, writing: “Poor David and Georgia Tennant turning on Sky Atlantic this evening to see their son miming having a wank out the window.
Wasn't prepared to see David Tennant's son having a wank out a window, but there you go… #HouseOfTheDragon
Hess previously told Vanity Fair that the first season of the show would not portray any form of sexual abuse, and that it would instead be handled off-screen.
However, in a more recent appearance on the Official The Game Of Thrones Podcast: House Of The Dragon, Hess said the series would not “shy away” from such material if necessary.
“I would like to clarify that I didn’t say that we are not going to portray sexual violence ever,” she said.
“I’m not saying that we are. I don’t know. There are hopefully going to be several more seasons of this show so it’s not off the table.”
She continued: “We didn’t feel the need to put in what wasn’t in the book. It’s definitely a part of the world and something that if it’s necessary we won’t shy away from, but I think there’s got to be a lot of thought about how it’s portrayed.
“It’s also a more nuanced point to make. I don’t think you have to be raped to be oppressed and traumatised. I’m more interested in the more subtle ways it plays out.”
House Of The Dragon fans were left surprised and somewhat uncomfortable following one particular scene from the latest episode of the Game Of Thronesspin-off.
In episode six of the HBO series, viewers were introduced to a young Aegon Targaryen, portrayed by David Tennant’s son Ty. And it didn’t take long for him to become the most talked-about character of the week.
In one scene, the young king was seen masturbating in the window of his castle in King’s Landing, shortly before being caught in the act by his mother.
Viewers soon took to social media to comment on the awkward moment, with one writing: “Wasn’t prepared to see David Tennant’s son having a wank out a window, but there you go.”
Another tweeted: “The many awkward situations in #HouseOfTheDragon is making it sooo hard for me to watch. Does anybody have a lick of sense in this show?”
One viewer, meanwhile, shared their sympathies with Ty’s real-life parents, writing: “Poor David and Georgia Tennant turning on Sky Atlantic this evening to see their son miming having a wank out the window.
Wasn't prepared to see David Tennant's son having a wank out a window, but there you go… #HouseOfTheDragon
Hess previously told Vanity Fair that the first season of the show would not portray any form of sexual abuse, and that it would instead be handled off-screen.
However, in a more recent appearance on the Official The Game Of Thrones Podcast: House Of The Dragon, Hess said the series would not “shy away” from such material if necessary.
“I would like to clarify that I didn’t say that we are not going to portray sexual violence ever,” she said.
“I’m not saying that we are. I don’t know. There are hopefully going to be several more seasons of this show so it’s not off the table.”
She continued: “We didn’t feel the need to put in what wasn’t in the book. It’s definitely a part of the world and something that if it’s necessary we won’t shy away from, but I think there’s got to be a lot of thought about how it’s portrayed.
“It’s also a more nuanced point to make. I don’t think you have to be raped to be oppressed and traumatised. I’m more interested in the more subtle ways it plays out.”
“Colin’s work was a big part of the DNA of this album,” Belgium-based musician Tamino says of Radiohead’s Colin Greenwood, who has worked with him on his upcoming second album, ‘Sahar’. Greenwood became a fan of Tamino after seeing him on tour several years ago, and since then, the bassist has been an integral part of Tamino’s studio and live band.
“I’ve learned a lot from him over the years now,” he adds of Greenwood, full of admiration for a musician he’s listened to since his childhood. “I wouldn’t say he’s like the guy giving you loads of advice verbally, but he does that anyway just by being himself – like with his passion for music. He’s had an amazing career with years on the road and in the studio. You think by a certain point you you’d seen it all, you’d be less excited by stuff. But he’s the most excited musician in my band.”
He recalls his time in the studio with Greenwood fondly. “Colin was writing his basslines in one room with headphones on and really into it. He was totally in the zone and then a few hours later, when he had something he really wanted to show us, he would come into the main room, plug in and play us the lines he’d come up with. They were always stunning.”
It’s perhaps no wonder Tamino found a fan in Greenwood. With his richly textured, experimental music and Thom Yorke-like falsetto, his music earned early comparisons to Radiohead following the release of his debut album, ‘Amir’. While much of that leaned sonically towards the sparse, ‘Kid A’ era of Radiohead, its lyrical content was strikingly different and explored complex issues of identity and diaspora.
Tamino was born in Belgium, studied music in Amsterdam and has a rich Egyptian and Lebanese heritage from his parents. His grandfather, Muharram Fouad, was one of Cairo’s most famous musicians and was known as ‘The Sound of the Nile’. Tamino plays his grandfather’s resonator on his latest and the Middle Eastern influences of his roots once again dominate on songs that combine Arabic folk with experimental indie and soaring orchestration.
“I don’t speak Arabic, but I just feel that the music has been the thing I’ve most understood about my roots,” Tamino explains from his apartment – that doubles as a home studio – in Antwerp. “It’s just a style that I’ve always just sort of naturally understood and felt comfortable with. The oud [a lute-like instrument with Arabic origins] is once again a big inspiration for this album too.”
Tamino says that just over two years ago, he started writing album two in the same tiny Antwerp apartment he’s calling from today. After many years touring incessantly, Tamino says he welcomed lockdown as a chance to hide himself away from the world and write for a while. “I found it very hard to write while on tour because I really need to be alone to be creative,” Tamino says quietly, admitting that he’s a self-proclaimed recluse.
He says he finds it hard to be among a lot of people at once. “To write lyrics, I have to do that in isolation. As an introvert, you realise your biggest strength is also your biggest weakness in the sense that I can spend a lot of time on my own and enjoy that and flourish creatively but then when you’re on tour, doing promo, you need to be able to function with lots of people and I can sometimes struggle with that. It’s not my safe space, being an introvert in a world that’s designed for extroverts.”
He felt this keenly he says after being thrown into the spotlight after he won a national radio contest in Belgium. His music went viral and garnered millions of streams plus a legion of new fans – one of whom was Lana Del Rey. How did he cope with this, as someone who struggles being in the spotlight? “I don’t feel you’re in a position to complain as an artist. I think artists like to meet up with other and complain about everything,” he smiles. “But musicians feel like it’s safe to talk about the stuff that’s difficult with one another because I guess for the outside word, it’s like ‘dude, you’ve been given this much, this opportunity, be fucking grateful, you know?”
When it comes to these tougher moments though – be it dealing with attention or having creative doubts – Tamino says Greenwood once again helped him here. “He’s still so passionate and it’s in little times like these where I have to remind myself when I’m maybe not appreciating everything as much as I should be appreciating it, then I look at him and I’m like ‘Okay, I have to enjoy this moment.’ I have to be grateful for us playing music together and us being able to bring to a crowd…it’s a truly special thing to be able to do.”
His latest album is a mediation on his introverted self. There are many songs reflecting on the passing of time in isolation, like his latest, sweeping single ‘You Don’t Own Me’. It’s inspired by ‘Man’s Search For Meaning’, by philosopher Viktor E. Frankl and explores how we learn more about ourselves over time. Elsewhere, there’s songs about confusion and uncertainty, like on the lush ‘Cinnamon’ and ones about love being a grounding force in ‘Only Our Love’, a song about the positivity that can come from giving yourself over to another completely.
“One thing I felt the songs had in common here was a sort of reflective state, like I feel it’s more of a reflective album,” he agrees. “The title ‘Sahar’ means ‘just before dawn’ and for me it conjures up this image of being in a sort of in-between realm, like between night and day, a storm and the calm that follows. The album sort of feels like an aftermath of something where you’re reflecting on what happened even though you still don’t really know what precisely happened. My life has drastically changed in such a short amount of time, which has felt like a bit of a storm at times.”
Despite feeling more confident going into making album two than his debut, he says not a single day was the same for him when it comes to writing and he found little common ground between writing his latest album with his last. “Songwriting still surprises me”, Tamino laughs, explaining that the process of writing constantly changes for him. “The really beautiful thing about songwriting is that you really don’t know where it comes from and sometimes you can spend three hours at the piano or at the guitar and nothing comes.
Other times, it’s only ten minutes and you have a new song that you love. It’s a mystery.”
The lyrics on his latest are far more vulnerable and open than his first. “Hold onto my words and I’ll come place them on your tongue” he sings Jeff Buckley-like on the romantic ‘Cinnamon’, revealing more about a close relationship. “I feel like I have matured a lot in the lyrics department,” he says, adding that he hopes people will be able to relate to his lyrics more now too. “I guess a lot of the maturing is in the fact that I always appreciate a grey zone where an audience is able to claim and [compare] the song to their own experiences and their own lives…it’s really true that when you release an album or song, it’s not yours any more from that moment on and I feel…more content with that now, although still a little nervous,” he admits.
He’s also a bit nervous about touring again too, after so long away. “Well, I had forgotten how to play everything recently”, he laughs about not having played live since lockdown. “It was the longest I hadn’t been on stage since I was like 14. I don’t think I’d gone a month without performing before so two years felt like a lot.” He says some recent showcases helped him realise how lucky he was to be touring again. “In the beginning, I didn’t miss touring at all in lockdown,” he smiles. “But then I really started missing it.” He hopes that Greenwood will be able to join him on tour next year too. “In 2023 there are a lot of dates he can join us on for sure…we’re still working it all out yet.”
Before then, he’s already looking to the future saying he’d love to follow in some of his heroes footsteps and compose a soundtrack next. “Like Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, they’re making beautiful music for films. That’s something I definitely find appealing and it’s a dream of mine to do this. It makes me nervous as it’s a new thing but then what frightens me is always worth exploring creatively,” he smiles, “because that’s where you learn the most about yourself.”
“Colin’s work was a big part of the DNA of this album,” Belgium-based musician Tamino says of Radiohead’s Colin Greenwood, who has worked with him on his upcoming second album, ‘Sahar’. Greenwood became a fan of Tamino after seeing him on tour several years ago, and since then, the bassist has been an integral part of Tamino’s studio and live band.
“I’ve learned a lot from him over the years now,” he adds of Greenwood, full of admiration for a musician he’s listened to since his childhood. “I wouldn’t say he’s like the guy giving you loads of advice verbally, but he does that anyway just by being himself – like with his passion for music. He’s had an amazing career with years on the road and in the studio. You think by a certain point you you’d seen it all, you’d be less excited by stuff. But he’s the most excited musician in my band.”
He recalls his time in the studio with Greenwood fondly. “Colin was writing his basslines in one room with headphones on and really into it. He was totally in the zone and then a few hours later, when he had something he really wanted to show us, he would come into the main room, plug in and play us the lines he’d come up with. They were always stunning.”
It’s perhaps no wonder Tamino found a fan in Greenwood. With his richly textured, experimental music and Thom Yorke-like falsetto, his music earned early comparisons to Radiohead following the release of his debut album, ‘Amir’. While much of that leaned sonically towards the sparse, ‘Kid A’ era of Radiohead, its lyrical content was strikingly different and explored complex issues of identity and diaspora.
Tamino was born in Belgium, studied music in Amsterdam and has a rich Egyptian and Lebanese heritage from his parents. His grandfather, Muharram Fouad, was one of Cairo’s most famous musicians and was known as ‘The Sound of the Nile’. Tamino plays his grandfather’s resonator on his latest and the Middle Eastern influences of his roots once again dominate on songs that combine Arabic folk with experimental indie and soaring orchestration.
“I don’t speak Arabic, but I just feel that the music has been the thing I’ve most understood about my roots,” Tamino explains from his apartment – that doubles as a home studio – in Antwerp. “It’s just a style that I’ve always just sort of naturally understood and felt comfortable with. The oud [a lute-like instrument with Arabic origins] is once again a big inspiration for this album too.”
Tamino says that just over two years ago, he started writing album two in the same tiny Antwerp apartment he’s calling from today. After many years touring incessantly, Tamino says he welcomed lockdown as a chance to hide himself away from the world and write for a while. “I found it very hard to write while on tour because I really need to be alone to be creative,” Tamino says quietly, admitting that he’s a self-proclaimed recluse.
He says he finds it hard to be among a lot of people at once. “To write lyrics, I have to do that in isolation. As an introvert, you realise your biggest strength is also your biggest weakness in the sense that I can spend a lot of time on my own and enjoy that and flourish creatively but then when you’re on tour, doing promo, you need to be able to function with lots of people and I can sometimes struggle with that. It’s not my safe space, being an introvert in a world that’s designed for extroverts.”
He felt this keenly he says after being thrown into the spotlight after he won a national radio contest in Belgium. His music went viral and garnered millions of streams plus a legion of new fans – one of whom was Lana Del Rey. How did he cope with this, as someone who struggles being in the spotlight? “I don’t feel you’re in a position to complain as an artist. I think artists like to meet up with other and complain about everything,” he smiles. “But musicians feel like it’s safe to talk about the stuff that’s difficult with one another because I guess for the outside word, it’s like ‘dude, you’ve been given this much, this opportunity, be fucking grateful, you know?”
When it comes to these tougher moments though – be it dealing with attention or having creative doubts – Tamino says Greenwood once again helped him here. “He’s still so passionate and it’s in little times like these where I have to remind myself when I’m maybe not appreciating everything as much as I should be appreciating it, then I look at him and I’m like ‘Okay, I have to enjoy this moment.’ I have to be grateful for us playing music together and us being able to bring to a crowd…it’s a truly special thing to be able to do.”
His latest album is a mediation on his introverted self. There are many songs reflecting on the passing of time in isolation, like his latest, sweeping single ‘You Don’t Own Me’. It’s inspired by ‘Man’s Search For Meaning’, by philosopher Viktor E. Frankl and explores how we learn more about ourselves over time. Elsewhere, there’s songs about confusion and uncertainty, like on the lush ‘Cinnamon’ and ones about love being a grounding force in ‘Only Our Love’, a song about the positivity that can come from giving yourself over to another completely.
“One thing I felt the songs had in common here was a sort of reflective state, like I feel it’s more of a reflective album,” he agrees. “The title ‘Sahar’ means ‘just before dawn’ and for me it conjures up this image of being in a sort of in-between realm, like between night and day, a storm and the calm that follows. The album sort of feels like an aftermath of something where you’re reflecting on what happened even though you still don’t really know what precisely happened. My life has drastically changed in such a short amount of time, which has felt like a bit of a storm at times.”
Despite feeling more confident going into making album two than his debut, he says not a single day was the same for him when it comes to writing and he found little common ground between writing his latest album with his last. “Songwriting still surprises me”, Tamino laughs, explaining that the process of writing constantly changes for him. “The really beautiful thing about songwriting is that you really don’t know where it comes from and sometimes you can spend three hours at the piano or at the guitar and nothing comes.
Other times, it’s only ten minutes and you have a new song that you love. It’s a mystery.”
The lyrics on his latest are far more vulnerable and open than his first. “Hold onto my words and I’ll come place them on your tongue” he sings Jeff Buckley-like on the romantic ‘Cinnamon’, revealing more about a close relationship. “I feel like I have matured a lot in the lyrics department,” he says, adding that he hopes people will be able to relate to his lyrics more now too. “I guess a lot of the maturing is in the fact that I always appreciate a grey zone where an audience is able to claim and [compare] the song to their own experiences and their own lives…it’s really true that when you release an album or song, it’s not yours any more from that moment on and I feel…more content with that now, although still a little nervous,” he admits.
He’s also a bit nervous about touring again too, after so long away. “Well, I had forgotten how to play everything recently”, he laughs about not having played live since lockdown. “It was the longest I hadn’t been on stage since I was like 14. I don’t think I’d gone a month without performing before so two years felt like a lot.” He says some recent showcases helped him realise how lucky he was to be touring again. “In the beginning, I didn’t miss touring at all in lockdown,” he smiles. “But then I really started missing it.” He hopes that Greenwood will be able to join him on tour next year too. “In 2023 there are a lot of dates he can join us on for sure…we’re still working it all out yet.”
Before then, he’s already looking to the future saying he’d love to follow in some of his heroes footsteps and compose a soundtrack next. “Like Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, they’re making beautiful music for films. That’s something I definitely find appealing and it’s a dream of mine to do this. It makes me nervous as it’s a new thing but then what frightens me is always worth exploring creatively,” he smiles, “because that’s where you learn the most about yourself.”
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