Today, multi-diamond certified, GRAMMY® award winning artist Macklemore has released his latest studio album BEN, along with his latest single ‘No Bad Days’ and accompanying music video, directed by his 7-year-old daughter Sloane. Watch HERE.
“My dream director. Also, my co-star.” Macklemore states. “Sloane has had a creative pulse since I can remember. Her style, her eye, her freestyles, her Melodies. Outside of her mom I probably trust her creative input more than anyone else. And she has never been shy about her opinion. I’m so proud of who she is that it puts tears in my eyes thinking about it. To be able to brainstorm, dream, flush out ideas and ultimately pull it off with Sloane at the helm… this one will be one of my favorite videos forever. I hope it makes you smile.”
Macklemore has also announced North American dates for THE BEN TOUR produced by Live Nation, set to start on September 17 at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, the 19-date tour will make stops across both coasts and the mid-west. Tickets will be available starting with Citi and American Express presales (details below) beginning Monday, March 6. General on-sale begins March 10 at 10am local time.
For this upcoming tour, Macklemore is proud to have partnered with PLUS1, and will be donating $1 per ticket to Bridges – Seattle Alternative Peer Group in support of their work in mentoring youth in recovery.
For more details and ticket information, go to: https://macklemore.com
American Express® Card Members can purchase tickets in Canada before the general public beginning Monday, March 6 at 10am local time until Thursday, March 9 at 10am local time
Last night, Macklemore was the speaking guest on NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon [watch interview HERE] and will be performing a new track titled ‘Tail Lights’ – taken from his latest album – next week on Tuesday, March 7. This morning, Macklemore will be performing ‘No Bad Days’ live on NBC’s The Today Show.
BEN is Mackemore’s highly anticipated third studio album. “I’ve always wanted to make an album called Ben,” he shares. “There’s something about a self-titled record. It has an air of voyeurism. I’m letting people in, but in a way that I hadn’t felt 100% comfortable about allowing before. I am now though.” hroughout 2020, he found himself with a rare pocket of time for introspection during the Global Pandemic—something not typically afforded to a father of three and touring musician…
“I did experience a level of reflection I don’t think I’ve been able to truly tap into in the past,” he affirms. “This mandatory pause and the time created a level of intimacy that might not have been there if the world had continued to operate how it was.”
Joined by a tightknit group of collaborators such as Budo, Tyler Dox, and Experience, he ventured to the island multiple times for focused five-day trips. “I’ve recorded in nature before, but I never had the opportunity to do so with no ending in sight,” he reveals. “We were removed from all external distractions. It just flowed. The idea was, ‘Let’s just make art, because we get to—not because we have to. Let’s capture that magic’.” Harnessing this magic, Macklemore heralded the album throughout 2022 and 2023 with fan favorites; ‘HEROES’ featuring the legendary DJ Premier, ‘CHANT’ ft Tones and I, ‘FAITHFUL’ Ft. NLE Choppa and ‘Maniac’ Ft Windser.
On “HEROES” [feat. DJ Premier], a head-nodding beat laced with horn samples, a thick bass line, police sirens, and scratching sets the pace, Macklemore tells his story in dynamic, yet nostalgic bars, “Wanted a perm like DJ Quik, my mama said, ‘Ben, are you aware your hair is way too thin?’ But in my mind I was junior high Iceberg Slim.” “I was raised by nineties boom-bap hip-hop,” he goes on. “It inspired me more than any other era. It was pivotal for me coming of age as a 15-year-old and figuring out who I was. ‘Heroes’ is the story of growing up in the late nineties, where hip-hop was at, where skateboarding was at, and where graffiti culture was at. It had a massive impact on where I ended up in my life. Premier is one of my favorite producers of all-time too. He had a massive influence on me as an artist and as a person. You know it’s him right away.”
Then, there’s the single “NO BAD DAYS” [feat. Collett]. Upbeat guitar ushers Collett’s hook along at full speed as Macklemore counters in a catchy call-and-response. He assures, “Don’t gotta say goodbye, if you never wake up.” “It’s just a vibe,” he observes. “It’s one of those songs you put on in the car, and you’re immediately in a better mood. I love making a record that I can’t wait to bump in the whip when it hits 70 degrees.”
Elsewhere, “DAY YOU DIE” [feat. Sarah Barthel of Phantogram] hinges on a steady beat punctuated by palm-muted guitar. Macklemore and Sarah ponder mortality with unabashed honesty, repeating “We all gone die.” Vocal phenom LIVINGSTON lends his powerhouse pipes to “SORRY,” while the closer “Tail Lights” blinks through the haze with a sign of life encoded in the lyrics. “In recovery, there’s this idea where you’re essentially following your sponsor’s tail lights,” he reveals. “When I get someone to sponsor, they’ll follow my tail lights. Whose tail lights are we really following through life? It’s definitely the more introspective side of the album. What did I learn in the last four years of making this? What matters still?”
Once you hear BEN, you’ll never look at Macklemore the same way. “Songwriting is the glue for my entire career,” he leaves off. “If you’re not writing words that resonate, the music isn’t going to have depth, weight, or longevity. I’m not trying to follow. On this album, I’m being authentic to who I am. I’m reflecting on where I am in life. Turns out, I’ve learned a lot.”
WATCH
‘NO BAD DAYS’
LISTEN
‘BEN’
THE BEN TOUR – NORTH AMERICA
09/17 – Ryman Auditorium – Nashville, TN
09/19 – Anthem – Washington, DC
09/21 – MGM Music Hall at Fenway – Boston, MA
09/22 – The Rooftop at Pier 17 – New York, NY
09/23 – The Met – Philadelphia, PA
09/26 – Rebel – Toronto, ON
09/27 – The Fillmore – Detroit, MI
09/29 – Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom – Chicago, IL
09/30 – Eagles Club/The Rave/Eagles Ballroom – Milwaukee, WI
10/01 – Armory – Minneapolis, MN
10/03 – Mission Ballroom – Denver, CO
10/05 – The Complex – Salt Lake City, UT
10/07 – Roseland Theater – Portland, OR
10/08 – Roseland Theater – Portland, OR
10/10 – Spokane Arena – Spokane, WA
10/11 – Adams Center Arena – Missoula, MT
10/12 – Idaho Central Arena – Boise, ID
10/14 – The Masonic – San Francisco, CA
10/17 – Arizona Financial Theatre – Phoenix, AZ
10/18 – Hollywood Palladium – Los Angeles, CA
THE BEN TOUR – EU/UK
04/03 – 3Arena – Dublin, IE
04/04 – 3Arena – Dublin, IE
04/07 – O2 Academy – Glasgow, UK
04/09 – O2 Victoria Warehouse – Manchester, UK
04/11 – O2 Academy – Birmingham, UK
04/12 – O2 Academy Brixton – London, UK
04/16 – AFAS Live – Amsterdam, NL
04/17 – Forest National – Brussels, BE
04/18 – Zenith – Paris, FR – *SOLD OUT*
04/19 – Zenith – Paris, FR
04/21 – Lanxess Arena – Cologne, DE – *VENUE CHANGE*
04/22 – Verti Music Hall – Berlin, DE
04/24 – Olympiahalle – Munich, DE – *VENUE CHANGE*
04/25 – Stadhalle – Offenbach, DE
04/27 – Edel Optics Arena – Hamburg, DE
04/29 – EXPO XXI Hall 1 – Warsaw, PL
04/30 – Stadhalle – Vienna, AT
05/02 – Samsung Hall – Zurich, CH
05/03 – Alcatraz – Milan, IT
05/04 – Alcatraz – Milan, IT – *SOLD OUT*
05/07 – Vega Main Hall – DK
05/09 – Sentrum Scene – Oslo, NO
