David Byrne expresses regret for not collaborating with women on new album
Sampha, Dev Hynes, and Oneohtrix Point Never are among 25 male contributors on American Utopia.
David Byrne attends the Brooklyn Artists Ball 2017 at Brooklyn Museum on April 3, 2017 in New York.
Theo Wargo/Getty
This Friday, March 9, David Byrne will release his new album American Utopia. The album is a highly collaborative one, with over 25 artists working alongside the Talking Heads frontman. However, Byrne has faced criticism over the fact that not one woman appears on the whole project.
Byrne recently wrote a blog post highlighting the work done by his male team, who include Sampha, Dev Hynes, Jam City, Ariel Rechtshaid, Oneohtrix Point Never, and longtime collaborator Brian Eno.
Responding to a backlash to that post, Byrne issued a statement on March 5 in which he expressed regret not working alongside any women artists. "It’s ridiculous," he wrote. "It’s not who I am and it certainly doesn’t match how I’ve worked in the past."
American Utopia is Byrne's first album since 2012's Love This Giant, a joint record he made with St. Vincent.
