Mexican Cuisine, Orchestral Sounds & ‘Mutual Appreciation’ of New Generation: How David Byrne Created His ‘Who Is the Sky?’ Album

David Byrne tested his cooking skills while gathering ideas for the songs that ended up in his latest album, Who Is the Sky?

“I should get out my cookbook and tell you what recipes I tried. Of course, I knew how to make a very traditional mole, the dark one,” Byrne tells Billboard Español in reference to mole negro during a video call from his home in Brooklyn, New York.

The British-American musician, producer, avant-garde rock pioneer and intellectual shares that he primarily cooked Mexican and Indian dishes during the pandemic, when the first notes of the tracks included in his first album since the acclaimed American Utopia (2018) began to take shape.

“I learned how to make tortillas, not so good at first. I decided, ‘OK, I’m going to try maybe for health not using the lard fat in the tortilla and see if I can put something else in,’” continues the 73-year-old artist. “But it didn’t work out so at all. So I had to go back to the more traditional method.”

When it comes to music, though, the former Talking Heads frontman never follows a traditional method. Who is the Sky?, released Sept. 5 under Matador Records, features 12 songs as colorful as the album’s cover art. The rhythms used turn Byrne’s voice into yet another instrument in these subtle melodies, infused with avant-pop touches and orchestral textures. The lyrics are characterized by their ironic but always intelligent sense of humor. “Everybody Laughs,” with sublime backing vocals from St. Vincent, offers a joyful and hopeful moment.

For this project, Byrne enlisted Grammy-winning producer Kid Harpoon (Harry Styles, Miley Cyrus), telling him, “I want this to be a good-sounding, accessible record, but I also want to do something a little bit unusual.” The orchestral arrangements, meanwhile, are courtesy of the New York-based chamber ensemble Ghost Train Orchestra. “I heard a record [from them] I guess in 2023 — a record of compositions and songs by a guy named Moondog, who was kind of a street poet and he wrote really beautiful music,” he explains. “They did an interpretation of his music. I really liked it.”

Longtime friends and new collaborators — including Paramore’s Hayley Williams on “What Is the Reason for It?”, drummer Tom Skinner from The Smile and percussionist Mauro Refosco from American Utopia — also contribute to the album.

Byrne and St. Vincent — whose real name is Annie Clark — previously collaborated on the 2012 album Love This Giant, with most of the songs co-written by the two. “She was always doing really interesting things and she lived just a few blocks from the studio where I was, so I called her up and said, ‘Annie, can you come by for just a little while, maybe sing on a song?’” Byrne says. “And we had a great time. She did great. She wanted to do more, but she had to get back to her baby.”

Collaborating with younger musicians has become increasingly common for the “Psycho Killer” singer. Pop star Olivia Rodrigo invited him to perform a duet of the Talking Heads classic “Burning Down the House” at the Gov Ball festival in June.

“When I talked to her, I said, ‘Do you have time to rehearse a little bit of choreography? Can we work out some movement at the same time?’ And she said yes. So we had some rehearsals and worked out some movement. Some of it I think was inspired by [the Talking Heads’ 1983 concert film] Stop Making Sense.”

These collabs have shown the How Music Works author that many young artists appreciate what he and his band did in their time. “It’s very flattering and very exciting, that kind of mutual appreciation,” he says with satisfaction. “I like what they do too.”

Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Talking Heads, Byrne has explored many genres and global rhythms including from the Latin scene, with collaborations with artists like Celia Cruz, Café Tacvba, Los Amigos Invisibles, Los de Abajo, and Marisa Monte — some of them through his Luaka Bop label, founded in the late 1980s.

“Some months ago, I went to a concert here in New York of Mon Laferte. I know she’s Chilean, but she lives in Mexico. I like her music as well. I have to say, I was surprised at the concert. It was really, really good,” says Byrne. He also revealed that he’s a big fan of Natalia Lafourcade’s music, whom he met during the recording of Café Tacvba’s second MTV Unplugged in Mexico City in 2019.

Amid a busy work schedule, Byrne announced recently his marriage to financier Mala Gaonkar and the tour accompanying the release of Who Is the Sky?, which will take him to stages across the U.S., Canada, and Europe between 2025 and 2026. He also hopes to include Mexico on the trek next year. “I think in the spring,” he notes. “The dates are not set, but they are coming soon.”