Declan McKenna, the 19-year-old British singer-songwriter, stopped by Rolling Stone’s studios recently to perform an unplugged set for the latest installment of their "Take One" series. Watch McKenna’s intimate performance of "Brazil," "Make Me Your Queen," and "Humongous," which Rolling Stone says highlights "his soulful voice and simple, hooky song structures," right HERE.
Declan McKenna has also sold out thirty-one dates on his extensive U.S. headlining tour, in cities including Austin, Nashville, Seattle, Vienna (DC Metro Area), Berkeley, & Phoenix (full dates below). This year’s tour, in support of his new album "What Do You Think About The Car?", is McKenna’s longest stateside visit, and due to demand, shows have been added or upgraded to larger rooms in Decatur, GA (Atlanta Area), Syracuse, and Evanston, IL (Chicago area) full dates below. Additionally, Declan McKenna is confirmed for 2018’s Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, as well as a performance at Mexico City’s El Plaza Condesa on April 17th 2018. Tickets for all dates are on-sale now.
Alongside his headlining dates, Declan McKenna will appear at fourteen area high schools in cities on this tour, for an intimate performance and Q&A with local students. In advance of his sold-out show, he visited Akins High School in Austin TX, where he met with 200 art, theater, band and choir students and performed a few songs acoustically. McKenna talked about his journey as a young songwriter and how music and performing have shaped his life. A common theme in McKenna’s music is the role young people play in creating a more equitable society, and through these performances he hopes to empower fellow teenagers and help them realize that their voice matters.
Recently, McKenna has been announced as the newly crowned BBC Music "Introducing Artist of the Year" for 2017, as part of the BBC Music Awards. Since its launch in 2007, BBC Music "Introducing" has been dedicated to discovering and supporting new music. Previous winners of this prestigious award include Florence and the Machine, Ed Sheeran, and Catfish and the Bottlemen. "I'm delighted and honored to accept this award from BBC Introducing." McKenna says, "I'd like to say a big thank you for relentlessly rooting for me throughout the years, no award could ever overshadow the time, effort and support given by so many others to get me to the point I'm at now, and for that I'm eternally grateful!" You can learn more about Declan McKenna and his "Introducing Artist of the Year" award over HERE.
Declan McKenna’s debut album "What Do You Think About The Car?", a collection of socially aware, melody-heavy indie pop songs, is out now via Columbia Records. The album received near universal praise, and was recently featured on NPR Music as a First Listen with NPR Music’s Bob Boilen noting, "Declan McKenna writes about a much bigger world than you or I might expect from a singer who only recently turned 18." The New York Times also included McKenna’s single, "Humongous" in their weekly playlist, describing Declan’s music as "a strong throwback streak, from his reedy John Lennon-Liam Gallagher vocals to his melodic, midtempo guitar-strumming Britpop productions." Declan McKenna was also named one of Rolling Stone’s "10 New Artists You Need to Know" for August 2017, who call his new album, ""What Do You Think About The Car?," smart, moving and occasionally really funny." The album additionally received strong reviews from UK's Q, The Guardian, DIY and DORK. The album is available here: smarturl.it/CarDL.
"What Do You Think About The Car?" is the follow up to Declan’s EP "Liar" released last May. The full-length album was recorded in London and LA alongside renowned producer James Ford of Simian Mobile Disco (Depeche Mode, Arctic Monkeys). The song "Listen To Your Friends" was produced by Rostam Batmanglij of Vampire Weekend; the track, "Paracetamol" was produced by Neil Comber; and "Brazil" was produced by Max Marlow. Declan, an adept songwriter and multi-instrumentalist wrote all of the songs and co-wrote "Listen To Your Friends" on the 11-track LP. See below for full track list.
TRACKLISTING:
1. Humongous
2. Brazil
3. The Kids Don’t Wanna Come Home
4. Mind
5. Make Me Your Queen
6. Isombard
7. I Am Everyone Else
8. Bethlehem
9. Why Do You Feel So Down?
10. Paracetamol
11. Listen To Your Friends
TOUR DATES:
06 March | Indianapolis, IN | Hoosier Dome [SOLD OUT]
07 March | Evanston, IL | Space [2nd SHOW ADDED, SOLD OUT]
09 March | Evanston, IL | Space [SOLD OUT]
10 March | DeKalb, IL | The House Café [SOLD OUT]
11 March | Madison, WI | The Majestic Theater [SOLD OUT]
13 March | Burnsville, MN | The Garage [SOLD OUT]
14 March | Lawrence, KS | The Bottleneck
16 March | Fort Collins, CO | Hodi’s Half Note
17 March | Colorado Springs, CO | The Black Sheep
18 March | Boulder, CO | Fox Theatre
20 March | Salt Lake City, UT | In The Venue [UPGRADED, SOLD OUT]
22 March | Seattle, WA | Vera Project [SOLD OUT]
23 March | Eugene, OR | WOW Hall
25 March | Orangevale, CA | The Boardwalk [SOLD OUT]
26 March | Berkeley, CA | Cornerstone Berkeley [SOLD OUT]
28 March | Santa Barbara, CA | Velvet Jones [SOLD OUT]
29 March | San Diego, CA | Music Box [SOLD OUT]
30 March | Santa Ana, CA | Constellation Room [SOLD OUT]
31 March | Phoenix, AZ | Rebel Lounge [SOLD OUT]
14 & 21 April | Indio, California| Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
Post a Comment