David Byrne, the musician, performer, writer, multidisciplinary artist and co-founder of Talking Heads, releases a deluxe digital edition of his latest album Who Is The Sky? The deluxe, which commemorates the one year anniversary of the release, features four bonus tracks, including new single ‘My Madness.’ The track is a buoyant orchestral pop song that suggests a meeting with one’s own personality in playful Byrne-sian fashion.
David Byrne – ‘My Madness’ (Official Video)
This Saturday at the iconic Forest Hills Stadium in NYC, David will wrap his highly celebrated Who Is The Sky? World Tour. The tour featured two nights at Hollywood Bowl, headline festival appearances at Coachella, Latitude and more. Last month, Byrne announced that he would bring his world tour to the big screen. Filmed over multiple nights at the famed Hippodrome in Byrne’s hometown of Baltimore, the film captures the production that has played to audiences for over 150 shows across four continents. It was shot on 70mm by Brady Corbet, director of the Academy Award®-winning film The Brutalist. The film is in postproduction now, with distribution and release details to be announced.
David Byrne‘s new book Sleeping Beauties: Why Good Ideas Go Dormant and How They Wake Up is scheduled for release on October 6, 2026 in North America by Penguin Press, and on October 8, 2026 in the UK (with a UK hardcover release by Canongate on November 2, 2026). See below for a rundown of book tour dates in both North America and the UK and pre-order the book here.
Who Is the Sky? is Byrne’s first album since releasing the acclaimed 2018 American Utopia, which was later adapted into a hit Broadway musical and HBO film. It was produced by the Grammy-winning Kid Harpoon (Harry Styles, Miley Cyrus), while its 12 songs were arranged by the members of New York-based chamber ensemble Ghost Train Orchestra. Guests include Paramore’s Hayley Williams, St. Vincent and The Smile drummer Tom Skinner.
“At my age, at least for me, there’s a ‘don’t give a shit about what people think’ attitude that kicks in,” Byrne says about the spirit behind Who Is the Sky? “I can step outside my comfort zone with the knowledge that I kind of know who I am by now and sort of know what I’m doing. That said, every new set of songs, every song even, is a new adventure. There’s always a bit of, ‘how do I work this?’ I’ve found that not every collaboration works, but often when they do, it’s because I’m able to clearly impart what it is I’m trying to do. They hopefully get that, and as a result, we’re now joined together heading to the same unknown place.”
Watch David Byrne perform ‘Burning Down The House’ on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Watch the video for ‘What Is The Reason For It? Feat. Hayley Williams
Watch the video for ‘Everybody Laughs’
Acclaim For The “Who Is The Sky” Tour
“Concert of the year” – Minneapolis Star-Tribune
“In his oddly understated way, David Byrne is one of the most electrifying musicians of the last 50 years.” – Variety
“At the Met, David Byrne is the protest punk hero these turbulent times need.” – Philadelphia Inquirer
“Concert of the year…Once again, he brings an imaginative and funky blend of rock, theater and performance art.” – Minneapolis Star Tribune
“ thanks to Byrne’s lovingly staged spectacle, may have actually left the building feeling a little better about the world, and each other” – Boston.com
“I didn’t expect to find myself so moved, and moved so often, at Byrne’s first show at Radio City Music Hall. Even when Byrne wasn’t directly addressing what was happening in the world that particular day, the show’s optimism rang out.” – AV Club
“Simply one of the best concerts of this or any year in Toronto” – Parade Magazine
“Wonderfully inventive show” – Toronto Sun
“A person would have to possess a heart of stone not to find something deeply resonant or moving from Byrne’s show, which might arguably be one of the most outstanding concert productions in recent memory” – Forbes
“A David Byrne concert is not like most concerts — it is a show, in every sense of the word.” – Consequence
Acclaim for Who Is The Sky
“If there is something good to be found, he will see it and bring it to your attention.” – NPR
“The Talking Heads frontman applies his usual puckish wit to matters of love, connection, and other quandaries of existence” – Pitchfork
“A joyous rejoinder to a creeping sense of gloom.” – Paste Magazine
“A collection of avant-garde pop for fans of his band and beyond. There’s a real joy here.” – Associated Press
“Playful and luminous, grounded in orchestral eccentricity and a pop sentiment that Byrne has long made his own.” – VMAN
“The universalist anthem about the emotions and feelings we all share.” – Billboard on “Everybody Laughs”
“Morbidly joyous” – Vulture
“It’s subtle, self-critical, and unmistakably Byrne, merging thought-provoking storytelling with warm, artful instrumentation.” – Consequence
“With its kaleidoscopic cover and irresistible tunes, the latest release from the king of avant-garde pop keeps the party going.” – The Hollywood Reporter
“Classic joyful Byrne, featuring the iconic songwriter taking complex ideas about the human condition and making them easily digestible.” – FLOOD Magazine
David Byrne
Who Is the Sky? Digital Deluxe
https://davidbyrne.ffm.to/whoistheskydeluxe
track list:
- Everybody Laughs
- When We Are Singing
- My Apartment Is My Friend
- A Door Called No
- What Is the Reason for It?
- I Met The Buddha at a Downtown Party
- Don’t Be Like That
- The Avant Garde
- Moisturizing Thing
- I’m an Outside
- She Explains Things to Me
- The Truth
- T Shirt
- My Madness
- What and Where
- ¿Cuál Es La Razón?
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