Latest news with #MatchboxTwenty
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Rob Thomas Talks Moving Labels After 30 Years on Atlantic: ‘Universal Saved the Day'
It isn't just the music that's new for Rob Thomas as he gears up to release All Night Days, his sixth solo album. The 11-song set, coming Sept. 5 and preceded by first single 'Hard To Be Happy'/'Thrill Me,' will be on Universal Records after Thomas spent 30 years with Atlantic, on his own and with his band Matchbox Twenty. Thomas' move comes in the wake of a seismic leadership change at Atlantic Music Group that includes the departure of chairperson/CEO Julie Greenwald and other key executives. 'It says a lot when I think I'm the person that's been at Atlantic longer than anybody else in the building,' Thomas tells Billboard via Zoom. 'As we got this record together I was literally having a conversation with the guys at Atlantic Records. We had the team on a Zoom and we're talking about the marketing, we're talking about the single, 'This is gonna be this' and 'this is gonna be this.' Then three days later I got an email…that basically came with an ultimatum for this record: 'We'd like to restructure your deal. We'd like to do this or this or this.' I said, 'I don't want to do that,' and they said, 'Well, how about if we just give you your record? It's yours, and we can walk away free and clear.' I was pleased; I was only bummed that it didn't happen sooner. More from Billboard Burna Boy Shows 'No Sign of Weakness' on New Album: Stream It Now Latin Mafia Is 'Hungry to Decide Where We're Going Next' After Lollapalooza 2025 Scotty McCreery Reveals That His Two Grandmothers Died Hours Apart: 'Both Truly Taught Me What Love Is All About' 'Luckily, as soon as the ink was dry on the docu-sign, I told Monte Lipman over at Universal, and literally in a minute I got a text back that said, 'Welcome to Republic,' and that started my new life on Universal Records.' Thomas has no hard feelings towards Atlantic, where he released five solo studio albums and another six with Matchbox Twenty. And he's relieved about the lack of drama in securing a new deal. 'It was a very short period of worry — worry's not even a good word,' says Thomas. 'I'm one of the only artists I know who after 30 years has been on the same label and hadn't made a move to something independent or a different label. (All Night Days) was very important to me. I knew I had made something that was special, something I think my fans are really, really gonna love, so you want to make sure this is gonna have a chance to be heard. That's where Universal came in with a f–kin' cape and saved the day.' Thomas has been working on All Night Days, co-produced by Gregg Wattenberg and Grant Michaels, since during Covid. He had intended to put it out during the early 2020s as the follow-up to 2019's Chip Tooth Smile (and 2021's Something About Christmas Time). But as Matchbox Twenty's planned tour continued to be postponed, the group decided to make its first new album in 11 years, 2023's Wattenberg-produced Where the Light Goes. 'On that record there's maybe three songs that would've been on the solo record, and then two or three songs that didn't make the Matchbox record that moved their way over to (All Night Days),' Thomas says. Matchbox Twenty's other members, in fact, appear on the solo album track 'I Believe It,' which drummer Paul Doucette didn't want to include on the band album. 'I had a long time to curate this record; someone asked me the inception date for 'Hard to Be Happy' and I looked at it and it was 2020. It was five years ago I had started writing that song. I had more time to sit with those songs and write better songs and go, 'Let's replace that with this.' I think it became a better record for it.' Thomas wrote 'Hard to Be Happy' with Todd Clark and Derek Fuhrmann and says it was 'born out of a joke' during a Covid Zoom session. 'We'd all been writing a bunch of depressing sh-t, and we were just like, 'It's hard to write a happy song. It's hard to be happy,'' he says. 'So we started with that line, 'It's hard to be happy,' and we wrote, I think, what's musically one of the happiest sounding songs I've written, ever. It's very positive, very fun. I think there's elements of Harry Nilsson and 'lime in the coconut' going on, some weird Caribbean vibe that mixes with a little George Michael 'Freedom' and a little David Bowie 'Young Americans.' All that was in there.' Thomas collaborated on the B-side, 'Thrill Me,' with Tim Lopez from Plain White T's. 'It's a love song that couldn't have been written by somebody not my age,' Thomas explains. 'This is a song you play at your recommitment ceremony after 30 years of marriage. It's a song about how after all this time the other person still excites you and still thrills you.' Thomas expects to release other singles before All Night Days' release. (The title came from a conversation with a friend in which Thomas said, 'I think my all-night days are over.') He'll be previewing songs during his All Night Days Tour, which begins Aug. 1 in Atlanta. 'I haven't gone out solo since 2019,' he notes. 'It's been a long time since I've gotten to have a lot of fun with all these other songs here in solo world. And it's the 20th anniversary of the first solo record, so it seems this is a perfect time to go out.' The touring band, which also played on most of All Night Days, will include Thomas' son Maison Eudy on guitar 'It's a weird thing to think it's been 30 years with (Matchbox), 20 years solo,' says Thomas, who anticipates some special performances with the band for next year's anniversary, followed by a full-scale tour during 2027. 'Everything about it feels simultaneously like it's happened forever and it just started a couple days ago. Every now and then it just pops up on you; there's certain hard truths when we look in the mirror, or that our knees are telling us at certain times. But otherwise, creatively, you just feel like there's gonna be something really great around the bend if I just keep working at it. There's gonna be something around the corner that's gonna be great.' The track list for All Night Days includes: Hand In My Hand All Night Days Hard To Be Happy I Believe It Thrill Me Picture Perfect Machine No Good At Loving You Ghost Losing My Mind Back To The Start Thomas' All Night Days Tour dates include:Aug 1- Atlanta, GA – Synovus Bank Amphitheater at Chastain ParkAug 2 – Jacksonville, FL – Daily's PlaceAug 3 – Boca Raton, FL – Mizner Park AmphitheaterAug 5 – Nashville, TN – Ascend AmphitheaterAug 6 – Raleigh, NC – Red Hat AmphitheaterAug 8 – Richmond, VA – Allianz Amphitheater at RiverfrontAug 9 – Philadelphia, PA – TD Pavilion at the MannAug 10 – Washington, DC – The Theater at MGM National HarborAug 12 – New York, NY – Rooftop Pier 17Aug 13 – Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts CenterAug 15 – Boston, MA – Leader Bank PavilionAug 16 – Bridgeport, CT – Hartford HealthCare AmphitheaterAug 18 – Dayton, OH – Rose Music Center @ The HeightsAug 20 – Chicago, IL – Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly IslandAug 22 – Indianapolis, IN – Everwise Amphitheater at White River State ParkAug 23 – Cincinnati, OH – PNC Pavilion at Riverbend Music CenterAug 24 – Detroit, MI – Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom HillAug 26 – St. Louis, MO – Hollywood Casino AmphitheaterAug 27 – Kansas City, MO – Starlight TheatreAug 29 – Irving, TX – The Pavilion at Toyota Music FactoryAug 30 – Houston, TX – Smart Financial Centre at Sugar LandSept 2 – Denver, CO – Bellco TheatreSept 4 – Phoenix, AZ – Arizona Financial TheatreSept 5 – Las Vegas, NV – FontainebleauSept 6 – Los Angeles, CA – YouTube TheaterOct 24 – Perth, AU – PCEC Riverside TheatreOct 25 – Perth, AU – PCEC Riverside TheatreOct 27 – Adelaide, AU – AEC TheatreOct 29 – Melbourne, AU – ForumOct 30 – Melbourne, AU – ForumNov 3 – Sydney, AU – Enmore TheatreNov 4 – Sydney, AU – Enmore TheatreNov 8 – Brisbane, AU – Sandstone PointNov 11 – Auckland, AU – KTK TheatreNov 13 – Christchurch, NZ – Te PaeNov 15 – Wellington, NZ – Michael Fowler Centre Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Rob Thomas Signs With Universal After Two Decades at Atlantic Records
Rob Thomas is entering a new chapter in his career ahead of the release of his first non-holiday album since 2019, as the three-time Grammy-winner and Matchbox Twenty singer has left his longtime label Atlantic for a new deal with Universal Music Group's Universal Records. Thomas officially signed with Universal back in April. News of the switch-up arrives officially on July 11, and with it Thomas will drop two new songs, 'Hard to be Happy' and 'Thrill Me.' His fifth solo album All Night Days comes out September 5. The change to Universal marks a major turn for Thomas, who'd previously called Atlantic his home for the last 20 years, releasing four solo solo albums there (and a Christmas collection), as well as five albums with his band Matchbox Twenty. (The band's contractual obligations to Atlantic have been fulfilled, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.) More from The Hollywood Reporter Nicole Scherzinger Says Liam Payne's "Happy Place" Was Making 'Building the Band': "He Loved to Help" Why Wet Leg's Rhian Teasdale Can't Stop Writing Silly Love Songs Yungblud Announces New Documentary 'Yungblud: Are You Ready, Boy?' (Exclusive) 'The day I left Atlantic, Universal picked me up,' Thomas tells THR. 'There was very little of the Atlantic family I knew left there. In this short time, me and my new UMG team have hit the ground running. It feels invigorating and I owe [Republic Collective CEO] Monte Lipman for picking me up without me having to spend a day swinging in the wind. No one leaves their label and goes to a bigger label.' Thomas also mentioned the deal during a recent livestream on Twitch hosted by his musician son, Maison Thomas-Eudy. Speaking from backstage at a corporate gig in San Francisco, he reiterated how Atlantic 'wasn't my people anymore,' since the label's overhaul of the past several years, which included Elliot Grainge take over last fall. Thomas said the label had a 'different vibe' and that he 'worked out a nice deal with Elliot to get out.' Thomas said on the stream that he texted Lipman soon after, writing, ''Just so you know, I'm gone from Atlantic,' and he wrote right back and goes 'Welcome to Republic!'' An insider with knowledge of the deal says the singer left Atlantic because of 'a different metric' for success in the modern day music label landscape. 'There's no love lost because we all understand how the business works. But you put your heart and soul into your art.' A rep for Atlantic didn't respond to request for comment. All Night Days marks Thomas' sixth solo album following 2019's Chip Tooth Smile and 2021's holiday record Something About Christmas Time. Thomas previewed another All Night Days track, the sweepingly romantic ballad 'Thrill Me,' at a January benefit gig for Sidewalk Angels Foundation, a non-profit he founded with his wife of 25 years Marisol Thomas, which supports no-kill animal shelters and animal rescues. 'Hard to be Happy' is an upbeat track that opens with chirping birds and catchy chords but concedes that lows are part of everyday life with lyrics like, 'If I feel like crying, it's just a temporary low. Don't try and comfort me, let it go.' Outside of the album, The U.S. leg of Thomas' The All Night Days Tour will kick off in Atlanta on August 1 and wrap with a performance at the YouTube Theatre in Los Angeles on September 6 to celebrate the album's release. Thomas will then head Down Under in October, playing seven dates in Australia before kicking off his first ever solo run in New Zealand, with three theater shows in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. As well as supporting All Night Days, the tour will celebrate the 20th anniversary of Thomas' debut solo record …Something to Be, which spawned Grammy-nominated hits 'Lonely No More' and 'This Is How a Heart Breaks.' Best of The Hollywood Reporter From 'Party in the U.S.A.' to 'Born in the U.S.A.': 20 of America's Most Patriotic (and Un-Patriotic) Musical Offerings Most Anticipated Concert Tours of 2025: Beyoncé, Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar & SZA, Sabrina Carpenter and More Hollywood's Most Notable Deaths of 2025
Daily Mail
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Matchbox Twenty star Rob Thomas announces Australian tour: 'One of my favourite places in the world'
Matchbox Twenty frontman Rob Thomas has announced he will be heading to Australia and New Zealand later this year for a solo headline tour. The 53-year-old American rocker will be touring his forthcoming solo album All Night Days and paying tribute to the 20th anniversary of his 2005 debut solo album, Something To Be. Thomas will land Down Under in October and kick off with two back-to-back shows in Perth, before heading to Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. In New Zealand, he will play shows in Auckland, Christchurch, and Wellington. 'Aussie fans have always been incredible to me,' he said. 'I can't wait to come back and share these songs - old and new - on what's going to be a very special run of shows across one of my favourite places in the world.' From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, This will mark Thomas' first solo tour in Australia in 2019 - although he toured with Matchbox Twenty in 2024. The singer will be supported by an all star line-up of Australian opening acts, including Boy & Bear, Eskimo Joe, Little Quirks and Sara Berki. Tickets went on sale via Ticketek on Thursday, May 29 and appear to be affected by dynamic pricing online. The of General Admission standing tickets starts from $183 and seated tickets range from between $200 to $342. No concerts appear to be entirely sold-out at the time of writing. However, the $1526 'Guitar experience' has sold out in Adelaide. According to a statement from the artist, fans can expect a 'career-spanning set' that will include solo hits like 'Lonely No More' and 'This is How a Heart Breaks', as well as Matchbox Twenty classics such as '3AM' and 'Unwell'. In recent years, Rob has said his infamous 2016 blunder during his Melbourne tour is 'the greatest thing' that's ever happened to him. At the time, Rob joked about drinking through his jet lag until 'I think I'm a black Australian'. 'It changed a huge part of my life, it brought so many new friends into my life, it gave me a new awareness,' he told Confidential. 'It's never too late to start being on the right side of history,' Rob added. In 2016, mid-way through his performance at Melbourne's Rod Laver Arena, the singer offered a racially insensitive quip about the way in which he deals with long-haul flights. 'I drink til I think I'm Australian. And then I keep drinking til I think I'm a black Australian (sic),' he said. In footage obtained by TMZ at the time, the audience can be heard groaning and booing in response to Rob's remarks. Several hours after the live show, Rob took to Facebook with a heartfelt apology. 'After the show in Melbourne tonight while backstage with some of my Australian friends, it was brought to my attention that I said something that is racist and insensitive' he wrote. 'Please understand that although it is no excuse, I was completely unaware that in Australia there is a polarising social issue happening right now involving indigenous people and alcohol.' He continued: 'When I was made aware of it, the ground fell out beneath me, and I realised that people may now see me as the exact opposite of who I am. I'm sitting here in my hotel room completely gutted that a joke that I made was much more relevant to the times in Australia than I realised. 'I know that words are just words, but to those I offended, I deeply, DEEPLY apologise! Everyone who knows me is aware that for the past 20 years I have been a fervent supporter of civil rights, so I am incredibly embarrassed by my ignorance. I feel like a fool and apologise to all Australians.' The American rock star boasts legions of fans across the globe. But Rob previously expressed that he is 'uncool' during an interview with Courier Mail. 'There's an inherent coolness in knowing you're not cool,' the singer told the publication. 'When I say I'm not cool, I don't mean that as a knock against me, I mean it against cool people. It's tongue-in-cheek. I'm a f***ing rock star. That's cool!' he added. While he has enjoyed a rather 'cushy' career, he recalled how his father spent his life 'working a job he hated.' 'I get paid to explain to people why they should care about my music... that's a pretty cushy job,' a grateful Rob said.
Daily Mail
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
INXS achieve stunning chart milestone one decade after splitting up
INXS have hit a new peak in the music charts, more than a decade after the iconic Australian band broke up, and 40 years after the initial release of their breakthrough album, Listen Like Thieves. Originally released in October 1985, the Sydney outfit's fifth album was the first to make its mark on a global scale. Listen Like Thieves boasted a number of successful singles, including the title track, as well as Kiss the Dirt (Falling Down the Mountain), This Time, and What You Need – which peaked at No.2 in Australia and No.5 on Billboard's Hot 100. But this week, INXS has stormed the charts in the United Kingdom thanks to the 40th Anniversary re-release of the album. Listen Like Thieves is topping four separate rankings in the UK, most of which did not exist when the record was originally released. It has immediately become INXS' highest-ever peak on the Official Album Sales chart, debuting at No.16. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. The band had been together for 35 years when drummer Jon Farriss made the announcement that INXS would no longer be touring together at a November 2012 concert at Perth Arena. They were supporting Matchbox Twenty. 'We've done the album like a live show and what is there is there,' frontman Michael Hutchence told Rolling Stone in 1985. 'We want to present this record as a band – the idea of six people playing together and using traditional sounds.' Never-before-heard INXS demos, featuring vocals from late frontman were released to mark the milestone 40th anniversary. The extra tracks were released on May 9 as part of the reissue of the the rockers' 1985 album, which reached number one in Australia. Among the unreleased songs is a candid studio moment where Hutchence's charismatic voice echoes through early takes of their '80s hit track This Time. The anniversary edition has reignited nostalgia and appreciation for INXS' enduring legacy, under the guidance of executive music producer Giles Martin. INXS saxophonist Kirk Pengilly said compiling the tracklist was a moving experience. 'I did get emotional with this, because there were some out-takes of the banter between us all,' he told The Daily Telegraph. 'But we didn't keep a lot of that stuff, so I was really surprised when the tapes turned up. So this is pretty special, a real time capsule.' The band conquered the world with their 1985 album, which reached number 11 on the US Billboard chart and went double platinum there. It also charted in New Zealand, the UK and Canada. The re-release has catapulted the band back into the to the Official Album Download chart for the first time since 2012. The rockers continued to perform with singer Michael Hutchence until his tragic death in Sydney in 1997, where he committed suicide in a hotel room. Hutchence died at Sydney's Ritz Carlton, now known as the Intercontinental Hotel Double Bay, while depressed and under the influence of alcohol and drugs. His partner, Paula Yates, claimed a year before her own death that Michael likely died accidentally while choking himself for sexual pleasure, as the pair had engaged in similar sex games. A post-mortem examination found alcohol, cocaine, codeine, Prozac, Valium and other prescribed benzodiazepines - or 'benzos' - in Hutchence's urine and blood. In late 1995, Hutchence told British music magazine Vox: 'I don't wanna be a f***ing cliche. I don't need to be dropping off in a hotel bath. 'I've come close, though. I'm surprised I've survived and so are a lot of my friends.' The Australian group were one of the world's most successful rock bands in the late '80s. Following their formation in 1977, they stormed the charts with songs including Need You Tonight, Good Times, New Sensation and Kick. They are one of Australia's highest-selling bands of all time, with over 50 million albums sold worldwide. Their 2011 greatest hits album has spent a record 623 weeks on the ARIA top 100 albums chart. Its success followed the release of the 2014 Channel Seven mini-series about the band called Never Tear Us Apart.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Rob Thomas Announces 2025 Australia and New Zealand Tour
Rob Thomas is making his return Down Under. The Matchbox Twenty frontman will head to Australia and New Zealand this October and November for a headline solo tour in celebration of his forthcoming album All Night Days and the 20th anniversary of his 2005 debut solo album …Something to Be. The tour will kick off with back-to-back shows at Perth's Riverside Theatre on Oct. 24 and 25, before heading to Adelaide, where Thomas will perform at the AEC Theatre on Oct. 27. More from Billboard Aaron Paul Opens Up About Tracking Down Tour Managers to Get Bands to Perform in His Living Room Ye Claims He's 'Done With Antisemitism': 'Forgive Me for the Pain I've Caused' How New York's UBS Arena Is Helping to Raise the Commercial Ceiling for Caribbean-Headlined Shows He'll then make his way east for a two-night stint at Melbourne's The Forum on Oct. 29 and 30, followed by a pair of shows at Sydney's Enmore Theatre on Nov. 3 and 4. A massive outdoor performance at Sandstone Point in Brisbane is slated for Nov. 8. After wrapping his Australian dates, the GRAMMY-winning singer-songwriter will cross the Tasman Sea for three shows in New Zealand: Auckland's Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre on Nov. 11, Christchurch's Town Hall on Nov. 13, and the Michael Fowler Centre in Wellington on Nov. 15. 'Aussie fans have always been incredible to me,' Thomas said in a statement. 'I can't wait to come back and share these songs—old and new—on what's going to be a very special run of shows across one of my favorite places in the world.' Fans can expect a career-spanning set that includes solo hits like 'Lonely No More' and 'This Is How a Heart Breaks,' his Santana collaboration 'Smooth,' and Matchbox Twenty classics such as '3AM' and 'Unwell.' The yet-to-be-released All Night Days will mark Thomas' sixth solo studio album and his first since 2021's Chip Tooth Smile. Joining him across various dates will be a lineup of local talent, including Boy & Bear, Eskimo Joe, Little Quirks and Sara Berki. Tickets go on sale to the general public at 12 p.m. local time on Thursday, May 29. For full ticketing info, visit Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
