André 3000 reacts to the Grammy nomination for Surprise Album of the Year

Over the years, André 3000 has gotten used to having no expectations. Since rocking the mainstream music foundation as one half of Outkast, the 49-year-old has consistently eclipsed what the world knew and accepted as pop music since the runaway success of his outré pop single “Hey Ya!” ” in 2003 on the boundary-pushing work he created with Big Boi.

That's why it was a surprise this morning that “New Blue Sun,” his spacey, experimental flute album, received three nominations for the 2025 Grammy Awards, including a coveted Album of the Year award — up against Beyoncé's “Cowboy Carter,” Taylor Swift's “The Tortured Poets Department” and Sabrina Carpenter’s “Short n' Sweet”. It's the first time he's been nominated in the category since Outkast's “Speakerboxxx/The Love Below” won in 2004, making it the second hip-hop album at the time to take home the award.

“I'm used to people feeling a certain way, but at the same time, to me it's just proof that I can only do what I feel like doing,” he said diversity shortly after the nominees were announced. “I think that’s why I’m here. I stand up and try to expand. I have to have fun and enjoy what I do. This is it.”

New Blue Sun, released in November 2023, also picked up awards for Best Alternative Jazz Album and Best Instrumental Composition for I Swear, I Really Wanted To Make A 'Rap' Album But This Is Literally The Way The Wind Blew.” Me This Time” – an apt summary of how his artistic instincts have paid off once again.

What is your immediate reaction to winning Album of the Year? It may have surprised some people.

I felt like we were trying to do a campaign to see if we could get into the alternative jazz or ambient category. When the Album of the Year category came up this morning I was actually really surprised because I didn't think so many people even knew about it. So I'm just glad that the votes came out that way and that people paid attention more than anything.

Are you surprised that people didn't know about this? You've been playing this album for most of the year and it's gotten a lot of attention.

Well, no, because when it first came out people asked me if it was a real thing. We recently released a film, this film that went along with the album, we released it on YouTube and a lot of people on YouTube said, Oh, I've heard a little bit about it, but I've never watched it until now. There was almost a second wave of listeners because of this film alone. I feel the same way now. A lot of people may have heard of it, but I think when you say André 3000 and flute album it's misleading – they call it that because that's what I mainly play, but people think of flute, they think of Pied Piper, classical concert flute, Jethro Tull. But there are many great flute albums in the world, and this is much more than just a flute album. I think people kind of swept it under the rug. So no, I don't think many people, even if they heard about it, didn't check it out because it was also advertised that the album had no lyrics or verses.

So do you think that makes it harder for the average listener to access it?

Yes, if you are used to a certain thing or expect a certain thing. But no, once you get into it, I think it's definitely a listening thing. It's music as background music for your life, that's not it [intense] Music. It's not that I want to force you to listen to my thoughts. It's really for yourself.

The last time you were nominated and won in this category was literally 20 years ago. What do you think it says about the trajectory of your career that you're back at this point two decades later?

It really just makes me feel reassured because as an artist the doubts only come when you have to present it to people, you have to open the door and say, “Hey, look at this!” But as we work on it, you will have these doubts. It reminds me that my career has always been like this. I haven't changed my formula at all, I can just do what I enjoy at the moment. Even with Speakerboxxx/Love Below, I have a cousin, my favorite cousin, and after every Outkast album, when we finished it, I would sit in the car with him and just play it for him. He was my older cousin who I looked up to, he was cool in high school. And so I played him every album before and after Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, every album I played him, he turned to me and said, “Man, I'm so scared for you, André.” And now, at this point, is it like this: Well, I hope he's afraid for me. So I'm used to it now.

People have short memories, when The Love Below came out it was a chance, like you're really out there with this record. People may have felt the same way. What do you think it says about your willingness to go where your artistic compass takes you that leads you to these places?

That it's normal for me. It's just abnormal when I have to open the door for other people. That's all it says. Because when I do these things, I don't think, “Oh, this is… This is natural to me.” It's very, very natural because I'm in it. It's not a thing, but you have to be considerate of others when you're finishing it, packing it up and putting it out there. I remember when we were about to say “Hey Ya!” as a single. At some point the label wanted to release it as a white label without saying who it was. So there are preconceived notions like, “This is Outkast” or “This is an André 3000 song, but not a rap song.” And so it just shows me that you have to do what you came to do. And I'm happy now because I'm old enough to see the children who watched us. Now they are the stars and are driving things forward. And I think: Wow, let's go! I love it because they come up to me and give me credit. Like a man, I was talking to an artist's mother and she said when he was young he thought he was you. I thought, 'Wow, that's crazy!' That's great.

Have you listened to the other records you're up against for Album of the Year and what do you think about where the music is at right now?

I find it interesting because I think we're in a very interesting place in life right now as humans. I think something is shifting, something is changing. Things are being revealed, I don't know. I don't want to put it too esoterically, but something is happening. And I think people are just exploring more. I appreciate that, but music for me, I never judge music in a way that's like, “This is terrible, this is bad.” It's just what's happening. And generations usually respond in some way to the generation before them. So I'm always for it, man.

How has your approach to awards and nominations changed over the years? Does it feel as exciting today as it did 20 years ago?

Yes, of couse. And because it is like that. They don't expect recognition or acknowledgment for things that are initially very, very ridiculed. I generally feel this way about awards. All of these big awards like the Grammys or the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame are institutions because of the artists. If there were no artists, there would be no institutions. But it's always great to be recognized, man. As humans, we want validation for the time we are here. These awards do that in a way. Of course, I don't think about the Grammys when I make an album. That's not a thing. But yeah, even if someone on the street tells you, “Man, I love this album, me and my kids listen to it every morning,” that's confirmation. So it's just confirmation or evidence that people are being infiltrated, evidence that people are enjoying it. I can understand that.

Have you personally experienced the idea of ​​being subjected to ridicule throughout your career?

Oh yes, definitely. My entire career has been like that. So I'm kind of used to it, but you don't get used to it because people get meaner and meaner. I think they have an entitlement to what you are and what you do, and I think the audience, even though I'm from Atlanta, is not Coca-Cola. Coca-Cola has a formula that they can use over and over again. I think sometimes the audience thinks: Why can't you just do this over and over again? That's not how it works. I do think they're making a fool of themselves because they think, Oh, you can just go in there and do that. And if you don't do that, sometimes it's disappointing for people. So there is ridicule.

What do you think it says about the evolution of hip-hop that you're at this point in your career, that you're able to try something new and keep that success so deep within you?

All I can say is: I wasn't looking for success. I was looking for the satisfaction of trying something new, of really pushing something forward. This is fun for me, I need to feel like I'm doing something interesting. That's what I'm pursuing. The work is done after recording, as I tell every artist. I don't care what genre you belong to. Visual arts, film, music. Set realistic goals that don't take external factors into account because you will always be disappointed. You can never control what an outside factor thinks, does, or reacts. The only thing you can do is do what you set out to do, and if you succeed in that, everything else is just gravy. That's how you have to think about it.