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After the flute album New Blue Sun from 2023, André 3000 is back with another unexpected musical turn. In parallel to his appearance at the Met Gala 2025, he published a collection of intimate piano pieces: “7 piano sketches”. He sees the instrumental EP as a personal, raw work. And does not do without any texts.
André 3000: “I play until it feels good”
The “7 piano sketches” consist of purely improvised piano pieces, recorded by André 3000 itself-mostly with his iPhone or laptop microphone. Only a track, “Blueberries”, was recorded in the studio. In a statement via “stereogum”, the rapper describes the process of creation:
“These piano sketches are improvisations. To create them, I spread my fingers over the keys and move them accidentally, but on purpose, until I find something that feels good or interesting. If it feels really good, I try to repeat it.” He emphasizes that he has no classic training: “I cannot name which grades, keys or chords I play. I just like the sound and mechanics of the piano game.”
Insights into a private sound archive
The pieces in “7 piano sketches” were originally never intended for the public. These are personal recordings that André 3000 often only sent to friends and family. Most of them were recorded in Texas, in an empty house that the 49-year-old lived in with his son: “The house that my son and I had rented was completely empty-just a piano, our beds and screens.”
As inspiration, André 3000 mentions some important composers and pianists: “Some of my favorite piano composers and players who inspire me are Thelonious Monk, McCoy Tyner, Philip Glass, Stephen Sondheim, Joni Mitchell and Vince Guarlaldi.”
The “best worst” album title
The recordings were taken long before New Blue Sun – about a decade before. Originally, André 3000 wanted to publish them under the winking title “The Best Worst Rap Album in History”: “It is jokingly the worst rap album in history because it does not contain any text. It is the best because it is emotionally the most emotionally and I personally felt best. It is best because it is like a pallet cleaner for me.”
Before André 3000 reinvented himself as an experimental solo artist, he was part of the hip-hop duo Outkast. Together with Big Boi, he shaped the rapwelt with albums such as Atliens (1996), Akümini (1998) and Stankonia (2000) in the 1990s and 2000s. Especially with the double album Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (2003), which among other things the hit “Hey Ya!” contained, broke outcast records and won the Grammy for the best album of the year.
André 3000 away from the music
André 3000 also optically set a statement at the Met Gala 2025. His outfit, which, like the music, was dedicated to the topic “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style”, was designed by Burberry in collaboration with Benji Bixby and styled by star designer Law Roach, including a stylist for Zendaya.
While André 3000 draws attention to himself with his new piano EP, he tries to find a lost notebook about search posters in Amsterdam. In 2019 he caused a sensation when he played flute for hours on an airport gate, which became a viral moment. In addition, he was already working with his own model line for the Black Lives Matter Movement, whereby the income from the collection was completely donated.