André 3000 has launched a brand new quick movie impressed by and set to the music of 7 Piano Sketches, his 2025 EP. The 12-minute video was written by André 3000 and Graham Mason, with the latter serving as its director. Within the movie, the musician walks throughout New York Metropolis with a life-sized piano strapped to his again and a pocket book of sketches in his hand whereas he runs into various characters alongside the route. It’s accessible to look at now, completely on Mubi.
In coordination with the quick movie’s launch, André 3000 sat down with Mubi for an interview during which he discusses being impressed by ants to hold the piano, how the fabricated instrument was constructed, and why they selected to shoot in New York Metropolis. When requested what he finds inspiring about ants particularly, he answered, “How they impart and relate to one another: their togetherness, the best way they work towards a objective. It’s simply intriguing to look at them. I’ll sit and watch hours of YouTube movies and nature documentaries about ants. There’s one thing so cool about the best way they work; they’re the largest employees on the planet. I’ve at all times felt like people may study loads from ants.”
André 3000 additionally revealed that he’s nonetheless on the lookout for appearing tasks, following his roles in Claire Denis’ Excessive Life, Noah Baumbach’s White Noise, and Kelly Reichardt’s Displaying Up. “In the intervening time, I’m making an attempt to determine how I can discover a method to do one thing completely different with it,” he informed Mubi. “There’s a well-known actor—I received’t identify him—and each time he sees me, he’s like, ‘You do not forget that dialog we had? Have you ever discovered that new fashion of appearing but? I’m nonetheless trying!’ In the event you watch cinema, it strikes by completely different types of efficiency: Within the ’40s and ’50s, that they had this actually severe form of appearing. Then within the ’60s and ’70s, it was very free. What’s the fashion for now? I’m on the lookout for that new fashion, however I don’t know if I’ll discover it at my age. Possibly the youth will, as a result of they’ve grown up with cameras of their faces and YouTube and every part. However I’m at all times on the lookout for one thing new to problem myself with; I’ve obtained some issues to determine.”
7 Piano Sketches is André 3000’s first new music since releasing 2023’s New Blue Solar. That flute-focused file was the Outkast rapper’s debut solo LP and earned him three Grammy nominations, together with Album of the 12 months. The 2024 quick movie Shifting Day, directed by Dexter Navy, documented the making of New Blue Solar and included a beforehand unreleased observe from these recording periods.
