Following the drop of their dystopic 2022 release Will Of The People at the end of the summer, Muse members Matt Bellamy and Dominic Howard joined Audacy host Nicole Alvarez in Los Angeles to discuss the making of the new album, what fans can expect from their upcoming live shows, and more.
LISTEN NOW: Muse talk 'Will Of The People' with Nicole Alvarez
Friends since their teenage years, Muse has built a massive empire over their almost 30 years together with their music and fans front and center. Looking back, drummer Dom Howard admits they likely couldn't have imagined that they would be at the level that they are now, "but I think we always wanted it. I've definitely got memories of being very young, and for sure believing that we could get there if we stuck together." Frontman Matt Bellamy agrees, adding, he "never thought we'd be going this long. I think back then our dream was to sell out the theater in Exeter that was like 500 people or something... it just kind of spiraled a little from there."
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Muse dropped their ninth full-length, Will Of The People, at the end of August, created and "influenced by the increasing uncertainty and instability in the world," according to Bellamy upon its release. "I think everyone was on the same page in the world, I mean," he explains, as far as how the record came to be amid the pandemic lockdowns. "Everyone was locked down for a long period of time and... we started to really miss making music, really miss each other. There was a point where you're thinking, 'Are we ever going to tour again? Like, what's going on?'"
"The U.S. was going through a very unusual time at that point," Bellamy adds. "I think that probably had an impact as well. We had lots of riots going on, lots of instability and concerns, and then we had that whole January 6 situation in 2021. To be honest with you, on the last album we kind of veered a little bit into more fantasy/fiction/simulation theory kind of stuff. We weren't going anywhere near politics, but then what happened in the world just kind of forced us back into that place. But, I think more than that, it was just we felt so lucky for what we had, because you don't know what you have until it's gone."
WATCH NOW: Muse talk 'Will Of The People' with Nicole Alvarez
Discussing the direction the new album follows -- full of heaviness, wailing guitars, and symphonic arrangements -- Bellamy says the band decided to look back on the history of Muse for this release, rather than forging ahead with only new ideas and new sounds. "This is the first album where we sort of went, 'Actually, what does Muse sound like? Let's listen to ourselves a little bit.' We sort of went back through everything we've done and picked out our favorite moments, but in particular the favorite moments we felt we could improve upon. It's like we wanted to make almost like a 'Best Of Muse' type of album, but obviously with all new tracks."
Muse will hit the road on a 20-date North American tour set to kick off in the Spring of 2023 with special guest Evanescence as support, and fans can expect just as big of a performance as the new album would lead you to believe.
"We've been such a long-term touring act," Bellamy says, "that what we do on stage and what we do in the studio there's not much differentiation. What we're doing in the studio we hope that we're going to get to play it to people, so therefore that has a direct influence on the kinds of songs. Things like the chanting in "Will Of The People," we're imagining the crowd doing that with us, and some of the songs are written with the idea of being with a big audience and everyone singing along. That can't help but sink into the making of the album."
Check out Nicole's full interview with Matt and Dom of Muse above, and stay tuned for more conversations with your favorite artists on Audacy.
Muse ‘Will Of The People’ 2023 North American Tour dates:
February 25, 2023 // Chicago, IL // United Center
February 26, 2023 // Minneapolis, MN // Target Center
February 28, 2023 // Austin, TX // Moody Center
March 2, 2023 // Houston, TX // Toyota Center
March 3, 2023 // Fort Worth, TX // Dickies Arena
March 7, 2023 // Columbus, OH // Nationwide Arena
March 9, 2023 // Toronto, ON // Scotiabank Arena
March 11, 2023 // Quebec City, QB // Videotron Centre
March 14, 2023 // Montreal, QB // Bell Centre
March 17, 2023 // New York City, NY // Madison Square Garden
March 19, 2023 // Philadelphia, PA // Wells Fargo Center
April 2, 2023 // Glendale, AZ // Desert Diamond Arena
April 4, 2023 // Denver, CO // Ball Arena
April 6, 2023 // Los Angeles, CA// Crypto . com Arena
April 8, 2023 // Las Vegas, NV // T-Mobile Arena
April 10, 2023 // San Diego, CA // Pechanga Arena San Diego
April 12, 2023 // Anaheim, CA // Honda Center
April 16, 2023 // Portland, OR // Moda Center
April 18, 2023 // Seattle, WA // Climate Pledge Arena
April 20, 2023 // Salt Lake City, UT// Vivint Arena
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PLUS, don't miss Muse live at Audacy Beach Festival 2022, returning to Fort Lauderdale Beach, Florida on December 3 and 4, taking over the sun and sand with performances from some of the best and brightest in Alternative music. Tickets are available now... Click here to purchase.
Browse and follow Audacy's all-new stations like Muse Radio, Audacy Beach Festival, Alt Now, Rockternative, '80s Underground, New Wave Mix Tape, '90s and Chill, IndustriALT, and ALT Roots exclusive stations -- plus check out our talent-hosted Kevan Kenney's Music Discovery, Megan Holiday's My So Called '90s Playlist, and Scott Lowe on the Go's Post Modern Music Box!
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