After a run of dates opening for Avril Lavigne in Canada and ahead of a European run, grandson sat down with Audacy after a festival set at California's BottleRock Napa which found him essentially opening for Pitbull as the two played the same stage. It's something he playfully addressed while performing -- and we spoke with him about that experience and his connection to the Latin artist.
LISTEN NOW: grandson backstage at BottleRock Napa
"When I was 20 years old in 2013, I was a rapper out of Montreal. I got a message from an A&R, who was the son of a manager who managed Pitbull. Pitbull is the reason I'm here right now." grandson noted. Charles Chavez and Latium Entertainment are the reason why the rocker initially dropped out of school and moved out of Montreal to pursue a career in music. "It was me, Pitbull, Magic!, and a guy named Danny Mercer. Nothing happened from it. I ended up restarting everything in 2016 under the name grandson, but I learned a lot from that opportunity," he says. "If I ran into Pitbull, we would have meaningful points of connection."
Regarding opening for a crowd that was waiting for Mr. Worldwide to hit the stage later in the evening, grandson says, "the sheer juxtaposition of those waiting for a Pitbull set, getting a grandson set was too much for me not to acknowledge." Adding, "I'm not supposed to be at BottleRock, I think they were looking for somebody a little more happy-go-lucky. If you book me for an hour set it's gonna get heavy. I'm grateful that I'm here, I'm having a great day. But for me to open for Pitbull, I can't not address it."
His plans are to convert some of those who didn't know who he was into fans, noting, "I seek connection... I think there are two kinds of artists: Those that go inward and the crowd is lucky enough to see inside their genius at an intimate moment. Artists like Tame Impala and Bon Iver who draw you in and seem to not even notice that you're there; they're so wrapped up in their own expression. Then there are artists who not only want but require connection, understanding... a commonality between me and the people who showed up today. Whether or not they came for this, that is what they will get from me. I will push you until you realize we have more in common than what separates us."
grandson's BottleRock set came just one day after a stop in the state of Texas, where a horrible mass shooting occurred earlier in May. Addressing the issue of gun control he said, "Absolutely. Not just for Uvalde, the city in Texas where kids were gunned down by an 18-year-old who on his birthday was able to purchase two assault rifles and enough ammunition to mow down a small town. You don't have to go too far outside of Napa, California to have this impact. You don't have to go too far in America to feel the hole that comes from losing something forever."
"Years pass," he adds, "we move on. We find a new team to root for. We find some sort of permission to forget about it, but for all of those who are even somewhat connected to the epicenter of these moments, it is forever. I have connected through my music to first responders, survivors of gun violence, particularly, through the reference of public schools and if I don't address these things with my music then I have much more to question about why I do it and who I do it for. I just feel so bad, man. I feel so bad for the people affected. The discourse that has emerged from the past week, everything from the suggestion that we need less doors in schools to every teacher needing a gun in their desk: It's hard enough convincing an empathetic, intelligent person in this country to be a teacher. We pay them so little, we disrespect them so much. Particularly a young, primary school teacher. Kindergarten to sixth grade development is, statistically, some of the most important years of child development."
"We pay these people $25-$30,000 a year, they have to go out of their own pocket to give these kids who can't afford it the basic necessities to get an education. Then you expect them to be the kind of people to pull out a gun and shoot somebody at a moment's notice. What kind of educators do you think we're going to get? Then you fast forward 10 years later, what kind of average American are you going to get? What kind of civics class are they going to be taught if you're bringing gun nuts into the most basic levels of primary education? It seems everything is being addressed except the access to deadly weapons and ammunition. We're not the only country with mental health issues, or deadly violence in our video games, or rap music in our speakers. But we are the only country with this sort of decimation to deadly violence. If you tell me that your access to an assault rifle to go kill a deer in the backwoods of Wyoming is more important than these metropolitan cities experiencing gun violence again and again, then we're just not going to get along on much."
"I think we're able to connect with our fans on a deep level so quickly because we wear our values on our sleeve." grandson said. "It's an honor and a privilege to come into conservative cities, progressive cities, busy cities, backwood towns, and be able to sing these songs about reconciliation and peace, and accountability and justice, and anger and frustration."
grandson will continue his touring throughout 2022, including fall U.S. dates opening for Bring Me The Horizon. Grab your tickets HERE.
Listen to more of your favorite music on Audacy's all-new Jam Band Festival Favorites, Alt Now, Rockternative, Drivin' Alt, New Wave Mix Tape, '90s and Chill, Alterna 00s, and ALT Roots 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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