The youngest Followill brother spoke to Kiwi radio host Tracey Donaldson about Kings of Leon's newest album. Photo / Getty Images
The youngest Followill brother spoke to Kiwi radio host Tracey Donaldson about Kings of Leon's newest album. Photo / Getty Images
Band of brothers (and a cousin) Kings of Leon released their eighth album When You See Yourself yesterday.
Now, bassist Jared Followill has opened up about what it took to get the album over the finish line.
Speaking to Radio Hauraki's Kiwi radio host Tracey Donaldson yesterday to mark the album's release, the Grammy-winning rock band's youngest member said it had taken hard work and compromise to finish an album in a pandemic.
"We're very democratic, and that's really important ... that and we all have a really good work ethic. We enjoy it, which is very important, and when you grow up as poor as we did, you really want to keep a good job if you have one," the 34-year-old rocker said.
Two of the new songs on the album were released on the same day: singles Bandit and 100,000 People. Was it because they couldn't agree on what the first single should be?
Followill said it was a good way to "test the waters".
"We had no idea how songs were going to be received because of lockdown. So we released a couple of songs and maybe we can learn more by doing that than just arguing about what the single is going to be."
It hadn't just been a tough time for musicians themselves in the music industry over the past year, he acknowledged - but also for the countless crew members who work for them.
Proceeds from the band's new merchandise line goes to a charity which helps touring road crews - including crews who worked on Kings of Leon tours for years who are now out of work.
"They're people we know and love," the bassist explained. "They're like our family."
"I've been on tour since I was 15 years old, and I'm 34 now, so these people have been in my life for more than half of it. So we are able to help out our personal crew and take care of them, but we can't help all of the road crew out there who are out of work.
Caleb Followill performs at First Tennessee Park in September 2017. Photo / Getty Images
"This charity brings awareness and brings a bit of money to something that seemed important to us."
The youngest Followill is known for his dislike of seeing photos of himself, which was one of the reasons for the blur on his face on the album cover.
And he admitted it's partly to do with getting older. "I'm the youngest in the band and I've always been known as the baby, everyone I would meet would be like, 'Oh God you're so young', I was always getting ID'd, and it's been a wakeup call having these birthdays that just keep coming.
"And now I've got a kid [a baby girl born January 2020] so year, I do like to keep a little mystery. And blur out my nose a little bit," he laughs.
The band will be celebrating apart, Followill said, but he hopes "we'll do something, it'd be really sad if we don't."
"I know that I will be drinking wine somewhere."
And he hopes to be able to play for fans in Aotearoa again soon.
