Jack Antonoff has spoken about his past experiences working with Taylor Swift and Lana Del Rey, which he has described as “magic”.
Speaking with Zane Lowe for Apple Music 1, the musician, songwriter and producer opened up about his working relationship with the two singers. According to the hit producer, there’s “magic” in the air whenever he gets into the studio with Swift and Del Rey, though he’s unsure how long it’ll last.
“Every time we do something new, I joke, ‘I guess we still got it,’ because there’s no reason for it to keep coming the way it does,” Antonoff said to Lowe. He continued: “There’s a lot of magic there,” Antonoff continued. “I feel that way with Taylor, I feel that way with Lana.”
Antonoff explained further: “It’s almost like, the more we do, the less I expect it. Because I often think to myself, well, how much longer could we really keep having this spark? And I’m just grateful that it’s there, and I don’t know where it comes from or where it goes, but the one thing that I’ve noticed is that anyone who claims to know where it comes from and where it goes burns out pretty quick.”
Lowe and Antonoff then spoke about Lana Del Rey’s acclaimed 2019 album ‘Norman Fucking Rockwell!’, which the latter described as a surreal experience. When it came time for Antonoff and Del Rey to work on ‘Mariners Apartment Complex’, the producer revealed that he was blown away when he witnessed Lana writing the track’s chorus in real time while singing in the booth.
“She just got behind the mic, she just sang that part,” he recalled. “She heard it, I heard it. And if anyone didn’t hear how brilliant it was, they’re a moron.”
Jack Antonoff most recently won the award for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical at the 2024 Grammys. His band, Bleachers, dropped their self-titled fourth earlier this month. The record scored a four-star review from Rhian Daly for NME.
Dhaly wrote: “The Lana Del Rey-featuring ‘Alma Mater’ is a prime example of the Bleachers genius, ‘Tiny Moves’’ glistening undercurrent sounds like a sprinkle of magic, and ‘Jesus Is Dead’’s whispered indie rock assessment of New York micro-scenes and life in a band is pure gold. In those moments – a large chunk of this album – any hint of fatigue is blasted away, Antonoff’s presence a welcome one once again.”