André 3000 shares “intimate” movie linked to recent solo album

The Atlanta-born rapper, singer and songwriter André 3000 released his first solo album in 2023, a widely celebrated departure from his associative style as a rapper with Outkast. Instead of delivering the usual rap verses, he explored jazz and ambient electro on the album, titled New Blue Sun. In keeping with the record’s unconventional nature, André 3000 has now released an accompanying movie.

André 3000 released the feature-length movie Listening to the Sun on YouTube on Thursday, August 29th. The streaming site’s caption describes the side project as an “intimate album film for New Blue Sun,” and it was recorded on November 11th, 2023, the same day the album was launched. The new 90-minute feature sees André 3000 throughout, performing in a single, seamless shot akin to the progressive war film 1917.

The musical figure is known for his collaborations with Frank Ocean and shares a similar reclusive public persona. Some fans have already compared Listening to the Sun to Frank Ocean’s similar album movie Endless. 

Released in 2016, Endless arrived with a soundtrack of new music spanning the realms of ambient pop, avant-soul, R&B, and trap. During the bizarre movie, Ocean constructed a staircase in a monochrome room.

By comparison, André 3000’s Listening to the Sun is a little more expansive and engaging. Spanning the entire double album’s worth of music, the movie sees the musician wandering around a blue studio room, tinkering with various objects, lighting candles and ruminating on life.

Discussing New Blue Sun last year, André 3000 explained that he had the idea while working with Tyler, the Creator. “I remember I had maybe four songs, and I was just kind of testing it out ’cause I wanted to see how a younger audience would perceive it,” he told NPR. “I live in Cali now, so I reached out to Tyler for him to check it out and I went to his house.”

Addressing the change of pace stylistically, he added: “If I can’t find a way to rock on it, I’ll just leave it there.” More recently, he admitted to The Shop that he didn’t really know how to play the flute properly going into the studio. “I don’t know what notes I’m playing, to be completely honest,” he said. “I’m not trying to pretend like I know what I’m doing, in a way. I actually don’t know what I’m doing, and that’s part of the art.”