#iHeartUnfiltered gives fans an exclusive glimpse at a day in the life of some of your favorite stars. From behind-the-scenes photos to candid quotes, iHeartRadio's series is all about providing readers with a one-of-a-kind look into the routines of the rich and famous.
Two years, a Brooklyn Heights recording studio and enough courage to face one's own emotions were the very ingredients that Bleachers' Jack Antonoff used to create the band's sophomore effort, Gone Now. With the assistance of familiar female fixtures (Lorde and Carly Rae Jepsen) and prominent production forces (Nineteen85 and Organized Noize), the pop pioneer combined his unapologetic awareness and probing emotional complexities to create a 12-song set that hears the 33-year-old weaving his way in and out of themes likes soulless commercialism, marriage and even the death of his younger sister. Needless to say, it's their most personally important piece of work to-date.
On the eve of Gone Now's release, iHeartRadio spent time with the hitmaker as he made his way through a jam-packed schedule at our TriBeCa office, full of press stops, photoshoots and the big show, all the way up until the early morning hours when he exited the venue. Take a look below at our play-by-play with Mr. Antonoff in the latest installment of #iHeartUnfiltered.
6:20 PM: Driving through rush hour in TriBeCa is about as pleasant as taking out of town guests on a tour of Times Square. It requires almost too much patience. Jack Antonoff would probably agree as he and and an entourage of just one exit their vehicle across from iHeartRadio HQ to avoid a car cluster and greet label reps.
6:35 PM: After we make our way to Antonoff’s dressing room to drop of his bags, it’s off to the first stop of the evening with vet broadcaster and rock music journalist Steve Reynolds of Premiere Radio.
6:41 PM: "I don't write a lot. It just seems like I write a lot. Something that actually bugs me about press is that they always paint me as some workaholic, but I love to work and I love to write. It's just more that I'm lucky that the things that I write seem to get heard," he tells Reynolds. "But the past two years, I made the Bleachers record and I made the Lorde record. There's a few other things cooking, but that's really been the focus."
6:49 PM: Nonetheless, Antonoff is able to balance his projects with a sense of accuracy and the need for perfection. Later in the interview, he reveals that he's also completed work with The Killers. "I like Brandon [Flowers] a lot. He came to my apartment in Brooklyn and we did a few things," he adds.
6:51 PM: We're mere hours away from the release of the record, so it feels appropriate to ask about nerves, but Jack describes the release of the LP as more of an out of body experience. "It's not as much that I'm feeling nervous as much as I'm feeling weird," he says as we walk to a scheduled photoshoot. "I feel like I disassociate or something, like I'm watching myself in this moment that I've wanted for so long."
6:53 PM: Contrary to what you might assume, Jack is just as much of a professional in front of the camera as he is on stage. After greeting Photo Editor Rachel Kaplan, he whips off his jacket to reveal a ripped graphic tank top, which reads: "If U Go 2 Jail U Still Have 2 Eat Dinner." Duly noted, my friend.
6:58 PM: Following his photos, he heads over to the other side of the building for his first on-screen interview of the evening, but it also comes with a few shots of the singer on the street. We told you he's a professional.
7:06 PM: During his interview with iHeartRadio’s Ellie Lee, it’s all good energy as the two chat about dogs, Carly Rae Jepsen and New Jersey. "The thing that I feel the most in my heart is when someone who knows me says [my music] sounds like me because that's really it," he tells the host. "You just want it to sound like you and you can pick all these little influences apart. It sounds like this, or it sounds like New Jersey, or this, but I just want it to sound like me."
7:10 PM: After his time with Ellie, Jack records liners and works his Snapchat game because 2017. Much to our delight, the star reveals that he checks the Discover portion of the app quite frequently, with iHeartRadio being one of his go-to channels. Whether he's being truthful or not is another story, but the crew smiles with delight.
7:38 PM: After roughly 30 minutes, Jack joins his band for a soundcheck. Paired with a flashy light design, the set of songs (new and old) feel as alive as ever. "Can I get me and Jack's vocal up more?" one bandmate asks. "Three more on everything, just for today."
8:10 PM: Mid-rehearsals, Antonoff jokes with his production team. "Have you ever seen the show from that angle?” he asks one of the crew members named Todd, before conversation transitions into the singer's summer vacation plans, which may or may include some sun in the south. Still, it doesn’t take much for all five members of Bleachers to get their ducks in order for the Album Release Party, and early into the 8 o’clock hour, they're already done. Nonetheless, that doesn’t stop Jack from changing up the setlist later on during the show.
8:18 PM: It's two hours until showtime, but a man has to eat, so the band and show crew break for dinner. Jack exits the building.
8:30 PM: At this point in the evening, the pandemonium around the Bleachers show is in the air, as witnessed by the string of fans lining up outside of the building for the concert.
8:51 PM: Luckily for a few of them, Jack Antonoff is all about meeting his followers and does so with 30 of them during a scheduled M&G in front of the theater. It's orderly excitement.
9:15 PM: If you've ever wondered what Jack's dressing room is like before he hits the stage, it's sort of everything you'd imagine. Not only is some of his family hauled up in his room, but a crew of industry heads and friends swing in and out of the secured perimeters. Part of their pre-show prep also includes vocal warm-ups.
9:49 PM: Antonoff and the rest of the Bleachers crew are ready to hit the stage, but not before a group huddle and a toast with red solo cups, of course. They form a small circle in the dressing room before chanting a pre-show message, which namedrops a girl named Camila (Cabello?), bad boys and Sasquatch. Yup, you read that correctly.
10:01 PM: Fronted by his four-piece band, Mr. Antonoff wears his tank top, blue jeans and a pair of Doc Martens as he hits the stage and appropriately kicks off the nine-song set with their debut single, "I Wanna Get Better."
10:06 PM: After the opening number, he comes together with host Jonathan Clarke and shares some insight on filming music videos, referring to his roles in the clips as "bizarre versions of [himself]. After short conversation, Bleachers gives the crowd what they want, offering renditions of cuts off the new LP like "Don't Take The Money," "Everybody Lost Somebody" and "Hate That You Know Me."
10:15 PM: If you had any doubt as to why he's earned the reputation for being a soul-baring pop paradigm for today's titans, it's staring us right in the face.
10:36 PM: Jack's excitement for the record is at an all-time time as the singer/songwriter plays an extended portion of the show for the crowd. "[The] album is coming out in a matter of seconds!" he exclaims at one point, further emphasizing a candid connection with his listeners.
11:05 PM: After playing their final song of the night "Shadow," a cut off the group's debut album, Strange Desire, the band retreats to their dressing room for another wave of artist and industry mingling.
12:04 AM: As friends and family make their way out of the dressing room, Mr. Antonoff leaves out of the backdoor with two friends. However, the string of fans waiting since the show wrapped seems more pressing than the need to make a quiet departure, so the star stops by and takes selfies with each and every one of them. Now, that's appreciation, folks.
Gone Now is currently available for download on iTunes.
By Katherine Tyler
Photo: Katherine Tyler for iHeartRadio