A-Trak, Kimbra and Mark Foster Team Up For New Song

Kimbra, Mark Foster and A-Trak.

A-Trak, Kimbra and Foster the People frontman Mark Foster have joined forces for "Warrior," the latest track in Converse's Three Artists, One Song series. The song is part of the launch of a line of footwear that will be sold exclusively at Journeys shops; it will be made available as a video and free download from the Journeys website on April 5th.

"I had such a good time diving into the creative process working with two incredible artists," Foster said in a statement. "This project has given me a newfound appreciation for the power of collaboration."

Previous installments in Converse's series of collaborations include "DoYaThing," a track by Gorillaz with James Murphy and Andre 3000; Best Coast's "All Summer," featuring Kid Cudi and Rostam Batmanglij from Vampire Weekend; and Matt and Kim, Soulja Boy and Andrew W.K.'s "I'm A Goner."

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A-Trak, Kimbra and Mark Foster Team Up For New Song

Kimbra, Mark Foster and A-Trak.

A-Trak, Kimbra and Foster the People frontman Mark Foster have joined forces for "Warrior," the latest track in Converse's Three Artists, One Song series. The song is part of the launch of a line of footwear that will be sold exclusively at Journeys shops; it will be made available as a video and free download from the Journeys website on April 5th.

"I had such a good time diving into the creative process working with two incredible artists," Foster said in a statement. "This project has given me a newfound appreciation for the power of collaboration."

Previous installments in Converse's series of collaborations include "DoYaThing," a track by Gorillaz with James Murphy and Andre 3000; Best Coast's "All Summer," featuring Kid Cudi and Rostam Batmanglij from Vampire Weekend; and Matt and Kim, Soulja Boy and Andrew W.K.'s "I'm A Goner."

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David Foster Remembers Whitney Houston

David Foster with Whitney Houston in the press room at the 1994 Grammy Awards.

I met Kevin Costner by chance up in Vancouver. He said, "I'm doing this new project – would you be interested in doing the music for it?" And of course, I said yes. When we started working on The Bodyguard, Quincy Jones took me to lunch and said to me, "This is the most important project of your career." I don't know how he knew, but he was right.

The song was originally supposed to be "What Becomes of the Broken Hearted." I tried to demo it twice, and I played it for Whitney both times, but my heart wasn't in it. She was like, "Uh, I don't know." I called Kevin and said, "I think we should find another song." The next day, he said, "What about 'I Will Always Love You?'"

We recorded it live in Miami, because they wanted to film her singing. Whitney absolutely owned it. She'd always twist what I asked her to do, and most of the time she made it something I couldn't have imagined. That was her magic. Her mom was there – I was standing out front, she had no idea who I was, and she leaned over and said, "You're witnessing greatness right now. I hope you know that." I said, "Yeah, I know."

When we worked on "I Didn't Know My Own Strength" for her last album, it was kind of difficult. Every singer loses that high end at some point, and for Whitney it came early. It would be impossible for me to comment on whether her lifestyle contributed to that, but I know that when she would come in and rip her coat off and step up to the mic like a race horse, it's very possible that she didn't take care of her voice the way she should have. The voice is a muscle, and you're always taught to go to the gym and warm up and stretch first before you lift hundred-pound weights. She was lifting hundred-pound weights right out of the gate, and probably did some damage to her voice. But Whitney really, really felt that lyric. You know, would it have been a better record if I had the Whitney from 1992? Yes, for sure. But like everything else she touched, she felt every single note of that song.

As told to Patrick Doyle

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David Foster Remembers Whitney Houston

David Foster with Whitney Houston in the press room at the 1994 Grammy Awards.

I met Kevin Costner by chance up in Vancouver. He said, "I'm doing this new project – would you be interested in doing the music for it?" And of course, I said yes. When we started working on The Bodyguard, Quincy Jones took me to lunch and said to me, "This is the most important project of your career." I don't know how he knew, but he was right.

The song was originally supposed to be "What Becomes of the Broken Hearted." I tried to demo it twice, and I played it for Whitney both times, but my heart wasn't in it. She was like, "Uh, I don't know." I called Kevin and said, "I think we should find another song." The next day, he said, "What about 'I Will Always Love You?'"

We recorded it live in Miami, because they wanted to film her singing. Whitney absolutely owned it. She'd always twist what I asked her to do, and most of the time she made it something I couldn't have imagined. That was her magic. Her mom was there – I was standing out front, she had no idea who I was, and she leaned over and said, "You're witnessing greatness right now. I hope you know that." I said, "Yeah, I know."

When we worked on "I Didn't Know My Own Strength" for her last album, it was kind of difficult. Every singer loses that high end at some point, and for Whitney it came early. It would be impossible for me to comment on whether her lifestyle contributed to that, but I know that when she would come in and rip her coat off and step up to the mic like a race horse, it's very possible that she didn't take care of her voice the way she should have. The voice is a muscle, and you're always taught to go to the gym and warm up and stretch first before you lift hundred-pound weights. She was lifting hundred-pound weights right out of the gate, and probably did some damage to her voice. But Whitney really, really felt that lyric. You know, would it have been a better record if I had the Whitney from 1992? Yes, for sure. But like everything else she touched, she felt every single note of that song.

As told to Patrick Doyle

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Beach Boys Will Reunite at Grammys with Maroon 5 and Foster the People

Beach Boys Will Reunite at Grammys with Maroon 5 and Foster the People.Juan Naharro Gimenez/Kevin Winter/AMA2011/Kevin Winter/NBCUniversal/Getty Images

The Beach Boys' 50th anniversary reunion is set to begin this weekend at the Grammy Awards with a performance featuring guest appearances by Maroon 5 and Foster the People. The surviving members of the band's classic lineup – Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, Bruce Johnston and David Marks – will make their first appearance on stage together in more than 20 years.

It's unclear exactly what Maroon 5 and Foster the People will be doing onstage with the Beach Boys, though it seems likely that their own hits will be included as part of a medley. So yes, there's a good shot that the first Beach Boys set in over two decades will include renditions of "Pumped Up Kicks" and "Moves Like Jagger."

The Beach Boys aren't the only major stars teaming up for the broadcast on Sunday night. Coldplay and Rihanna are set to perform their Mylo Xyloto tune "Princess of China," Kelly Clarkson and Jason Aldean will sing their hit duet "Don't You Wanna Stay" and Foo Fighters, Deadmau5, Lil Wayne and David Guetta will perform a tribute to electronic music. Bon Iver, who are nominated for Song and Record of the Year, backed out of performing at the ceremony after frontman Justin Vernon objected to being forced to share a stage with other performers.

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Exclusive Download: St. Lucia's Remix of Foster the People's 'Don't Stop'

Foster the People, 'Don't Stop'

Click to listen to Foster the People's 'Don't Stop (St. Lucia Remix)'

When you think of remixes, you normally think of dance mixes. St. Lucia decided not to go that route when remixing Foster the People's hit "Don't Stop," and instead added rock guitars and a sax outro to the otherwise danceable track. "I decided to take the remix in almost the opposite direction to the original, because Foster the People did such a good job with that version that I felt a completely different and more maximalist version needed to be explored," Jean of St. Lucia shares with Rolling Stone.

"I find that remixes are a good place to explore your influences as well, and with this I somehow went in two completely opposite directions at the beginning and at the end, referencing someone of the swagger of T-Rex and then morphing into a sort-of cheesy house thing at the end," he says. "It's a fun process, and I like to be open to whatever ideas might flow through me when I'm doing it."

You can download the St. Lucia remix of Foster the People's "Don't Stop" for free here.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

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Exclusive Download: St. Lucia's Remix of Foster the People's 'Don't Stop'

Foster the People, 'Don't Stop'

Click to listen to Foster the People's 'Don't Stop (St. Lucia Remix)'

When you think of remixes, you normally think of dance mixes. St. Lucia decided not to go that route when remixing Foster the People's hit "Don't Stop," and instead added rock guitars and a sax outro to the otherwise danceable track. "I decided to take the remix in almost the opposite direction to the original, because Foster the People did such a good job with that version that I felt a completely different and more maximalist version needed to be explored," Jean of St. Lucia shares with Rolling Stone.

"I find that remixes are a good place to explore your influences as well, and with this I somehow went in two completely opposite directions at the beginning and at the end, referencing someone of the swagger of T-Rex and then morphing into a sort-of cheesy house thing at the end," he says. "It's a fun process, and I like to be open to whatever ideas might flow through me when I'm doing it."

You can download the St. Lucia remix of Foster the People's "Don't Stop" for free here.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

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Read more »

Beach Boys Will Reunite at Grammys with Maroon 5 and Foster the People

Beach Boys Will Reunite at Grammys with Maroon 5 and Foster the People.Juan Naharro Gimenez/Kevin Winter/AMA2011/Kevin Winter/NBCUniversal/Getty Images

The Beach Boys' 50th anniversary reunion is set to begin this weekend at the Grammy Awards with a performance featuring guest appearances by Maroon 5 and Foster the People. The surviving members of the band's classic lineup – Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, Bruce Johnston and David Marks – will make their first appearance on stage together in more than 20 years.

It's unclear exactly what Maroon 5 and Foster the People will be doing onstage with the Beach Boys, though it seems likely that their own hits will be included as part of a medley. So yes, there's a good shot that the first Beach Boys set in over two decades will include renditions of "Pumped Up Kicks" and "Moves Like Jagger."

The Beach Boys aren't the only major stars teaming up for the broadcast on Sunday night. Coldplay and Rihanna are set to perform their Mylo Xyloto tune "Princess of China," Kelly Clarkson and Jason Aldean will sing their hit duet "Don't You Wanna Stay" and Foo Fighters, Deadmau5, Lil Wayne and David Guetta will perform a tribute to electronic music. Bon Iver, who are nominated for Song and Record of the Year, backed out of performing at the ceremony after frontman Justin Vernon objected to being forced to share a stage with other performers.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

Amazon MP3 Download Center

Read more »