Tony Winner David Byrne Sets New Album and World Tour 'Who Is The Sky?'

David Byrne, Tony Award-winning creator of Broadway's American Utopia and Here Lies Love, has announced Who Is the Sky?, his first new album since 2018’s acclaimed and award-winning American Utopia album, which will be released September 5th by Matador Records. The album was produced by the Grammy-winning Kid Harpoon (Harry Styles, Miley Cyrus), while its 12 songs were arranged by the members of New York-based chamber ensemble Ghost Train Orchestra. 

Musical friends old and new, including St. Vincent, Paramore’s Hayley Williams, The Smile drummer Tom Skinner and American Utopia percussionist Mauro Refosco, also make appearances on Who Is the Sky?, which is led by the infectious single "Everybody Laughs," available below.

Byrne will also return to the road with a brand new live show in support of Who Is the Sky?. The touring band will comprise 13 musicians, singers and dancers, including members of the American Utopia band, all of whom will be mobile throughout the set. The North American tour begins in September, with Australia & New Zealand dates kicking off in January 2026 and European & United Kingdom dates starting the following month. Tickets go on sale Friday, June 13 and can be purchased HERE. Fans can sign up for the artist presale now through June 12th at 10:00 pm local HERE. The artist presale will begin Tuesday, June 10th 10:00am ET through Thursday, June 12th at 10:00pm local. See the full tour itinerary below.

In 2023, as his triumphant American Utopia era came to a close after morphing from an album and tour into an acclaimed Broadway show and then a Spike Lee-directed HBO film, Byrne began jotting down the occasional groove, chord or melody. With the world, and the in-progress American Utopia Broadway run, on pause, he, like much of humanity, took the opportunity to ask, “Do I like what I'm doing? Why am I writing songs, or working this job, or whatever? Does any of it matter?"

Byrne’s attempts to answer those weighty questions can be found on Who Is The Sky?, which builds upon the optimistic themes laid out by American Utopia and its supporting tour, and more specifically spelled out by the Grammy-winning Broadway show and subsequent movie. With this offering, Byrne continues his lifelong exploration of human connection and the potential for societal unity against the chaotic backdrop of the world. Who Is the Sky? is particularly cinematic, humorous and joyful, but often with a lesson baked in – that love is unexplainable, that enlightenment means very different things to different people and that it’s always a good idea to moisturize, whether you wake up the next morning with skin like a baby or not. Most importantly, the songs evince Byrne’s gift for riding the razor's edge of avant-garde and accessible pop.

There are “more story songs than usual” on Who Is the Sky?, according to Byrne. These “mini-narratives based on personal experience” include “She Explains Things to Me” (sample lyric: “how come it’s all so obvious to her?”), “A Door Called No” (which magically opens after Byrne receives a kiss), “My Apartment Is My Friend” (“you’ve seen me at my very worst / but we always get along,” he sings) and “I Met the Buddha at a Downtown Party” (at which the onetime spiritual guru is more interested in the unhealthy deserts than deification).

Marked by the inviting vocal interplay between Byrne and Paramore’s Williams, the jaunty “What Is the Reason for It?” aims to codify love in a way logic can rarely accomplish (“does it do something useful? / nobody understands it”), while “The Avant Garde” wrestles with the merits of art for art’s sake (“it’s ahead of the curve / it’s deceptively weighty, profound, absurd / it’s whatever fits” – a meta observation if ever there was one from one of the most iconoclastic artists to emerge from the New York rock underground.

An admitted “stickler when it comes to grooves,” Byrne welcomed late-in-the-game contributions from Skinner and Refosco, with whom he’s recorded and toured for more than 30 years. Mixed by Mark “Spike” Stent and mastered by Emily Lazar, the finished product is about both hiding and revealing, or as Byrne puts it, “a chance to be the mythical creature we all harbor inside. A chance to step into another reality. A chance to transcend and escape from the prison of our ‘selves.’” These concepts are heavily incorporated in the Who Is The Sky? album package, which was designed by Shira Inbar and finds Byrne nearly obscured by radiating, colored patterns and psychedelic, spiky outfits designed by Belgian artist Tom Van Der Borght.

WORLDWIDE TOUR DATES

North America: 

09/14/2025 - Providence, RI - Veterans Memorial Auditorium

09/16/2025 - Pittsburgh, PA - Benedum Center PAC

09/17/2025 - Columbus, OH - Mershon Auditorium

09/19/2025 - Akron, OH - Akron Civic Theatre

09/21/2025 - Schenectady, NY - Proctors

09/23/2025 - Syracuse, NY - Landmark Theatre

09/25/2025 - Buffalo, NY - Shea’s Buffalo Theatre

09/27/2025 - Washington D.C. - The Anthem

09/28/2025 - Washington D.C. - The Anthem

09/30/2025 - New York, NY - Radio City Music Hall

10/01/2025 - New York, NY - Radio City Music Hall

10/03/2025 - Boston, MA - Boch Center Wang Theatre

10/04/2025 - Boston, MA - Boch Center Wang Theatre

10/07/2025 - Wallingford, CT - Toyota Oakdale Theatre

10/08/2025 - Portland, ME - Merrill Auditorium at City Hall

10/10/2025 - New York, NY - Radio City Music Hall

10/14/2025 - Richmond, VA - Altria Theater 

10/16/2025 - Philadelphia, PA - The Met Philadelphia presented by Highmark

10/17/2025 - Philadelphia, PA - The Met Philadelphia presented by Highmark

10/21/2025 - Toronto, ON, Canada - Massey Hall

10/22/2025 - Toronto, ON, Canada - Massey Hall

10/25/2025 - Detroit, MI - Fox Theatre

10/28/2025 - Chicago, IL - The Auditorium

10/29/2025 - Chicago, IL - The Auditorium

10/31/2025 - Chicago, IL - The Auditorium

11/03/2025 - Minneapolis, MN - Orpheum Theatre

11/04/2025 - Minneapolis, MN - Orpheum Theatre

11/06/2025 - Denver, CO - Bellco Theatre

11/07/2025 - Denver, CO - Bellco Theatre

11/11/2025 - Seattle, WA - Paramount Theatre

11/12/2025 - Seattle, WA - Paramount Theatre

11/16/2025 - San Francisco, CA - The Theater at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium

11/17/2025 - San Francisco, CA - The Theater at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium

11/20/2025 - Los Angeles, CA - Dolby Theatre

11/21/2025 - Los Angeles, CA - Dolby Theatre

11/25/2026 - Austin, TX - Bass Concert Hall

11/26/2025 - Austin, TX - Bass Concert Hall

11/28/2025 - Dallas, TX - Music Hall at Fair Park

11/29/2025 - Dallas, TX - Music Hall at Fair Park

12/02/2025 - Atlanta, GA - Fox Theatre

12/03/2025 - Atlanta, GA - Fox Theatre

12/05/2025 - Miami, FL - Fillmore Miami Beach At Jackie Gleason Theatre

12/06/2025 - Miami, FL - Fillmore Miami Beach At Jackie Gleason Theatre

Australia & New Zealand:

01/14/2026 - Auckland, New Zealand - Spark Arena

01/17/2026 - Brisbane, Australia - Brisbane Entertainment Center

01/21/2026 - Sydney, Australia - ICC Sydney Theatre

01/22/2026 - Melbourne, Australia - Sidney Myer Music Bowl

01/24/2026 - Adelaide, Australia - Adelaide Entertainment Centre Arena

01/27/2026 - Perth, Australia - RAC Arena

Europe & United Kingdom: 

02/12/2026 - Berlin, Germany - Tempodrom

02/15/2026 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - AFAS Live

02/16/2026 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - AFAS Live

02/18/2026 - Brussels, Belgium - Forest National

02/21/2026 - Milan, Italy - Teatro degli Arcimboldi

02/22/2026 - Milan, Italy - Teatro degli Arcimboldi

02/24/2026 - Frankfurt, Germany - Jahrhunderthalle

02/27/2026 - Zurich, Switzerland - The Hall

03/02/2026 - Cardiff, UK - Utilita Arena

03/03/2026 - London, UK - Eventim Apollo

03/04/2026 - London, UK - Eventim Apollo

03/06/2026 - Glasgow, UK - SEC Armadillo

03/07/2026 - Glasgow, UK - SEC Armadillo

03/09/2026 - Manchester, UK - o2 Apollo

03/10/2026 - Manchester, UK - o2 Apollo

03/13/2026 - Dublin, Ireland - 3Arena

03/15/2026 - London, UK - Eventim Apollo

03/18/2026 - Paris, France - La Seine Musicale

03/19/2026 - Paris, France - La Seine Musicale

Tickets will be available starting with presales that will run throughout the week ahead of the general onsale beginning Friday, June 13 at 10am local time at LiveNation.com.  Select packages include premium tickets, a tour of the stage and an on-stage photo op, a signed copy of David Byrne's photo book and early entry into the venue. For more information, visit vipnation.com.

Mastercard cardholders have special access to presale tickets in Netherlands, Belgium, Italy and France. Mastercard Presale starts Wednesday, June 11 at 10am local. Plus, Preferred ticket access to some of the best tickets are available from Friday, June 13 at 10am local. Check out priceless.com/music for details.

Photo credit: Shervin Lainez