Jack Antonoff tells Jimmy Fallon how Taylor Swift's 'Cruel Summer' shot to popularity without much promotion
LOWER MANHATTAN, NEW YORK CITY: During his appearance on 'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon', Jack Antonoff, the one who produced and co-wrote Taylor Swift's song 'Cruel Summer', opened up about elements that propelled the song to popularity, particularly among the youth.
He even erupted into an impromptu performance while engaging in a lively conversation with Fallon, discussing the music industry as well as talking about his wedding to Margaret Qualley.
Jack Antonoff believes 'fans are god'
The show's host, Jimmy Fallon, began by listing Jack Antonoff's achievements, which included his Grammy for Producer of the Year and producing albums for artists like Lana Del Rey and Taylor Swift.
Subsequently, Fallon inquired if they could discuss 'Cruel Summer' as it has been topping Billboard's Hot 100 for the second week four years after its initial release, and said, "What does it feel like?"
Antonoff said, "It feels like I'm loving where the music business has gone because it just melted down into nothing but what people like."
Antonoff continued, "And you could talk your crap about this or that, but just the fans are god, what they say goes and all those...You know, when I was younger and you'd make a record and you'd say, that's the song that if you cracked me open is my soul, right?"
The songwriter and producer went on to express that 'Cruel Summer' became a hit organically, without business efforts, and talked about how it gained popularity solely through audience enthusiasm, reflecting a shift in the music industry dynamics favoring genuine musical appeal over orchestrated promotions.
He stated, "It was always our favorite song in the album. And then with nothing, with no gas on the fire, with no one on the business side doing anything, just kids started playing it more and more and more."
"And I just think the music business is in a fun place for just the work," concluded Antonoff.
Jack Antonoff opens up about his wedding
Jack Antonoff and Margaret Qualley tied the knot in New Jersey on August 19, surrounded by celebrity guests like Taylor Swift, Channing Tatum, Zoe Kravitz, and Lana Del Rey.
Taking that into context, Jimmy Fallon said, "I also want to say congratulations. You got married recently to Margaret Qualley, who we love. Yeah. How was the wedding?"
Antonoff replied, "I feel like I keep thinking this, which I was like, I had this idea, like, I perform, so I don't care. I just want to be married to her. I don't give a [bleep]."
However, upon walking up, his experience was starkly different as he said, "As soon as I walked up there, it was the ultimate...It was the most alone I've ever been in my life, in a way, because my bride hadn't come out yet."