Multi-diamond certified, GRAMMY Award® winning artist Macklemore revealed today the official album artwork and pre-order/add/save link for Macklemore’s forthcoming studio full-length titled BEN, to be released on March 3, 2023.
The official music video for his latest track ‘FAITHFUL’ ft. NLE Choppa is also out now. Directed by John C. Peterson and with his wife Tricia Davis as the creative director, the video cleverly depicts the dark forces of addiction and star both Macklemore and NLE Choppa.
‘FAITHFUL’ ft. NLE Choppa is the third track to be released this year as part of this new era. An honest and raw insight into his own journey through relapse and recovery, this latest track offers a glimpse into the struggles and inner turmoil when dealing with addiction.
Speaking on his latest single, Macklemore shared: “I wrote FAITHFUL after a 2020 relapse that brought me back to a familiar darkness I naively thought I had escaped. It’s a personal song for me, reflecting on my struggles with addiction. As long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to be clean, and yet the disease I have is always present, it always follows me. The record explores the presence of addiction in every facet of my life, and how pervasive and insidious it can be.”
On collaborating with NLE Choppa, he added, “I love what Choppa did with his verse. He brought the song into his world, writing from the perspective of a supportive friend and showing up in a desperate time. I thought the song would push him out of his comfort zone, but honestly he sounded right at home in the pocket and brought a whole new concept to the record. It’s been refreshing spending some time with him. I’m hella impressed not only by his pen, but his his perspective on life and quest for spiritual growth.”
Macklemore has also announced his first leg of THE BEN TOUR which starts in April 2023 in Europe and the U.K. for a full list of dates and more information, go to: https://macklemore.com
Last month, Macklemore celebrated the 10-year history since the release of the accolade and award-laden global debut The Heist. The RIAA organization also honored Macklemore & Ryan Lewis as one of the most successful duos of the last 65 years of RIAA Gold & Platinum history and officially certified ‘Can’t Hold Us’ DIAMOND.
Diamond certifications make up less than 1% of RIAA’s Gold & Platinum program. These are awarded for 10 million sales and streaming equivalents earned in the United States alone with only 19 acts having more than one Diamond single in RIAA history. ‘Can’t Hold Us,’ ft. Ray Dalton marks their second Diamond Single Award (following 2015’s ‘Thrift Shop’ ft Wanz) from the same album, an incredibly rare accomplishment.
Earlier this year, Macklemore released ‘CHANT’ Ft Tones and I, and ‘MANIAC’ Ft Windser, both from his larger body of work titled BEN which will see its global release on March 3, 2023.
Macklemore recently completed a North American Stadium tour with Imagine Dragons and plans to announce more U.S. headlining tour dates soon.
THE BEN TOUR – EU/UK
04/04 – 3Arena – Dublin, IE
04/07 – O2 Academy – Glasgow, UK
04/09 – O2 Victoria Warehouse – Manchester, UK
04/11 – O2 Academy – Birmingham, UK
04/12 – O2 Academy Brixton – London, UK
04/16 – AFAS Live – Amsterdam, NL
04/17 – Forest National – Brussels, BE
04/18 – Zenith – Paris, FR
04/21 – Palladium – Cologne, DE
04/22 – Verti Music Hall – Berlin, DE
04/24 – Zenith – Munich, DE
04/25 – Stadhalle – Offenbach, DE
04/27 – Edel Optics Arena – Hamburg, DE
04/29 – EXPO XXI Hall 1 – Warsaw, PL
04/30 – Stadhalle – Vienna, AT
05/02 – Samsung Hall – Zurich, CH
05/04 – Alcatraz – Milan, IT
05/07 – Vega Main Hall – DK
05/09 – Sentrum Scene – Oslo, NO
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