Apple’s Zane Lowe the Great Communicator
When Apple launched its music streaming service in 2015, it hired New Zealander Zane Lowe to be, effectively, its face and voice. Apple Music may not do Spotify numbers but, in Lowe, they have something Spotify doesn’t: personality-led curation, Craig McLean writes for The Telegraph.
Lowe’s mission at Apple often sees him going deep with his interviews, McLean writes. Last month, when granularly analysing Coldplay’s last album, Everyday Life, he out-nerded even Chris Martin, and that’s saying something. A New York Times profile last June was headlined “How Zane Lowe Became Pop’s Unofficial Therapist” and dug into his ability to make interviewees – hip-hop heavyweights, Justin Bieber, Hayley Williams of Paramore – cry.
And, as the man in the know, how are the as-yet-unreleased comeback albums from Lorde, aka Ella Yelich O’Connor, and Eilish? “The Billie Eilish music is sounding absolutely stunning,” he replies. “And I’ll leave it at that.”
Really? “I don’t want you thinking: ‘He doesn’t like the Lorde music!’” he says, laughing. “But I don’t want to say something about someone’s music who I really like – I really like Ella, and it’s taken a long time for her music to come back, and she’s taken her time. So I just want to give her time to introduce her narrative the way she wants. But I have zero doubt in my mind that her new music is going to be spectacular.” Spoken like a true but mindful fan.
Original article by Craig McLean, The Telegraph, June 18, 2021.
