David Byrne

Crossing the border between art, pop and avant-garde

David Byrne is far more than just the former frontman of the Talking Heads - he is a musical visionary, conceptual artist and cultural border crosser. Since the late 1970s, Byrne has been shaping pop culture with his idiosyncratic style, constantly transcending genre boundaries, expectations and artistic conventions.

He became famous with the Talking Heads, one of the most innovative bands of the New Wave era. With albums such as Remain in Light or Speaking in Tongues Byrne combined punk attitude with African rhythms, funk, electronic experimentation and intellectual sophistication. His distinctive voice, paired with Dadaist lyrics, made the band a phenomenon between mainstream success and cult status.

After the end of Talking Heads, Byrne began an extremely varied solo career. He released numerous solo albums, collaborated with artists such as Brian Eno, St. Vincent and Fatboy Slim and composed music for film, theatre and dance. His passion for world music, in particular Latin American and African sounds, has always been evident.

Byrne has also made a name for himself as a visual artist and performer. His projects are often multimedia-based, his concepts well thought-out and visionary. With the acclaimed Broadway play American Utopia - which also caused a furore as a concert film directed by Spike Lee - he proved once again that he does not stand still as an artist, but is constantly evolving.

David Byrne is a creative free spirit who is never satisfied with convention. His art remains uncomfortable, clever, often eccentric - and always deeply human.