How Vampire Weekend wrote one of Beyonce’s biggest tracks | Radio X

Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig talks to Radio X about how he ended up involved in Beyonce’s Hold Up. Working with Major Lazer, Koenig helped create the track which would go on to feature on Beyonce’s Lemonade and become synonymous with the era.
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[@samanthaa.6055]

I just love that the Yeah Yeah Yeahs inspired it

[@kmm2442]

I feel too inspired? Ah I dunno.

[@nh3028]

I mean its the same lyric in almost the same rhythm and melody

[@samanthaa.6055]

@@nh3028 Melody sounds very different in the lyrics to me and it's very different rhythmically

[@nh3028]

@@samanthaa.6055 the melody is slightly different , but theyre both descending melodies. The rhythm is literally the same. Straight 8ths.

[@lilym7494]

It would give me chills hearing a song I created and then hear Beyonce sing it. What an ear for a hook!

[@garrettreher5549]

I NEED TO HEAR THAT DEMO PLEASEEEEE

[@-rapha]

I looove lil song origin stories like this, so cool! 👑🐝

[@greeneyesrawesome]

Omg no wonder I love this Beyoncé song 😂that is crazy it’s my fave song by her

[@3ll3mel]

Same! 💯💯💯 And today it finally clicked WHY I instantly loved this song 😂🩷

[@reekhavoc2932]

Wow. Amazing.

[@WheezyShotta]

Love this guy.

[@CoryMck]

In for a rude awakening

[@SawyerWX]

@@CoryMck ?

[@floraaa111]

Dooope!

[@Profy00]

Men will say Frank Sinatra was a genius and the best to ever do it but when it's a woman all of a sudden they need to write their own songs to be taken seriously

[@Banned4Life]

Huh

[@zangrat]

You're chatting absolute nonsense

[@mightytaiger3000]

I’ve never heard anyone say that about sinatra😂

[@thelowlytrinity]

how does this guy look 22

[@chimmister]

He’s a vampire

[@Plottoberry]

He's not 22?...

[@iron_recluse]

Lack of sunlight

[@michelle.h.-rl2rf]

@@Plottoberry apparently he's 40

[@balldalt]

One of 16 writers. 😆

[@TEOREMA1991]

I thoughts it was a Yeah Yeah Yeahs song that Beyoncé sampled

[@cmg25]

The hive know this how the industry works? 😂

[@igaphilip8042]

It was meant for rihanna ...haha

[@alexanderluna4598]

Literally every one writes and produces bey’s discography except herself lol

[@darranmcateer7757]

She co-writes everything. Pipe down.

[@MaleOrderBride]

She is a mess😂😂😂

[@idiokit]

1:07 wait a minute

[@DylanOstos]

Wild

[@andrewzageris8554]

Listen to "Maps" by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs

[@josue24]

Let’s be complete honest here. Beyoncé didn’t make any decisions on the changes. In the same way that she didn’t touch the original sample. She’s a vocalist. Not a creative or producer. She’s the name and the voice.

[@chasenelson4641]

Yeah. I’m sure you were in the studio and know.

[@awh79]

​@@chasenelson4641obviously true. She's got about 8 producers and writers per song these days

[@chasenelson4641]

@@awh79 so she didn’t make decisions on the changes? Producers job is to help create the vision of the artist, not the other way around. It doesn’t matter if she wrote or produced all of the music. She picked the material, she had a vision she expressed and that’s why her albums are critically and commercially successful. Without Beyonce, you can’t make a Beyonce album. That’s why lemonade is so great. She tackled the things she wanted to and it was a cohesive experience. Everyone has collaborators.
Even looking at sole producers and artists like Tame Impala, they get advice on their mixes. They have people tell them, eh bass is not coming through enough, that’s why some songs are released multiple times with different mixes. Eventually your ears become accustomed to what you’re hearing. You need someone to tell you what could be better.

[@DefenestrateYourself]

@@awh79 armchair speculation 😂

[@candaces.7547]

People will do the absolute most to discredit Beyonce. It’s really interesting.

[@whocares12345]

Who is this white man and how was Hold Up from his brain (kidding, calm down mobs). I know there are songwriters abound on artist albums, but having heard that song a thousand times 🤯

[@Schecter1989]

If only pop stars would write their own lyrics, play their own instruments and produce their own songs...

[@Ayin07]

That’s called Shakira and T Swift. Mariah writes her stuff. A lot of them do.

[@Schecter1989]

@@Ayin07 Taylor Swift has like 50 people with writing/performing credits on her latest album... Such a joke.

[@Ayin07]

@@Schecter1989 she doesn’t have to write every album solo. I’m not even a swiftie but she produces a lot of content. I imagine she comes to the table with an idea, melody, or a few lyrics written down that others expand on

[@binaryvoid0101]

It’s called “collaborating” which is a pretty common human activity.

[@Schecter1989]

@@binaryvoid0101 it's called being entirely dependent on other people's talent and abilities, just so you can have your name on an album... Last i checked, Dave Grohl didn't need to "collaborate" when he wrote, sang, played every instrument, and produced the first Foos album after Nirvana... It would be like if Van Gogh asked 96 other painters and visual artists to "help out" with his brushstrokes, colour selection and then go "yep those are MY paintings"...

[@fiiiig]

Beyonce is a performer not an artist.

[@Profy00]

So Frank Sinatra wasn't an artist

[@Shay45]

@@Profy00
Elvis Presley too.
Most artists outside of a couple people fully write their own songs.
Even the most known song writers have other people input.

[@neo2764]

Beyoncé stole another song!!