Rob Thomas Signs With Universal After Two Decades at Atlantic Records
Thomas officially signed with Universal back in April. News of the switch-up arrives officially on July 11, and with it Thomas will drop two new songs, 'Hard to be Happy' and 'Thrill Me.' His fifth solo album All Night Days comes out September 5. The change to Universal marks a major turn for Thomas, who'd previously called Atlantic his home for the last 20 years, releasing four solo solo albums there (and a Christmas collection), as well as five albums with his band Matchbox Twenty. (The band's contractual obligations to Atlantic have been fulfilled, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.)
More from The Hollywood Reporter
Nicole Scherzinger Says Liam Payne's "Happy Place" Was Making 'Building the Band': "He Loved to Help"
Why Wet Leg's Rhian Teasdale Can't Stop Writing Silly Love Songs
Yungblud Announces New Documentary 'Yungblud: Are You Ready, Boy?' (Exclusive)
'The day I left Atlantic, Universal picked me up,' Thomas tells THR. 'There was very little of the Atlantic family I knew left there. In this short time, me and my new UMG team have hit the ground running. It feels invigorating and I owe [Republic Collective CEO] Monte Lipman for picking me up without me having to spend a day swinging in the wind. No one leaves their label and goes to a bigger label.'
Thomas also mentioned the deal during a recent livestream on Twitch hosted by his musician son, Maison Thomas-Eudy. Speaking from backstage at a corporate gig in San Francisco, he reiterated how Atlantic 'wasn't my people anymore,' since the label's overhaul of the past several years, which included Elliot Grainge take over last fall. Thomas said the label had a 'different vibe' and that he 'worked out a nice deal with Elliot to get out.'
Thomas said on the stream that he texted Lipman soon after, writing, ''Just so you know, I'm gone from Atlantic,' and he wrote right back and goes 'Welcome to Republic!''
An insider with knowledge of the deal says the singer left Atlantic because of 'a different metric' for success in the modern day music label landscape. 'There's no love lost because we all understand how the business works. But you put your heart and soul into your art.'
A rep for Atlantic didn't respond to request for comment.
All Night Days marks Thomas' sixth solo album following 2019's Chip Tooth Smile and 2021's holiday record Something About Christmas Time.
Thomas previewed another All Night Days track, the sweepingly romantic ballad 'Thrill Me,' at a January benefit gig for Sidewalk Angels Foundation, a non-profit he founded with his wife of 25 years Marisol Thomas, which supports no-kill animal shelters and animal rescues. 'Hard to be Happy' is an upbeat track that opens with chirping birds and catchy chords but concedes that lows are part of everyday life with lyrics like, 'If I feel like crying, it's just a temporary low. Don't try and comfort me, let it go.'
Outside of the album, The U.S. leg of Thomas' The All Night Days Tour will kick off in Atlanta on August 1 and wrap with a performance at the YouTube Theatre in Los Angeles on September 6 to celebrate the album's release. Thomas will then head Down Under in October, playing seven dates in Australia before kicking off his first ever solo run in New Zealand, with three theater shows in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.
As well as supporting All Night Days, the tour will celebrate the 20th anniversary of Thomas' debut solo record …Something to Be, which spawned Grammy-nominated hits 'Lonely No More' and 'This Is How a Heart Breaks.'
Best of The Hollywood Reporter
From 'Party in the U.S.A.' to 'Born in the U.S.A.': 20 of America's Most Patriotic (and Un-Patriotic) Musical Offerings
Most Anticipated Concert Tours of 2025: Beyoncé, Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar & SZA, Sabrina Carpenter and More
Hollywood's Most Notable Deaths of 2025
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
7 minutes ago
- Yahoo
You Will Be Forever Frustrated Trying To Figure Out What Is Happening In These 21 Confusing Photos We Found This Week
Hello again, and welcome to our roundup of the most confusing photos we found on Reddit this week. Check out last week's if you missed it — and let's get right into it! you think this is a five-gallon bucket with a fluffy paint roller in it, think again. What is it? It is a VapoRub stick that appears to have crystalized: this looking terrifying, it actually is not. What is happening here? It is literally just the cat's belly! It just happens to have some odd markings that make it look like a creepy face. Related: is this Nintendo Switch bumpy? It actually isn't bumpy! You are seeing the reflection of popcorn ceiling on the screen. the llama on the right just ringing its bell? What looks like the llama's hand is actually another llama behind it. are seeing rooftop parking here. Do you? What may look like a drop-off for rooftop parking is actually not! You're looking at a parking lot with digital screens. What looks like the drop-off is the back of a screen like the one on the left. brain will decipher this photo one of two ways: one that is correct and one that isn't. What do you see? If you see four forks on a purple towel, you are correct! thing goes for this photo! What do you see? If you spotted feet on a rug, you are right! Related: this pic, there are four seats, but why are only three shadows being cast? There are two light sources, and it creates this illusion. this a floating car? The car is on a raised platform. If you look closely you can see the poles behind the fence. this cat really square? No, the cat is sitting with its back up, and it just so happens to create a perfect square. about this one? Explain what you are seeing. The reflection of the light fixture is on the window, but it looks like it is in the sky. What is really interesting is the fact that what looks like the light to the fixture is actually the sun! Related: this grasshopper hanging on for dear life to the wing of the plane? The grasshopper is actually on the window of a moving plane, and about to fly off. this backyard pool setup feature a full kitchen? Sadly, no. It is just the reflection of the kitchen from inside on the window. What is going on with this dog's teeth? The dog has a pinecone in its mouth! are these packages floating? No, no. The delivery person's photo is sideways! is this tiger so ginormous? U/Mister_Way / It appears so big because of the lower camera angle at which this was taken. Your brain may have also interpreted the doorway as a normal height when it is not. is there a big tube across the street? The bird feeder is actually not across the street; it is attached to the black pole on the left. Related: is going on here? This is an actual staircase, and the wall and upstairs are just painted very cool. is one of those IYKYK moments. Is this some sort of weird hairstyle? You may already know, but this person is looking up and you are seeing their chin hair! there a painted checkered pattern on this sidewalk? Nope. You are seeing the shadow of the fence. lastly, has this person been stabbed with arrows? Thankfully, no. The arrows are in a dart board that is being hidden by the person's body. Do you have a really, really, REALLY confusing photo that you think we need to see?! Add it in the comments below, and you could be featured in our next weekly roundup of stumping people! Also in Internet Finds: Also in Internet Finds: Also in Internet Finds:
Geek Tyrant
9 minutes ago
- Geek Tyrant
Elton John Joins Spinal Tap Onstage for Epic 'Stonehenge' Performance in New Orleans — GeekTyrant
The legendary Elton John made a surprise appearance with Spinal Tap during their final show in New Orleans, bringing the house down with a wildly entertaining performance of the band's iconic track 'Stonehenge.' The moment, captured in the upcoming film This Is Spinal Tap II: The End Continues , gave fans exactly what they've been waiting decades for. And yes, this time the druids had a properly sized Stonehenge to dance around. No tiny monuments to mess things up this time. The End Continues is a full-on comeback with a 13-track album of both new bangers and revamped classics. It's packed with star power too, featuring collaborations with Paul McCartney, Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, and of course, Elton himself. '' The End Continues ' is the newest album from Spinal Tap , in conjunction with the forthcoming sequel, 'Spinal Tap II: The End Continues.' Both the second film and album are set to release on September 12, 2025,' the band revealed.
Yahoo
29 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Machine Gun Kelly claims he turned down an audition for Sinners – here's why
Machine Gun Kelly has claimed he turned down an audition for box office smash Sinners. The 35-year-old singer said that he was supposed to be in the 2025 thriller movie, directed by Ryan Coogler, during Thursday's episode of The Pat McAfee Show. 'The vampire, they had me set up to do the audition, it's [for] the one that's in the house, so he's the second vampire,' he explained. He then cited the reason why he turned the opportunity down, claiming: 'In the audition, he has to say the 'n-word' and I wouldn't do it.' Kelly, whose real name is Colson Baker, auditioned for Bert, who gets turned into a vampire by Remmick (played by Jack O'Connell) in Sinners. Bert's wife, Joan, also gets bitten by Remmick and becomes a vampire. Ultimately, the role of Bert went to Peter Dreimanis. During The Pat McAfee Show, the 'Wild Boy' singer said that he's always had an interest in acting. 'I had a lot of aspirations to be in movies, but it just hasn't panned out that way,' Kelly said. 'I'm on universal time, though, so we'll see.' He described what universal timing meant, noting that the acting opportunities will come when it's right for him. 'The angels will put something in the works,' he added. 'Whenever they feel like it.' However, he acknowledged that he doesn't want to wait too long to book another movie role. 'I'd like to be in cinema while I still look young. I'd really like to be recruited into a movie while I still got looks,' Kelly quipped. Kelly started acting in 2014, with his first role in the romantic drama Beyond the Lights, where he played rapper Kid Culprit. However, he later noted that when in the acting business, he wants to go by his birth name, Colson Baker, which is what he did in the Western film, The Last Sun. 'I think it's more just out of respect for the art,' he told The Hollywood Reporter in 2021 about dropping his stage name for movie roles. Referring to the American painter Jean-Michel Basquiat, he said: 'If you're looking at a Basquiat piece and you have feelings about him personally, is that fair to the art because of how you feel about him personally?" 'There's music and then there's movies. I don't feel like being Inception in a person,' he added, referring to the 2010 Christopher Nolan film. 'Like there's a character inside of a character inside of a character inside of a character. I'd rather it just be me playing a character in one world and then me playing a character in another world.'
