Music & Dance

In the Studio with Bryan Ferry

Laying Down Tracks for the Rock Legend's New Album Olympia

For Olympia

, Bryan Ferry’s first studio album of original material in eight years, the former Roxy Music front man put together a dream team of collaborators, including Flea, Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood, Roxy Music alum Brian Eno, Phil Manzanera and Andy Mackay, and—remarkably—a singing whale. Still, the record is still very much Ferry's own, a labor of love resulting from years of tinkering in the studio. Nowhere is this more apparent than in his re-interpretation of Tim Buckley’s “Song to the Siren” (featuring the aforementioned whale). The recording and mixing of this track is documented in today’s exclusive video, directed by Roma Levin and containing excerpts from

The Making of Olympia, a 30-minute documentary released with the album today. We tracked down the always impeccably dressed Ferry to pick his brains about style and sub-aquatic sounds.

Why did it take so long to perfect your remake of “Song to the Siren”?

I first heard the song in the version by This Mortal Coil in 1983, and I instantly felt that I would like to do it myself. A few years later I did a backing track and every now and then I would add something to it, not knowing where it was going to end, or which project it would fit into. The good thing about this is that all kinds of disparate musical talents came to work on the track. I think the big production tends to suit the epic theme of the song.

How did you finally decide on the perfect whale song for "Song to the Siren"?

As with most things, by trial and error. I didn't know that whales had such a rich and varied language.

What are some other non-human, non-instrumental sounds that you like?

The crackling of the fire. The sounds of the sea. The rushing of the wind.

You've been known to be a devotee of Dunhill and Kilgour, and to have rocked Slimane-era Dior Homme on tour. What are you wearing now?

On stage recently I have been wearing Gucci and some Louis Vuitton. Otherwise Anderson & Sheppard, Rubinacci and Charvet. Always Berluti shoes.

What musicians today have good style?

Prince always springs to mind as someone who has got “it”... Not to mention the great Gaga.

You have a great appreciation of other artistic giants—Bob Dylan included. Who is currently on your radar?

Richard Strauss and Coleman Hawkins.

In ten years, you'll be... ?

Toast.

Is love still the drug?
 
Mais oui...

RELATED TOPICS

MORE TO LOVE

Rambert x (LA)HORDE: Bring Your Own

In a major collaboration with (LA)HORDE, Rambert dancers take on the French company’s work at London’s Southbank Centre for Bring Your Own. Gritty, sensual, and fiercely real, the explosive programme presents (LA)HORDE’s choreography in three parts – channeling the energy and spirit of Lindy Hop through today’s lens for Hop(e)storm, exploring intimacy, consent and sex-positivity under the neon lights of the LA club scene for Weather is Sweet, and taking a visceral look inwards at what we stand for in A Room With a View. Bring Your Own is the first chapter of a dynamic collaboration between Rambert and (LA)HORDE, premiering ahead of performances at The Lowry in Salford and Truro’s Hall for Cornwall. 7 - 10 May 2025.

SMAC San Marco Art Centre Opens

A pioneering new arts center in Venice, spanning visual arts, architecture, fashion, technology, and film, SMAC opens to the public on 9 May. Taking over the second floor of the Procuratie in Piazza San Marco, SMAC examines contemporary visual culture against history, science, philosophy, and society from a new exhibition space comprising 16 galleries. To coincide with the 19th International Architecture Exhibition, La Biennale di Venezia 2025, SMAC’s inaugural programme features two solo exhibitions dedicated to Australian modern architect Harry Seidler and pioneering Korean landscape designer Jung Youngsun – ahead of an upcoming programme realised in collaboration with world-class international institutions and curators. Opens 9 May.

David Hockney 25

David Hockney, one of the most influential artists of the 20th and 21st centuries, has taken over the entire building of the Fondation Louis Vuitton for an exhibition that is exceptional in its scale and originality. David Hockey 25 brings together more than 400 of his works (from 1955 to 2025), including paintings from international, institutional, and private collections, as well as works from the artist’s own studio and Foundation. The exhibition shows how the artist has continually renewed both his subjects and his mode of expression, reinventing his art with the use of new media to become a champion of new technologies. Until 31 August.

In the Studio with Bryan Ferry