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Audacy Pop
  • 6/12/2025
ROLE MODEL joins Bru in the studio to talk about his amazing 2025, "Sally, When The Wine Runs Out," and his Netflix debut.
Transcript
00:00Tucker, hello. Hello. Mr. Role Model. Cape Elizabeth native. I'm trying to think of the
00:04bio that would best represent yourself, but there's too much. No, no, stop. We'll stop right
00:09there. You're just a dude from Maine. Dude from Maine. So good to see you. Nice to see you. Thanks
00:13for stopping in. I've been wanting to talk to you for so long. I remember seeing you back at the
00:16Palladium like 2022 or yeah. And it's been quite the journey. 2025 though, how would you describe
00:26this year so far? It's been pretty nuts. Yeah. Nuts is a good word. Um, overwhelming, but
00:33very, very fun. Oh my God. I'm enjoying myself. Absolutely. Yeah. It's been fun to watch. I
00:39love how you're including us and taking us on this journey and just, you know, we're getting
00:43to learn more about you, uh, more than ever. Does it feel like that? It does. I feel like
00:48this is the most I've ever put my face on the internet. Um, probably throughout my career.
00:53So it's, it's a weird thing. Um, yeah, it's strange. It's definitely like the most front
01:01facing year of my life, I guess. Yeah. Speaking of internet, we both have something in common.
01:07We were both, um, unsuccessful nominees and people sexy. Really? Yeah. What was your, what
01:13was your category? Radio. No. Can you imagine if it was radio? Can't even see me and I still
01:17lose. What was it? No, it was TikTok. Okay. That's huge. Well, weren't you, so you were up
01:23against Connor, Connor would. Yeah. Yep. And we lost to the Montana boy. So that's
01:28crazy. Yeah. But I had some, you know, look at you now. Yeah. I don't know. No, we try
01:34our best. Um, by the way, any new enemy updates? Anyone add to the list lately? No, today's
01:39been a good day. Um, yeah, I don't, I would hope that I will not have to update it, um, for
01:46the next month or so, but we'll see. That's right. Don't mess up the lattes. Yeah. Starbucks.
01:51Just keep it, keep on his good side. Right. Well, congrats on the tour, man. You just
01:55wrapped up your sold out tour in Boston. Um, can you encapsulate like what that tour
01:59has meant to you? Cause it's just been, you know, massive. It's been, um, by far the
02:04most special, but I, uh, there's so much to it. It's like one, I got to see, we put out
02:13the Deluxe right before, after Australia, but right before the North America, um, which
02:21was two months long. And it was cool to be able to see the live reaction to that and
02:28to Sally like firsthand and getting to see it every day and people learning those songs
02:36as you're playing them every night and getting louder and louder. So that was cool. I didn't
02:40have to like watch, um, this like moment with the Deluxe from my phone screen. I got to
02:48like see it and feel it. And that was cool. And also like the, the, the lines out front
02:59for this tour was like, they were long, but that's not the point. They were like, Oh, they
03:05were long. It was like the first time that there's been, it's just like felt like there's
03:10a world now that people can dive into and like be a part of. And like, without me even
03:18saying anything, there were like themed outfits. Um, when you look at the line and like amazing
03:25outfits and like all these, just custom t-shirts that they would make. And like, there's all these
03:29inside jokes and like a world for people to like, like come dressed in. And then, so that
03:37was amazing. I love seeing that. And, um, I don't know. It's a very cool little community
03:44of, of divas at these shows and they're all like friends and they get along and they make
03:50each other like friendship bracelets. And it's like a world, which is cool. It's gotta be like
03:55a dream come true because you're like, you get to see it firsthand, you know, from like
03:58the Gracie tour or like, you know, even from the outside of Taylor Swift and Beyonce, where
04:02it is these theme nights and now to have it like at your own shows, it's gotta be surreal.
04:06It's cool. It's cool that like, like they took, they like steered that ship. Like I did
04:12not say anything or do anything. They took that and ran with it and made it a thing. So it's
04:17cool. Just like the power that they have. It's very cool.
04:21Yeah. I can't wait to see what they do on the road. You're on a monster lineup of festivals
04:25this year. GovBall, ACL, Lala, Outside Lands. Do these shows get a Sally or is that like
04:30going to be a game time decision?
04:31No, I'm very excited for the, for the festival Sally's. I don't know how, we'll see how that
04:36works. I don't know. Um, we have nothing planned, but I'm very excited to find a Sally
04:45at a festival.
04:45I feel like at that point it almost makes it easy. You can kind of hand pick, you know,
04:48from maybe not hand pick, but you know, like look at the lineup. Yeah, Miley would do
04:53it. It's going to be so fun to have them like up on the, on the big screen for, to have
04:58their own like little moment. It's going to be very cool. I'm excited. And you're going
05:01to get to play in front of like, you know, some people that aren't your fans at festivals.
05:05For sure.
05:06So how do you approach that show? Are you going to do anything different or?
05:10No, I'm going to, I'm going to do me. But like, it's kind of a similar thing. Like
05:14when I opened for Gracie, it's like those people are coming to see her show. So it's like,
05:17you do still have to win some people over. Um, so I, I feel like I did a lot of that in
05:24the beginning of my career of like opening for artists and having to win over crowds.
05:29And then recently I kind of got reintroduced to that with Gracie. And, um, so now I feel
05:36like I'm like, I'm, I'm used to it a little bit now. It won't be, it'll be fine.
05:41Used to winning them over.
05:42Yeah. Yeah.
05:43Almost hope they don't like it.
05:44I'll do my best. Yeah. Yeah. Well, congrats on Kansas Anymore and the deluxe album. It's
05:48been so cool to see all your success with that project. Um, obviously since the original
05:53came out, you've had a little bit of time. What are your feelings, you know, sitting with
05:56this project now for some time?
05:58Um, I, to be honest, like I still listen to it. Like I am a fan of it still. Um, and it
06:07just feels really good. Um, amazing word. It feels good. Um, I, I say this a lot, but I,
06:18I have really low expectations for everything. Um, and so I went into releasing the album,
06:27just not thinking people were going to care. And cause I took a lot of time off and went
06:34pretty silent just in general on the internet and wasn't putting out music for awhile. Wasn't
06:39touring for a long time, long time. It was like two years, but, um, that was scary. That's
06:46like hard to come back from and like pull people back in. And to my surprise, people, people
06:52did care about the album and then a lot more people cared and it was, it was cool. And so
06:57now I'm like, I want to drag it out as long as I can. I've like, I want to start the next
07:03album, but I also, I'm like, I don't want this cycle touring album to end.
07:10Just keep making a deluxe after deluxe.
07:11I know. Maybe I'll just keep extending it.
07:1437 songs.
07:15Maybe I should do that.
07:16The wine has officially run out. Sally's gone.
07:18I know the label would love that. Just drag out the same album.
07:21Absolutely. And there's a lot of pressure too. I feel like, cause you know, as you're waiting,
07:25like that pressure just builds up in your head. Like it's been two years. You're like,
07:28it gets even harder and harder to like, you know, put yourself back out there and put that
07:33music out. What about your sound though? Like, obviously you've had some shifts as you've
07:36grown and like figured out your sound. Um, how would you say you've kind of like carved
07:41it and, and, um, developed this new, you know, version of, I think I, well, I think I found
07:46myself finally. I, I, I started making music like, you know, like I, when I first started
07:55putting out music, it was right when I also like just started making it. And so it was
08:01brand new to me and I didn't know what I was doing right away. And like still like kind
08:07of don't, but I think people got to see me slowly figuring it out throughout the years
08:14and with everything I've put out. Um, it's literally just been me like figuring it out
08:19and then also myself out and what I want to sound like or what I'm attracted to. And it's
08:26like, um, when I was making this album in the beginning, it was just like throwing pain
08:33at the wall forever and trying, like I always have, just trying a bunch of different things
08:38and sounds and inspiration, pulling inspiration from a hundred different places. And then I was
08:45just like not loving anything. Nothing felt genuine. I felt like this was the album where
08:50I like really had to solidify myself and my sound. Um, cause there's like the sophomore
08:59curse or whatever I think. Right. And so I did feel pressure in a way. And so I took a break
09:04and was going home a lot and my music taste kind of shifted. And I was listening to things
09:10that like reminded me of home or things that like my parents listened to growing up. I
09:16think you get to a certain age where that starts to be like comforting. And a lot of that when
09:22I was younger was like mostly like Americana, folky, um, music like Jackson Brown and Neil
09:32Young and, um, the band and just like kind of pure Americana. And that started bleeding
09:41in. And I was like, I felt inspired finally again and kind of wanted to experiment with
09:46that. And songs just came a lot quicker rather than like taking a week to make a song. Cause
09:51it was like being forced. Now it was like easy.
09:54That's amazing. That's what I was going to say. I was like, my favorite thing about your
09:57music is that like, I love it. And then I'll go home. My parents will love it. And they're
10:00like Midwest parents. So I know we're fine. I'm finally getting like parents now. I know
10:04what a crowd. Huge for me, man. You got Brian from Michigan. He's 65. And then you got, you
10:10know, the gals. Yeah. Um, it's great. It's the, it's the best sign that, you know, it's
10:14like universally loved. So yeah, I like winning over the dads at the shows to pay to be there
10:20the ones that come with their daughter and they're stiff as hell in the beginning. And then
10:26winning them over is the best. It's the best feeling ever had like the temptation
10:30to be like that dude, get them up here for Sally. You know what I mean?
10:33Honestly, we almost did. I think we, we brought his daughter up and then I think we were like,
10:37we should have brought him up. See him shake it loose. You've talked about how on Kansas
10:43anymore, you know, it felt like therapy writing throughout the whole song process. How do you
10:47think you'll approach the next project? Do you think it'll be similar or is that more
10:50like something you're not really thinking about? Yeah. Like writing wise, for sure. I think
10:54I found a way to do it that works really well and it's just kind of stems from just being
11:00alone in my, just being alone with a guitar, um, in my home or wherever I am. I think that's
11:08the best way now for me to like start writing songs. And cause I used to do it with like a
11:14producer in the room and kind of being a little bit collaborative and it's hard to like open
11:20up and be honest with someone in the room. I think better songs come from being alone.
11:26Um, so as far as that goes, it'll, it'll be the same probably. Um, and it has been the
11:32same, but like as far as the world and like the sound, I want to try and shift that a little
11:40bit and, and elevate it, but not stray too far from it. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. What kind
11:45of place would you say you're in creatively right now? Um, it's a good question. I don't
11:57really know how to answer that. Like I feel creative. I just, I have the problem is I just
12:03have these like very small windows at the moment where I can go into the studio and like make
12:09music again. Um, and so in those little windows, it's like, get as much out as you can right
12:17now. And then, um, hopefully towards the end of the summer, I'll have like more time and
12:23you know, to, to dig in, but it's in the small windows I've had, it has been amazing to like
12:30write again and make music again. That's great. Yeah. I'm some, I still like what I do.
12:36Yeah. That's a good thing. Absolutely. If someone was to pick you as a Sally and, um, you know,
12:43everyone does these trends where it's like, here's what I would do if I was, you know, the
12:46Sally tonight, what would your version be? And what would that moment look like? Oh, what
12:50would I do? I think I would, I would put on like a, like a kind of a skin tight jumpsuit
13:02with like a deep V course, very colorful and shiny. And then I would just attempt back
13:09flips, um, off of the stage and whatnot. And yeah, I feel like people aren't doing that.
13:15It's a big thing right now. I know. Everyone's waiting for a fall. I feel like people aren't
13:18doing that. So I think I would, that would be my thing. All right. Yeah. That's perfect.
13:22Full gymnastics. I can almost see what that would look like. Yeah. Yeah. It's perfect.
13:25Let's talk about sex. Good sex. Oh my God. Um, good sex. Mark Ruffalo, Natalie Portman,
13:31Netflix rom-com. How did this come to be? How are you preparing? Like, tell me all you
13:35can about it. Um, I don't even know. I, I, back in September, I had heard from like multiple
13:43people that Lena Dunham was like asking about me and just being like, who is this guy?
13:48What do you think of him? What's his deal? Um, and I was like, why is Lena Dunham asking
13:53about me? And then finally we, she wanted to get on a call and said she had a part for me
14:01in a movie that she was making. And, um, as soon as she said rom-com, I was like, yes,
14:07didn't hear anything else. I just heard rom-com and I was like, this is my dream.
14:12And yeah. And then it was just, it has not felt real until recently. Um, but I, I don't
14:18know how I got put in that, her, her world, but I'm like beyond blessed. I, I love Lena Dunham
14:27so much. And, um, the rest of the cast I've gotten to know. And so, um, I love everyone.
14:33It's amazing. It's fun. I love how you say it doesn't feel real. Cause like you could
14:37tell how even us, like the public were like, is this real? Like when you post that, that's
14:41the thing is like, as soon as I announced it and just seeing how shocked people were
14:47and also just like, I, I joke around a lot on the internet. And so no, everybody thought
14:53I like Photoshopped myself in to this photo and I was making a joke and everybody was
14:58like, I had to go double check this like five times. And so then that is when I like fully
15:03was like, Oh, this is real. And this is insane that my face is even, my name is in this.
15:09And not just anybody too. Like Mark Ruffalo, Natalie, huge. It's unbelievable. It's massive.
15:14Have you done, did you grow up in theater acting? Like, no, no. How are you prepping? Are you
15:20doing acting classes or what? No, I'm like just doing me. Like Lena has been really, like
15:26I've become very close with her because she just like is kind of walking me through it
15:31and like holding my hand through this whole thing and, um, has just been checking in every
15:36day and like allowed me to have like a line of communication to just like ask her any questions.
15:42Um, and so, yeah, she, she's been helping me a lot out. Um, and yeah, it's, it still is insane,
15:53but she, I think it's just going to be really fun. She's making it very casual and laid back
15:58and like no pressure. And she's for some reason is trusting me, but I don't, I don't know why.
16:05You got to ask her what it was that caught her eye because I'm so curious. Like, well,
16:09was it on? Oh, you know, yeah. I gotta know. It was what she said was that my presence on the
16:18internet. Okay. Um, she felt like I'm already acting and I'm already performing. And I was
16:24like, you're right. Um, but this is also kind of just who I am. What a crazy world. But I think
16:31that was, that was what did it. Post on TikTok, you know, you never know what happens. St.
16:35Laurent Cowboy just landed you Netflix rom-com. It's the one good thing he's done. Yeah.
16:40Um, music acting, like what else do you want to do? Is there anything that like now, you
16:44know that the world's your oyster you would want to try? I don't know. I don't know. I
16:48don't, I'm so bad with like making goals for myself. Um, I would love a vacation. That
16:55would be fun. That's something I'm like putting at the top. Um, aside from that, I don't, I
17:01don't know where I'm doing a lot of these things I wanted to do. Like a lot of these
17:06festivals are like my dream festivals and things that I missed. Cause the last time we did festivals
17:11was like 2022. Um, so I'm just like happy with everything that is currently on the plate. I
17:18don't need more. Good. What's the dream spot? Is vacation just going home or is it more so
17:22you want to take a proper trip? I would do both, but I need to go home. I'm overdue for
17:26a trip home. Absolutely. Yeah. Um, anything music wise you can let us know you're working
17:30on, um, any more bonus tracks you might throw on a deluxe deluxe? Well, you just sparked my
17:35mind. Now I'm like, how long can we drag out a deluxe and a deluxe of the deluxe?
17:40Yes. And I feel like artists aren't doing that. So maybe I'll just like, just keep adding
17:44on. I won't, but just for the bit and use it. But I think in 20 years it'd be hilarious.
17:50You're just like, it's the same album. You're just 40 in the same outfit. Like you just redo
17:55the picture every year. Yeah. It'd be amazing. No, I'm working on new music, but who knows?
17:59We'll see. All right. Um, wrapping on a quick game here called role model or not. So you tell
18:06me if these people are role models or not from role model himself.
18:10Um, Ross from friends. I've never seen friends, but I'm going to say role model. Okay. He's
18:16not a bad dude. You know, that seems fine. The valedictorian from your high school was
18:22my best friend. Oh, really? Yeah. Great role model then. Yeah. That's awesome. Yeah. What
18:26would you stack up in there? Were you like, wait, what is valid Victorian? Number one in
18:30the class? No, no, no. What did you think of it? I think I'm thinking like, like school
18:35government, like, uh, class president. No, my best friend was definitely not even in the
18:41top 50%. Um, uh, who would that have been? Not a role model for sure. Not? Yeah. Probably
18:49snob. Yeah. That's true. I didn't hang out with those kids. Um, Jake Shane. Not a role
18:56model. Sorry, Jake. It's my enemy. Um, Shrek. Role model. Great dude. Yeah. Father. Good
19:02heart. Husband. Yep. Ogre. Uh, the average main resident. Role model. Well, it depends
19:10where it's, um, I'll just say role model. I mean, we're looking at both ends. Does it
19:19come back to a, there's just average? There's different, there's definitely some different
19:23pockets of me, but I'm just going to say role model. Oh, we're all good. All right. Last
19:27one is Sally. From Harry met Sally or Sally. The one I wrote about. No, definitely Harry
19:32met Sally. Harry met Sally. No, yeah. You're Sally. My Sally. Um, role model. Good person.
19:39Great person. Um, Harry met Sally. No, the Sally you went to school with the
19:44valedictorian. No. Um, lastly on the show, we always share like a good news
19:47moment. Um, what's some good news recently? You have so many good things
19:50happening in life, but what's like maybe a moment that made you smile recently or
19:53was some good news from role models life or day? I don't know. My, my song is on
19:59the radio. Yeah. It's great news. And it's creeping up. That is amazing news for
20:04me. It's the best news. Yeah. I get it every, now I get like a little update on
20:08Twitter every week and it's like, tells me about where my song is. Oh,
20:13chart wise. Yeah. Oh man. I need to turn it off now though. Now I know it's
20:16going good now, but as soon as it starts to decline, I'm gonna, I need to not get
20:21those notifications. Congratulations on all the success. It's been so fun to watch
20:25your journey. It's so nice to officially sit down with you and thank you for the
20:27time. And yes, you can't wait to see out on the road and on Netflix soon. And on
20:31Netflix, like 2027 though I heard. Really? Yeah. Well, it'll be worth it.
20:35All right. We'll see you in 2027. Role model. Thank you.