André 3000 Confirms That 2025 Will 'For Sure' Include New Music

One year on from the release of his debut solo album, André 3000 has promised fans will be hearing new music from him next year.

The musician’s comments came over the weekend when interviewed at the Camp Flog Gnaw festival in Los Angeles. When asked about what his “vision board” looked like in the lead-up to 2025, André 3000 responded by saying, “new music, for sure”.

“New ways to distribute and and express,” he added. “I don’t wanna pinpoint what it is, but I just wanna express more. Put it like that.”

The comments come following a big year for the musician, who rose to fame as one half of Atlanta hip hop duo Outkast. While the group haven’t released a new album since 2006, André 3000 has spent the ensuing years with plenty of guest appearances and production credits.

ANDRÉ 3000

NEW MUSIC

🚨COMING 2025🚨 pic.twitter.com/oCPpc77mVt

— NFR Podcast (@nfr_podcast) November 18, 2024

However, November 2023 saw the release of his debut solo album, New Blue Sun. Somewhat unexpectedly, the almost 90-minute record saw André 3000 departing from his hip hop background and instead arriving as an instrumental album that flirted with ambient, spiritual jazz; largely led by woodwind instruments.

Despite the sonic left turn, critical reception was immensely positive, with the confessionally-titled opening track – I Swear, I Really Wanted To Make A 'Rap' Album But This Is Literally The Way The Wind Blew Me This Time – becoming the longest song to chart in the US, and the record scoring a nomination for Album of The Year at the 2025 Grammys.

However, per Billboard, André 3000 recently told the Toure Show podcast that his widely-popular solo debut won’t count towards his record contract with Epic because it’s not a rap album.

“They congratulated on the process, they congratulated on what the work was, but contractually — it’s very interesting — my label will not count this album against my contract,” he explained.

Apparently, legal stipulations in his contract indicate that the next record issued under his contract needs to be “90 percent like the recording before”, reportedly as a safeguard to ensure any new albums aren’t just comprised of filler material or more sonic left turns.

However, while new music might be in the works at some point next year, André 3000 has also pointed out it’s not likely going to be the rap album that fans – or his record label – might want to hear.

“It’s not like I’m trying to get out [of the contract], like, ‘Let’s hurry up and get out.’ And then, ‘Oh, I’m about to put out this rap album,'” he explained.

“Nah, I don’t have a rap album, none of that kinda shit, so I’m not stressed about it,” he added. “I wish it would count. It’s interesting news that artists should hear: that this new album is not counting.”