Courtney Love has confirmed that a new album is in the works, and she opened up about its collaborators — the ones who said yes and the ones who, apparently, ghosted her.
In a new interview with The Standard, Love gave an update on her new record, which would be her first new album since 2010’s Nobody’s Daughter. When asked about who else in music she’d like to work with, Love confirmed that R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe made contributions to her new project. “Stipe mentioned our collaboration to The New York Times, so I can say it’s gorgeous,” Love said. “I fell down weeping hearing his voice – it’s better than ever! I thought I knew the outcome, but I’m still the grasshopper while Michael is the sensei.”
Love clarifies that while there are other collaborators she can’t mention, she didn’t “intend” for the album to be so collaborative. She does, however, mention that she reached out to PJ Harvey to work on some music, who never returned her call.
“I did ask PJ Harvey to come back – I wanted just one of her great iconic Stones guitar riffs,” Love said.”We have a relationship; I’ve endorsed her over the decades, but she chose not to respond to me. So I wrote her about how f***ing rude that was. Her manager tried to smooth things over, but it’s not okay – she hasn’t played rock music in 100 years! Her first five albums are great; after that, she ventured into art space (though I do love “The Last Living Rose,” which feels like a John Donne poem with… WTF? A tuba?).”
While she didn’t appreciate PJ Harvey ghosting her, she said that she and her producer Butch Walker “nearly fainted” when they learned that Echo & the Bunnymen’s Will Sergeant was down to collaborate. “Will Sergeant, my favorite guitarist on earth, from my favorite band agreed to work with me!,” Love said. “He’s such an icon. If you lined up Jimmy Page, Jonny Greenwood, and Will Sergeant, I’d pick Sergeant every time; it’s insane! He’s on this album and elevating songs beyond description.”
Meanwhile, she told The Standard of several artists she would love to collaborate with. “I would love to work with Kendrick Lamar; I have a mad crush on him,” she said before listing out multiple artists she wants to get in the room with: Stormzy, Doja Cat, Lana Del Rey, Lorde, Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, and Snoop Dogg, to name a few.
Elsewhere in her interview, Love also mentions the upcoming auction for her handwritten lyrics to the song “Violet” by Hole, with proceeds going to the Ellis Park Wildlife Sanctuary. Love famously wrote the song about Billy Corgan, who entered the auction himself this month. “I love Corgan; he’s welcome to win! I love that guy, even when we beefed in public, I never didn’t love him,” she said before expressing gratitude that “Billy helped get Ellis Park Sumatra Sanctuary featured on CNN, People Magazine, and USA Today.” Check out the full interview with Courtney Love here.
