St. Vincent on working with Dave Grohl on new album: 'He Killed it'

Annie Clark, known to the world as St. Vincent, has never been one to play it safe and her seventh studio album All Born Screaming is no exception.

While All Born Screaming is undeniably a St. album. Vincent, Clark's keen ear for talent has brought some serious star power into her orbit.

Top of the list? None other than drumming legend and Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl, whose thunderous beats grace two of the album's tracks, “Broken Man” and “Flea.”

“Dave Grohl is a friend, and he's, well, Dave Grohl,” Clark said tour-always-live-65973/” target=”_blank”>Rolling Stone Australia as he prepares to head Down Under for ALWAYS LIVE 2024. “I thought, 'What if fucking Dave Grohl played on this song?' Then I remembered, oh, I can hit him, you know? He was totally down, so generous and cool, and he just came to my studio and killed it.”

For the multi-talented artist, Grohl's contribution wasn't just an exciting feature — it was a full-on moment that bridged her past and present.

“He's the best. I mean, it's whatever you want it to be,” St. Vincent enthused. “I wouldn't be playing if it wasn't for the music of Dave Grohl and Nirvana, so it really comes full circle.”

But the deity of drums is not the only notable name in which he appears All Born Screaming. He also welcomed contributions from a number of talented musicians, including Rachel Eckroth, Josh Freese and Justin Meldal-Johnsen.

St. Vincent also spoke highly of the creative synergy he shared with singer-songwriter Cate Le Bon on the album's title track.

“Kate is one of my best friends and, honestly, my favorite contemporary songwriter,” she revealed.

“I was actually at a point making the record where I was almost done, but I was just burnt out. I brought in Kate to play bass on a few songs and sing and get her take. She was so helpful.”

As the brain back All Born ScreamingClark also took on the role of producer for the first time, overcoming the challenges of wearing many hats. “It's not for the faint of heart,” he confesses. “You struggle with ego, you struggle with self-doubt, you struggle with all kinds of things.”

St. Vincent has consistently made her mark on the Billboard 200 with several of her albums. Her 2009 album Actor peaked at No. 90, followed by Strange mercy in 2011, which peaked at No. 19. In 2012, her collaboration with David Byrne, Love this giantpeaked at No 23. Her self-titled album Saint Vincent in 2014 it reached No. 12, and Massage in 2017 it reached No. 10.