In a chat with Complex on Monday (Oct. 2), Donald Glover opened up about everything from life on his new farm to his music career. Among a number of topics, the artist and actor also delved into the enigmatic rollout of his last album, 3.15.20, and teased what’s next to come.
The “Swarm” co-creator revealed that the unconventional rollout of his last LP was personal. It dropped in the thick of the 2020 pandemic and was notably absent of both cover art and traditional song titles — nine of its 12 tracks were labeled as decimals.
Glover explained, “I took that approach because I guess that’s what I was going through. People are always going to want what they want, but I have to express what I’m going through. I had just lost my father, I had just had a kid, and I was going through a lot. I was having a lot of different new experiences, and that’s what I expressed.”
Elsewhere, the “Redbone” hitmaker mused on the unique reception of 3.15.20, acknowledging the impact of its offbeat release. “I think people are right. It would have garnered a different [response],” he revealed. “My wife’s always been like, ‘If you do punk things, you get punk results.’ And it was definitely a punk thing.”
Besides his music, Glover talked about what may come next for Childish Gambino. “I feel like it’ll be clear sooner rather than later,” he said. He also admitted to enjoying the suspense that shrouds his releases despite accusations of being “cryptic” from artists like Tyler, The Creator.
While the Grammy winner teased numerous projects in the pipeline, he gave a mysterious response when asked if music would be coming out soon. “You’ll see. You’ll see. I know that’s cryptic, but I swear to God… You know, I don’t do this s**t for money and s**t,” he replied.
Alongside his Complex interview, Glover was also featured in a Bose advertisement that dropped the same day.