Iggy Pop has spoken out about shunning major labels and releasing his latest album, Apres, online.
Launching the record in Paris on Wednesday night [May 9], Iggy Pop – real name James Osterberg – explained why he released the record direct to fans rather than putting it out via a major label. Speaking about labels, he said: “What has a record company ever done for me but humiliate and torment and drag me down?”
The Telegraph reports that he added that a major label “would have preferred that I do a rock album with popular punks, sort of like ‘Hi Dad!’ I was not going to do that!” He said that he offered the album to his label Virgin EMI and “They didn’t want it. They didn’t think they would make any money, they didn’t think my fans would like it – very sensible attitudes for a sensible sort of person – but that’s a different sort of person than I am.”
The album is Pop’s second French influenced album, following 2009’s Preliminaires.
Apres is out now and contains 10 tracks in all. Among them are covers of Frank Sinatra‘s “Only The Lonely”, The Beatles’ “Michelle”, Edith Piaf’s “La Vie En Rose”, Serge Gainsbourg’s “La Javanaise” and Yoko Ono’s “I’m Going Away Smiling”.
It is available now from vente-privee.com