What you need to know
- Apple TV+ show Watch the Sound with Mark Ronson will premiere July 30.
- Ronson spoke with Variety about the new show and his thoughts on music, autotune, Winehouse, and more.
Apple TV+ will gain a new music show on July 30 when Watch the Sound with Mark Ronson lands on Apple's streaming services. Ronson, a DJ, songwriter, producer, and more will be the man interviewing other huge musical personalities like Dave Grohl and Paul McCartney — and he's been talking to Variety about a whole host of things.
The new show already has plenty of attention, but Variety dives right in at episode 3, one that will focus on Ronson's work with the late Amy Winehouse. Ronson speaks about his time with the British singer, including a special time walking the streets of New York.
We only worked together for six days or seven days, tops. I wish there was more because there'd be more memories. She was the best and she was so funny. I remember walking around Soho in New York, taking a break from recording. She'd tell me a wild story and say, "My family came over and they tried to make me go to rehab. I said, 'No, no, no.'" We went back to the studio and wrote the song. There were just so many moments with her that were just great. … I wish there were more. I miss her. I miss her voice and her speaking voice, the way we would hang out.
The interview later turned to the use of autotune in modern music, with Ronson admitting that he was once a hater of the technology. Ultimately though, it was Kanye West's "808s & Heartbreak" in 2008 that changed his mind.
I come from a slightly more analog aesthetic. Autotune was already around when I started. I was doing all this work with amazing artists like Amy Winehouse, and you think about the human yearning and connection. But, when Kanye West came out with "808s & Heartbreak" in 2008, it changed my perspective a bit because Kanye never pretended to be a singer, but he found this tool, autotune that enabled him to get out these remarkable melodies that were in his head that he might not have been able to do otherwise. We're better off as a bunch of listeners for this music that was made. I definitely came around from being a hater.
Ronson also spoke about how the Apple TV+ show came about and it sounds like talks were underway soon after the streaming service launched. Apple apparently wanted "to do a show about music education, something tech-y and geeky, but also for music fans." The result is Watch the Sound with Mark Ronson.
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