Lukas nelson
A STAR IS BORN’S SONGWRITER GETS VOCAL...
Looking for roots-rock pedigree? Lukas Nelson’s your man. Aside from being Willie Nelson’s son, the 30-year-old leads Promise Of The Real, a country-rock outfit recently heard backing Canadian rock vet Neil Young. Originally deployed by Bradley Cooper as a musical adviser on A Star Is Born, Nelson quickly became the soundtrack’s co-writer/co-producer and the film’s co-star: that’s Promise backing Jackson Maine on-screen…
‘Black Eyes’ has to establish Cooper as a rock star fast. What convinced you he could do it?
Bradley convinced me – by consistently staying on key! He did a great job warming up his voice, making sure it was working when it counted. We [Promise] had to mime ourselves because otherwise the timing wouldn’t work, but the vocals were all sung live.
Not bad for a non-trained singer…
He wasn’t non-trained – we trained him! He’s a natural, though. We hung out, too. He was absorbing my vibe, getting into the character of me and other folks to hang the character of Jackson on. With the band, he did a great job of being the leader.
Did Bradley’s love of music legend Neil Young reassure you?
Bradley saw me at [the California rock
festival] Desert Trip with Neil. That was a show with [Paul] McCartney, Bob Dylan, The Who, the Rolling Stones… Knowing he was a Neil fan made me more comfortable because there’s two types of people in the world; Neil Young fans and those who don’t enjoy Neil Young. If I’m on a date with someone and she says she doesn’t like Neil, I’ll find an excuse to leave.
What did Bradley want from an instrumental like ‘Out Of Time’?
I’m playing the solos, but he sang me the parts he wanted. He knew exactly how he wanted it to sound. It was collaborative – we put our nose to the grindstone to get Bradley’s vision.
Did the character portrayed in ‘Alibi’ speak to you?
I related so much to that character. He was based on me and people I know in the industry. I don’t have addiction issues but he’s the type of guy I am. I had to write songs specifically for the film, but they’re all songs I would have written anyway. And I did write them!
How involved were you in creating the song ‘Shallow’?
I didn’t write ‘Shallow’ but I worked with the band and [Lady] Gaga in producing that one. That’s us playing those instruments, and I came up with that little beginning. The band did a great job in elevating that song to where it is.
Gaga’s vocal on ‘Shallow’ – did you get shivers listening to it?
Oh, yeah. When we did it on set, that was a special moment.
Was it a big leap from Jackson’s songs to working with a bona-fide pop star on ‘Music To My Eyes’?
It wasn’t much of a change because we come from similar places. Gaga’s a rock ’n’ roller who happened to make it in the pop world. Music is music.
It all comes from the roots of melody and rhythm, from blues, rock ’n’ roll, classical music, jazz. She’s very hip to all that.
‘Too Far Gone’ is a tune that’s loaded with portent…
I would say Bradley saw that as a foreshadowing song. In the beginning of the film, when he gets in the limo you can see [SPOILER REDACTED] on a billboard. Bradley’s very into foreshadowing.
Talking of foreshadowing, do you have any thoughts on the Oscars?
It’s only a good thing if the movie wins an Oscar. But I’m already so proud of Bradley for how well he did and how well the movie was made, so I think that’s enough, you know? Kevin Harley