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{{Short description|American musician (born 1952)}}
{{Other people|David Byrne}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2025}}
{{Use American English|date=May 2025}}
{{Infobox person
| image              = David Byrne San Diego.jpg
| caption            = Byrne in 2018
| birth_date         = {{Birth date and age|mf=y|1952|5|14}}
| birth_place        = [[Dumbarton]], Scotland
| citizenship        = {{flatlist|
* United Kingdom
* United States
* Ireland
}}
| years_active       = 1971–present
| spouse             = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|[[Adelle Lutz]]|1987|2004|end=divorced}}
* {{marriage|[[Mala Gaonkar]]|2025}}
}}
| children           = 1
| occupation         = {{flatlist|
* Singer
* songwriter
* musician
* record producer
* music theorist
* visual artist
* actor
* writer
* filmmaker
}}
| signature          = David Byrne signature.svg
| module             = {{infobox musical artist
| embed           = yes
| origin          = [[Arbutus, Maryland]], U.S.
| genre           = {{flatlist|
* [[Rock music|Rock]]
* [[New wave music|new wave]]
* {{nowrap|[[art pop]]}}
* [[worldbeat]]
}}
| instrument      = {{flatlist|
* Vocals
* guitar
* keyboards
}}
| past_member_of = [[Talking Heads]]
| label           = {{flatlist|
* [[Matador Records|Matador]]
* Todo Mundo
* [[Luaka Bop]]
* [[Nonesuch Records|Nonesuch]]
* [[Thrill Jockey]]
* [[Sire Records|Sire]]
* [[Warner Bros. Records|Warner Bros.]]
}}
| website         = {{URL|davidbyrne.com}}
}}
}}

'''David Byrne''' ({{IPAc-en|b|ɜr|n}}; born May 14, 1952) is an American<!-- Scottish doesn't belong per [[MOS:ETHNICITY]] - see talk page for more --> musician, writer, visual artist, and filmmaker. He was a founding member and the principal songwriter, lead singer, and guitarist of the [[New wave music|new wave]] band [[Talking Heads]].

Byrne was born in [[Dumbarton]], [[Dunbartonshire]], Scotland, and moved to the US with his family as a child. He co-founded Talking Heads in 1975 in New York City. After releasing eight albums, including seven [[Music recording certification|certified]] gold or platinum, Talking Heads disbanded in 1991. 

Byrne has released solo recordings and worked with media including film, photography, opera, fiction, and non-fiction. He has collaborated with artists including [[Brian Eno]], [[Fatboy Slim]], [[X-Press 2]] and [[St. Vincent (musician)|St. Vincent]]. Byrne has received an [[Academy Award]], a [[Grammy Award]], a [[Special Tony Award]], and a [[Golden Globe Award]], and was inducted to the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] as part of Talking Heads.<ref>{{cite web|title=Talking Heads|url=https://www.rockhall.com/inductees/talking-heads|website=Rock & Roll Hall of Fame|access-date=April 16, 2018|language=en}}</ref>

==Early life and education==
David Byrne was born on May 14, 1952, in [[Dumbarton]], [[Dunbartonshire]], Scotland,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://dearscotland.com/2010/04/02/the-dumbarton-road-to-nowhere/ |title=The Dumbarton Road to Nowhere |last=Tam |first=Leo Nardo |quote=one of Scotland's most famous expats |access-date=December 21, 2012 |date=April 2, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/4986234/David-Byrne-stay-hungry.html |title=David Byrne: stay hungry |last=Grant |first=Richard |date=March 16, 2009 |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |location=London |quote=born in Dumbarton, Scotland (a point of pride, like his British passport)|access-date=December 21, 2012}}</ref> the elder of two children born to Tom (from [[Lambhill|Lambhill, Glasgow]]) and Emma Byrne. Byrne's mother was [[Presbyterian]] and his father [[Catholic]]. Two years after his birth, the family moved to Canada, settling in [[Hamilton, Ontario]]. The family left Scotland in part because there were few jobs requiring his father's engineering skills and in part because of the tensions in the extended family caused by his parents' [[interfaith marriage]]. When Byrne was eight or nine years old they moved to [[Arbutus, Maryland]], in the United States, where his father worked as an electronics engineer at [[Westinghouse Electric Corporation]] and his mother later became a teacher.<ref>{{cite magazine| url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/qa-david-byrne-52229/| title=Q&A: David Byrne| last=Dunn| first=Jancee| magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]| date=August 11, 1994| quote=I think a lot of places I lived – Glasgow; Hamilton, Ontario; and Baltimore – at the time were all industrial towns.}}</ref><ref name="bbc.co.uk">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09vz6r1|title=BBC Radio 4 – Desert Island Discs, David Byrne|website=BBC|access-date=November 23, 2018}}</ref> Byrne grew up speaking with a Scottish accent but adopted an American one to fit in at school. He said: "I felt like a bit of an outsider. But then I realized the world was made up of people who were all different. But we're all here."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.carnegie.org/awards/honoree/david-byrne/ |title=2020 Great Immigrants Recipient |access-date=October 12, 2022}}</ref>

By high school, Byrne knew how to play the guitar, accordion, and violin. He was rejected from his [[middle school]]'s choir because they said he was "off-key and too withdrawn". From a young age, he had a strong interest in music. His parents say that he would constantly play his [[phonograph]] from age three and he learned how to play the harmonica at age five.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0%2C9171%2C962640-8%2C00.html |title=Rock's Renaissance Man |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |date=October 27, 1986 |access-date=September 5, 2017 |url-status=deviated |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080115153738/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0%2C9171%2C962640-8%2C00.html |archive-date=January 15, 2008 }}</ref> His father used his electrical engineering skills to modify a [[reel-to-reel tape recorder]] so that Byrne could make [[multitrack recording]]s.<ref name="bbc.co.uk"/>

Byrne graduated from [[Lansdowne High School]] in southwest [[Baltimore County, Maryland]]. He attended the [[Rhode Island School of Design]] (RISD) in [[Providence, Rhode Island]], during the 1970–71 term and the [[Maryland Institute College of Art]] in [[Baltimore]] during the 1971–72 term before dropping out.

==Career==
===Early career: 1971–1974===
Byrne started his musical career in a high school band called Revelation. Between 1971 and 1972, he was one half of a duo named Bizadi with Marc Kehoe. Their repertoire consisted mostly of songs such as "[[April Showers (song)|April Showers]]", "[[96 Tears]]", "[[Dancing on the Ceiling (1930 song)|Dancing on the Ceiling]]" and [[Frank Sinatra]] songs.  He returned to Providence in 1973 and formed a band called the Artistics with fellow RISD student [[Chris Frantz]].<ref>Gittins, Ian, ''Talking Heads: Once in a Lifetime : the Stories Behind Every Song'', [[Hal Leonard Corporation]], 2004, p. 140 {{ISBN|0-634-08033-4}}, {{ISBN|978-0-634-08033-3}}.</ref> The band dissolved in 1974. Byrne moved to New York City in May that year, and in September of that year, Frantz and his girlfriend [[Tina Weymouth]] followed suit. After Byrne and Frantz were unable to find a [[bass guitar]] player in New York for nearly two years, Weymouth learned to play the instrument.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Courogen |first=Carrie |date=September 15, 2017 |title=40 Years Later, Talking Heads' Most Valuable Member Is Still Its Most Under-Recognized |url=https://www.papermag.com/40-years-late-talking-heads-most-valuable-member-is-still-its-most-under-recognized-1-2482571556.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220715120115/https://www.papermag.com/40-years-late-talking-heads-most-valuable-member-is-still-its-most-under-recognized-1-2482571556.html |archive-date=July 15, 2022 |access-date=July 15, 2022 |website=Paper}}</ref> While working day jobs in late 1974, they were contemplating a band.{{Citation needed|date=January 2025}}

===Talking Heads: 1975–1991===
{{Main|Talking Heads}}

[[File:David Byrne of Talking Heads.jpg|thumb|Byrne playing guitar with [[Talking Heads]] in May 1978]]

By January 1975, Talking Heads were practicing and playing together, while still working normal day jobs. They played their first gig in June.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bassplayer.com/article/tina-weymouth/mar-97/5958|title=Tina Talks Heads, Tom Toms, and How to Succeed at Bass Without Really Trying|last=Isola|first=Gregory|date=March 1997|work=[[Bass Player (magazine)|Bass Player]]|access-date=May 15, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090210190543/http://bassplayer.com/article/tina-weymouth/mar-97/5958 <!-- article has disappeared, replaced by "Roland GR-55 Guitar Synthesizer" By Gino Robair Fri, 21 Oct 2011 as at 15 May 2013-->|archive-date=February 10, 2009}}</ref><ref>[http://www.rockhall.com/inductees/talking-heads/bio Talking Heads] ''[[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]]''. Retrieved May 15, 2013</ref>

In May 1976, Byrne quit his day job, and the three-piece band signed to [[Sire Records]] in November of that year. Byrne was the youngest member of the band. Multi-instrumentalist [[Jerry Harrison]], previously of [[the Modern Lovers]], joined the band in 1977. The band released eight studio albums to acclaim and commercial success. Four albums achieved gold status (exceeding 500,000 in sales) and two others were certified double-platinum (exceeding two million in sales). Talking Heads were pioneers of the new wave music scene in the late 1970s and early 1980s with popular and creative music videos in regular rotation on [[MTV]].

In 1988 the band went on hiatus during which Byrne launched a solo career and the other members pursued their own projects. Talking Heads reunited in 1991 to record the single "[[Sax and Violins]]" and officially split in December 1991.

In 2002, Talking Heads was inducted into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]], where they reunited to play four tracks: "[[Psycho Killer]]", "[[Burning Down the House]]", "[[Once in a Lifetime (Talking Heads song)|Once In A Lifetime]]" and "[[Life During Wartime (song)|Life During Wartime]]".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rockhall.com/inductees/ceremonies/2002/|title=2002 Induction Ceremony|work=Rock & Roll Hall of Fame |publisher=The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum|access-date=May 15, 2013}}</ref>

===Solo album career: 1979–1981, 1989–present===
[[File:DavidByrneFestivalHall2009.jpg|thumb|Byrne at London's [[Royal Festival Hall]] in April 2009]]
During his time in the band, Byrne took on outside projects, collaborating with [[Brian Eno]] during 1979 and 1981 on the album ''[[My Life in the Bush of Ghosts (album)|My Life in the Bush of Ghosts]]'', which attracted acclaim for its early use of [[sampling (music)|sampling]] and [[Found object#In music|found sounds]]. Following this record, Byrne focused his attention on Talking Heads. ''My Life in the Bush of Ghosts'' was re-released for its 25th anniversary in early 2006, with new bonus tracks. In keeping with the spirit of the original album, [[stem (audio)|stems]] for two of the songs' component tracks were released under [[Creative Commons]] licenses and a [[remix]] contest website was launched.

''[[Rei Momo]]'' (1989) was the second solo album by Byrne (the first after leaving Talking Heads), and features mainly Afro-Cuban, Afro-Hispanic, and Brazilian song styles, including popular dances such as [[merengue music|merengue]], [[son cubano]], [[samba]], [[mambo (music)|mambo]], [[cumbia]], [[Cha-cha-chá (music)|cha-cha-chá]], [[Bomba (Puerto Rico)|bomba]] and [[Charanga (Cuba)|charanga]]. His third solo album, ''[[Uh-Oh (David Byrne album)|Uh-Oh]]'' (1992), featured a brass section and was driven by tracks such as "Girls on My Mind" and "The Cowboy Mambo (Hey Lookit Me Now)". His fourth solo album, ''[[David Byrne (album)|David Byrne]]'' (1994), was a more proper rock record, with Byrne playing most of the instruments, leaving percussion for session musicians. "Angels" and "Back in the Box" were the two main singles released from the album. The first one entered the US [[Modern Rock Tracks]] chart, reaching No. 24. For his fifth studio effort, the emotional ''[[Feelings (David Byrne album)|Feelings]]'' (1997), Byrne employed a brass orchestra called Black Cat Orchestra. His sixth, ''[[Look into the Eyeball]]'' (2001), continued the same musical exploration of ''Feelings'', but was compiled of more upbeat tracks, like those found on ''Uh-Oh''.

''[[Grown Backwards]]'' (2004), released by [[Nonesuch Records]], used orchestral string arrangements, and includes two operatic [[aria]]s as well as a rework of [[X-Press 2]] collaboration "[[#Other musical contributions: 1990–present|Lazy]]". He also launched a North American and Australian tour with the Tosca Strings. This tour ended with [[Los Angeles]], [[San Diego]] and New York shows in August 2005. He  also collaborated with [[Selena]] on her 1995 album ''[[Dreaming of You (Selena album)|Dreaming of You]]'' with "God's Child (Baila Conmigo)".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/composition/7ab34001-d0f7-416f-9914-17a9f4e16f6a-Gods-Child-Baila-Conmigo|title=God's Child (Baila Conmigo)|website=Discogs|language=en|access-date=January 22, 2019}}</ref>

Byrne and Eno reunited for his eighth album ''[[Everything That Happens Will Happen Today]]'' (2008).<ref name="tour">{{cite web |url=http://www.everythingthathappens.com/tour.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080822132005/http://www.everythingthathappens.com/tour.html |archive-date=August 22, 2008 |title=Tour Dates for David Byrne – Songs of David Byrne and Brian Eno |publisher=David Byrne |date=August 4, 2008 |access-date=January 11, 2010 }}</ref> He assembled a band to tour worldwide for the album for a six-month period from late 2008 through early 2009 on the [[Songs of David Byrne and Brian Eno Tour]].<ref>{{cite web |title=DavidByrne.com – Tours |url=http://www.davidbyrne.com/tours/index.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090316041327/http://www.davidbyrne.com/tours/index.php |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 16, 2009 |date=March 16, 2009}}</ref>

In 2012, he released a collaborative album with American singer-songwriter [[St. Vincent (musician)|St. Vincent]] called ''[[Love This Giant]]''. The album featured  both Byrne and St. Vincent on vocals and guitar, backed by a brass section. To promote the album, both artists travelled throughout North America, Europe, and Australia on the [[Love This Giant Tour]] in 2012 and 2013, with each performing pieces from their career in the album's distinctive brass band style alongside those composed for the album.<ref>{{Cite news|date=August 23, 2012|title=Exclusive: Byrne & Clark Go Indie|language=en|work=The Daily Beast|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/videos/2012/08/23/david-byrne-goes-indie|access-date=February 15, 2022}}</ref>

In January 2018, Byrne announced his first solo album in 14 years. ''[[American Utopia]]'' was released in March through Todo Mundo and Nonesuch Records. He also released the album's first single, "Everybody's Coming to My House", which he co-wrote with Eno.<ref name="ns">{{cite web |url=http://www.nonesuch.com/journal/david-byrne-american-utopia-due-march-9-nonesuch-records-announced-2017-01-08 |title= David Byrne's New Album, ''American Utopia'', Due March 9 on Todomundo / Nonesuch Records |publisher=[[Nonesuch Records]] |date=January 8, 2018}}</ref> The subsequent tour – which showcased songs from ''American Utopia'' alongside highlights from his Talking Heads and solo career to date – was described by ''[[NME]]'' as being perhaps "the most ambitious and impressive live show of all time", blurring the lines "between gig and theatre, poetry and dance".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nme.com/reviews/live/david-byrnes-american-utopia-tour-might-ambitious-impressive-live-show-time |title= David Byrne's American Utopia tour might be the most ambitious and impressive live show of all time |publisher=[[NME]] |date=June 15, 2018}}</ref>

In June 2025, Byrne released a new lead single "Everybody Laughs" and announced his next solo album ''[[Who Is the Sky?]]'', with all songs being arranged by [[Ghost Train Orchestra]]. The album was released the following September via [[Matador Records|Matador]], with the Who Is the Sky? Tour starting the same month. The album also features [[St. Vincent (musician)|St. Vincent]], [[Hayley Williams]], and [[Tom Skinner (drummer)|Tom Skinner]].<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://variety.com/2025/music/news/david-byrne-new-album-who-is-the-sky-world-tour-dates-1236424328/|title=David Byrne Announces New Album, 'Who Is the Sky?', and World Tour|first=Jem|last=Aswed|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=June 10, 2025|access-date=June 10, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Corcoran |first=Nina |date=June 10, 2025 |title=David Byrne Announces Tour and New Album, Shares Video for New Song |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/david-byrne-announces-tour-and-new-album-shares-video-for-new-song-watch/ |access-date=June 16, 2025 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}}</ref>

===Work in theatre, film, and television: 1981–present===
In 1981, Byrne partnered with choreographer [[Twyla Tharp]], [[film score|scoring]] music he wrote that appeared on his album ''[[The Catherine Wheel (album)|The Catherine Wheel]]'' for a ballet with the same name, prominently featuring unusual rhythms and lyrics. Productions of ''The Catherine Wheel'' appeared on Broadway that same year.

He was chiefly responsible for the stage design and choreography of the concert film ''[[Stop Making Sense]]'' (1984).

Byrne wrote the [[Dirty Dozen Brass Band]]-inspired score ''[[Music for "The Knee Plays"]]'', released in 1985, for [[Robert Wilson (director)|Robert Wilson]]'s vast five-act opera ''[[The Civil Wars: A Tree Is Best Measured When It Is Down]]''.

He wrote, directed, and starred in ''[[True Stories (film)|True Stories]]'' (1986), a musical collage of discordant [[Americana (music)|Americana]] for which he also produced most of the film's music. He was impressed by the experimental theatre that he saw in New York City in the 1970s and collaborated with several of its best-known representatives. He worked with Robert Wilson on "The Knee Plays" and "The Forest", and invited [[Spalding Gray]] (of The Wooster Group) to act in ''True Stories'', while Meredith Monk provided a portion of the film's soundtrack.

Byrne also provided a soundtrack for JoAnne Akalaitis' film ''Dead End Kids'' (1986), made after a Mabou Mines theatre production. Byrne's artistic outlook has a great deal in common with the work of these artists.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Steenstra|first1=Sytze|title=Song and Circumstance|date=2010|publisher=Continuum Books|isbn=978-08264-4168-3|location=New York and London|pages=93–137}}</ref> The same year he also added "Loco de Amor" with [[Celia Cruz]] to [[Jonathan Demme]]'s film ''[[Something Wild (1986 film)|Something Wild]]'' (1986).

His work has been extensively used in film [[soundtrack]]s, most notably in collaboration with [[Ryuichi Sakamoto]] and [[Cong Su]] on [[Bernardo Bertolucci]]'s ''[[The Last Emperor]]'' (1987), which won an [[Academy Award for Best Original Score]].

Some of the music from Byrne's orchestral album ''[[The Forest (album)|The Forest]]'' was originally used in a Robert Wilson–directed theatre piece titled ''The Forest''. The play premiered at the ''Theater der Freien Volksbühne'', Berlin, in 1988. It received its New York premiere in December 1988 at the [[Brooklyn Academy of Music]] (BAM). The Forestry Maxi-single contained dance and industrial remixes of pieces from ''The Forest'' by [[Jack Dangers]], Rudy Tambala, and Anthony Capel. Byrne released his soundtrack album in 1991.

Byrne also directed the documentary ''Île Aiye'' (1989) and the concert film of his 1992 Latin-tinged tour titled ''Between the Teeth'' (1994).

''[[In Spite of Wishing and Wanting]]'' is a soundscape Byrne produced in 1999 for Belgian choreographer [[Wim Vandekeybus]]'s dance company Ultima Vez.

In 2003, Byrne guest starred as himself on [[Dude, Where's My Ranch?|a season 14 episode]] of ''[[The Simpsons]]''. Released the same year, ''[[Lead Us Not into Temptation]]'' included tracks and musical experiments from his score to film ''[[Young Adam (film)|Young Adam]]'' (2003).

In late 2005, Byrne and [[Fatboy Slim]] began work on ''[[Here Lies Love]]'', a [[disco]] opera or [[song cycle]] about the life of [[Imelda Marcos]], the controversial former First Lady of the [[Philippines]]. Some music from this piece was debuted at [[Adelaide Festival of Arts]] in Australia in February 2006 and the following year at [[Carnegie Hall]] on February 3, 2007.

In 2008, Byrne released ''[[Big Love: Hymnal]]'' – his soundtrack to season two of ''[[Big Love]]'', which aired in 2007. These two albums constituted the first releases on his independent record label Todo Mundo. Byrne and Brian Eno provided the soundtrack for the film ''[[Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps]]'' (2010).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.film.com/movies/review-wall-street-money-never-sleeps#fbid=KdR0UiwBhKE |title=Review: Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps |first=Laremy |last=Legel |date=September 23, 2010 |website=Film.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130726014726/http://www.film.com/movies/review-wall-street-money-never-sleeps#fbid=KdR0UiwBhKE |archive-date=July 26, 2013  }}</ref>

In 2015, he organized ''Contemporary Color'', two arena concerts in Brooklyn and Toronto, for which he brought in ten musical acts who teamed up with ten [[color guard (flag spinning)|color guard]] groups. The concerts were made into a [[Contemporary Color (film)|2016 documentary film]], directed by the [[Ross brothers]], and produced by Byrne.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.contemporarycolor.com/about/|title=About|website=Contemporary Color|access-date=September 2, 2018}}</ref>

He collaborated with businesswoman [[Mala Gaonkar]] in 2016 to co-create NEUROSOCIETY, a guided [[immersive theater]] performance.<ref>[https://arts.stanford.edu/arts-institute/the-makers-series-david-byrne/ THE MAKERS SERIES DAVID BYRNE AND MALA GAONKAR] Stanford Arts. Access February 9, 2023.</ref>

In October 2019, his ''[[American Utopia#Adaptations|American Utopia]]'' opened at the [[Hudson Theatre]] on Broadway.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/american-utopia-522679/|title=broadway-production|website=ibdb|access-date=October 20, 2019}}</ref><ref name="var-20oct2019">{{cite magazine |last1=Aswad |first1=Jem |title=Broadway Review: David Byrne's 'American Utopia' |url=https://variety.com/2019/music/reviews/david-byrne-american-utopia-broadway-review-1203376072/ |access-date=November 23, 2019 |magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date=October 20, 2019}}</ref> Byrne appeared in comedian [[John Mulaney]]'s children's musical comedy special ''[[John Mulaney & the Sack Lunch Bunch]]'' (2019), where he performed the song "Pay Attention!" His song "Tiny Apocalypse" was also featured as the special's end credits song.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ew.com/tv/2019/12/24/david-byrne-sack-lunch-bunch-cameo-john-mulaney/|title=Behind John Mulaney's 24-hour race to get David Byrne for a 'Sack Lunch Bunch' cameo|website=EW.com|language=EN|access-date=March 5, 2020}}</ref>

On February 29, 2020, after a 30-year absence, Byrne performed as the musical guest on ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' with John Mulaney as host. Byrne performed "[[Once in a Lifetime (Talking Heads song)|Once in a Lifetime]]" and "[[Toe Jam (song)|Toe Jam]]" with the cast of the Broadway show ''American Utopia'' and appears in the "Airport Sushi" sketch singing a parody of "Road to Nowhere". This was Byrne's third appearance on ''Saturday Night Live''. He previously served as the musical guest as part of Talking Heads in [[Saturday Night Live season 4|1979]], and as a solo musical guest in [[Saturday Night Live season 15|1989]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://popculture.com/music/2020/03/01/snl-david-byrne-triumphant-return-over-30-years-saturday-night-live/|title='SNL': David Byrne Makes a Triumphant Return After Over 30 Years With Talking Heads Classic|website=Music|date=March 2020 |language=en|access-date=March 5, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.jambase.com/article/david-byrne-saturday-night-live-videos|title=David Byrne To Return To 'Saturday Night Live' After 31 Years|date=February 6, 2020|website=JamBase|language=en-US|access-date=March 5, 2020}}</ref>

In 2022, Byrne again collaborated with [[Mala Gaonkar]] on another immersive theater production based on his life,<ref>[https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/theater-of-the-mind-invites-audiences-to-revisit-and-rethink-their-past "Theater of the Mind" Invites Audiences to Revisit—and Rethink—Their Past] The New Yorker. Access February 9, 2023.</ref> "Theater of the Mind"<ref>[https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/david-byrnes-theater-of-the-mind-180980778/ Take a Trip Through David Byrne's Mind] Smithsonian Magazine. Access February 9, 2023.</ref> transforming a 15,000 square-foot warehouse in Denver, Colorado.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Radiolab: The Theater of David Byrne's Mind on Apple Podcasts |url=https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-theater-of-david-byrnes-mind/id152249110?i=1000581927918 |access-date=March 3, 2024 |website=Apple Podcasts |language=en-US}}</ref>

===Other contributions: 1990–present===
[[File:David Byrne by Ron Baker.jpg|thumb|Byrne performing at ''[[Austin City Limits]]'' in September 2008]]
Byrne has contributed songs to five [[AIDS]] benefit compilation albums produced by the [[Red Hot Organization]]: ''[[Red Hot + Blue]]: A Tribute to Cole Porter'', ''[[Red Hot + Rio]]'', ''[[Silencio=Muerte: Red Hot + Latin]]'', ''[[Onda Sonora: Red Hot + Lisbon]]'', and ''[[Offbeat: A Red Hot Soundtrip]]''. He appeared as a guest vocalist/guitarist for [[10,000 Maniacs]] during their ''[[MTV Unplugged]]'' concert, though the songs in which he is featured were cut from the following album. One of them, "Let the Mystery Be", appeared as the fourth track on 10,000 Maniacs' CD single "Few and Far Between".

On March 24, 1992, he performed with [[Richard Thompson (musician)|Richard Thompson]] at St. Ann & The Holy Trinity in [[Brooklyn Heights]], New York. The concert was recorded and released as ''An Acoustic Evening''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://jack.mauveweb.co.uk/artists/thompson/19920324.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20150419222152/http://jack.mauveweb.co.uk/artists/thompson/19920324.html|url-status=dead|title=Richard Thompson & David Byrne – 24 March 1992: New York|date=April 19, 2015|archive-date=April 19, 2015|website=Archive.today|access-date=November 23, 2018}}</ref> Byrne worked with Latin superstar [[Selena]] in March 1995; writing, producing and singing a bilingual duet titled "God's Child (Baila Conmigo)". This became the last song Selena recorded before [[Murder of Selena|she was murdered]] on March 31, 1995. The song was included on the singer's posthumous album ''[[Dreaming of You (Selena album)|Dreaming of You]]''.

In 1997, Byrne was the host of ''[[Sessions at West 54th]]'' during its second of three seasons and collaborated with members of [[Devo]] and [[Morcheeba]] to record the album ''[[Feelings (David Byrne album)|Feelings]]''. In 2001, a version of Byrne's single "[[Like Humans Do]]", edited to remove its marijuana reference, was selected by [[Microsoft]] as the sample music for [[Windows XP]] to demonstrate [[Windows Media Player]].<ref>[https://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2001/aug01/08-01DavidByrnePR.mspx David Byrne to Provide Promotional Music for Windows XP: "Like Humans Do" to Give Music Fans a Taste of the Digital Music Experience in Windows XP] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070212202445/http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2001/aug01/08-01davidbyrnepr.mspx |date=February 12, 2007 }}. Retrieved January 11, 2010.</ref><ref>[https://www.forbes.com/2001/08/21/0821byrne.html You May Find Yourself On Windows XP] Forbes.com by Davide Dukcevich, August 21, 2001. Retrieved January 11, 2010.</ref>

In 2002, Byrne co-wrote and provided vocals for "[[Lazy (X-Press 2 song)|Lazy]]" by the English house duo [[X-Press 2]], which reached No. 2 in the United Kingdom and number one on the [[US Dance Chart]].<ref name="Drowned in Sound">{{cite web |last=Smith |first=Jon |date=April 21, 2002 |title=Single Review: X-Press 2, David Byrne – Lazy |url=http://drownedinsound.com/releases/5416/reviews/3648- |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201201105653/https://drownedinsound.com/releases/5416/reviews/3648- |archive-date=December 1, 2020 |access-date=October 2, 2019 |website=[[Drowned in Sound]]}}</ref> Byrne released an orchestral version on his 2004 album ''[[Grown Backwards]]''.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lynskey |first=Dorian |date=March 12, 2004 |title=David Byrne, Grown Backwards |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2004/mar/12/popandrock.shopping1 |access-date=March 10, 2025 |work=[[The Guardian]] |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

In September 2004, Byrne co-authored a CD collection and performed with Gilberto Gil at a benefit concert promoting the [[Creative Commons]] license.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://creativecommons.org/2004/09/28/wiredconcertandcdastudyincollaboration/ |title=WIRED Concert and CD: A Study in Collaboration |publisher=Creative Commons |date=September 28, 2004 |access-date=April 18, 2020}}</ref> In 2006, his singing was featured on "The Heart's a Lonely Hunter" on ''The Cosmic Game'' by [[Thievery Corporation]]. In 2007, he provided a cover of [[the Fiery Furnaces]]' song "Ex-Guru" for a compilation to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the founding of [[Thrill Jockey]], a Chicago-based record label.

In April 2008, Byrne took part in the [[Paul Simon]] retrospective concert series at BAM performing "[[You Can Call Me Al]]" and "I Know What I Know" from Simon's ''[[Graceland (album)|Graceland]]'' album.<ref>{{cite web|title=David Byrne joins Paul Simon on stage in New York|website=[[NME]] |url=https://www.nme.com/news/paul-simon/35824|url-status=deviated|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080622165612/http://www.nme.com/news/paul-simon/35824|archive-date=June 22, 2008|access-date=April 14, 2008}}, NME. Retrieved January 11, 2010.</ref> Later that year, Byrne and his production team turned the [[Battery Maritime Building]], a 99-year-old ferry terminal in [[Manhattan]], into a playable musical instrument.<ref>{{cite news |author=Thill, Scott |title=David Byrne Converts Building into Giant Instrument |url=http://blog.wired.com/music/2008/05/david-byrne-con.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080519033341/http://blog.wired.com/music/2008/05/david-byrne-con.html |archive-date=May 19, 2008 |date=May 12, 2008 |work=Wired.com |publisher=Advance Publications |access-date=January 11, 2010 }}</ref> The structure was connected electronically to a [[pipe organ]] and made playable for a piece called "[[Playing the Building]]".<ref name="building">{{cite news |last=Kennedy |first=Randy |title=David Byrne's New Band, With Architectural Solos |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/30/arts/music/30byrn.html |date=May 30, 2008 |work=The New York Times |access-date=May 30, 2008}}</ref> This project was previously installed in [[Stockholm]] in 2005,<ref>{{cite news |title=David Byrne Playing the Building |url=http://www.fargfabriken.se/en/archive/item/298-david-byrne |date=October 8, 2005 |access-date=January 11, 2010 |archive-date=July 29, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140729105750/http://www.fargfabriken.se/en/archive/item/298-david-byrne |url-status=dead }}</ref> and later at the [[Roundhouse (venue)|London Roundhouse]] in 2009. Byrne says that the point of the project was to allow people to experience art first hand, by creating music with the organ, rather than simply looking at it.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.newsweek.com/id/138378 |first=Brian |last=Baiker |title=A Building for a Song |work=[[Newsweek]] |date=June 2, 2008  |access-date=November 1, 2010 |url-status=deviated |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080802041942/http://www.newsweek.com/id/138378 |archive-date=August 2, 2008  }}</ref> Also in 2008, he collaborated with [[the Brighton Port Authority]], composing the music and singing the lyrics for "[[Toe Jam (The Brighton Port Authority song)|Toe Jam]]".

Byrne is featured on the tracks "Money" and "The People Tree", on [[N.A.S.A. (musical group)|N.A.S.A.]]'s 2009 album ''[[The Spirit of Apollo]]''. In 2009, he also appeared on HIV/AIDS charity album ''[[Dark Was the Night (album)|Dark Was the Night]]'' for [[Red Hot Organization]]. He collaborated with [[Dirty Projectors]] on the song "Knotty Pine". In the same year, Byrne performed at the [[Bonnaroo Music Festival]] in Manchester, Tennessee. He also was a signator of a letter protesting the decision of the [[Toronto International Film Festival]] to choose [[Tel Aviv]] as the subject of its inaugural City-to-City Spotlight strand.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/sep/07/toronto-film-festival-boycott Toronto film festival hit by protest over Tel Aviv strand by Ben Walters, 7 September 2009]. Retrieved January 11, 2010.</ref>

In May 2011, Byrne contributed backing vocals to the [[Arcade Fire]] track "Speaking in Tongues" which appeared on the deluxe edition of their 2010 album ''[[The Suburbs]]''.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2011/may/24/arcade-fire-david-byrne-speaking-in-tongues|title=Arcade Fire feat David Byrne – Speaking in Tongues|work=The Guardian|date=May 24, 2011|location=London|first=Michael|last=Cragg}}</ref>

[[Jherek Bischoff]]'s 2012 album ''[[Composed (album)|Composed]]'' features Byrne on the track "Eyes". The same year, he also released a show recorded with [[Caetano Veloso]] in 2004 at New York City's [[Carnegie Hall]] (''[[Live at Carnegie Hall (David Byrne and Caetano Veloso album)|Live at Carnegie Hall]]'').

In March 2013, he debuted [[Here Lies Love (musical)|a fully staged production]] of his 2010 concept album ''[[Here Lies Love]]'' at New York's [[Public Theater]], directed by [[Tony Award]]-nominee [[Alex Timbers]] following its premiere at MoCA earlier in the year. That same month, he and Sakamoto released a re-recording of their 1994 collaboration [[Sweet Revenge (Ryuichi Sakamoto album)|"Psychedelic Afternoon"]] to raise money and awareness for children impacted by the [[2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Mineo|first1=Mike|title=Ryuichi Sakamoto + David Byrne – "Psychedelic Afternoon"|url=http://www.obscuresound.com/2013/03/ryuichi-sakamoto-david-byrne-psychedelic-afternoon/|website=Obscure Sound|accessdate=February 1, 2016|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160201194540/http://www.obscuresound.com/2013/03/ryuichi-sakamoto-david-byrne-psychedelic-afternoon/|archivedate=February 1, 2016|date=March 12, 2013}}</ref>

In May 2014, Byrne announced his involvement with [[Anna Calvi]]'s EP, ''[[Strange Weather (EP)|Strange Weather]]'', collaborating with her on two songs: a cover of [[Keren Ann]]'s "Strange Weather" and [[Connan Mockasin]]'s "I'm the Man, That Will Find You".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dominorecordco.us/usa/news/13-05-14/anna-calvi-announces-strange-weather-ep-listen-to-papi-pacify-cover/|work=Domino|title=Anna Calvi Announces 'Strange Weather' EP, Listen to 'Papi Pacify' Cover|date=May 13, 2014|access-date=May 13, 2014}}</ref>

In August 2016, he was featured on "Snoopies" on the [[Kickstarter]]-funded album, ''[[And the Anonymous Nobody...]]'' by [[De La Soul]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/and-the-anonymous-nobody-mw0002947120 |title=And the Anonymous Nobody |first=Tim |last=Sendra |date=August 2016 |website=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=November 23, 2016 }}</ref>

In 2022, he co-wrote and provided vocals on the song "This Is a Life" for the [[Everything Everywhere All at Once (soundtrack)|original soundtrack]] to the 2022 film ''[[Everything Everywhere All at Once]]'', alongside the film's composers [[Son Lux]] and American singer [[Mitski]].<ref name="Krol 2022">{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/andre-3000-mitski-and-more-to-feature-on-everything-everywhere-all-at-once-soundtrack-3168786|title=André 3000, Mitski and more to feature on 'Everything Everywhere All At Once' soundtrack|last=Krol|first=Charlotte|date=February 24, 2022|website=[[NME]]|language=en-GB|access-date=April 10, 2022|archive-date=April 10, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220410030814/https://www.nme.com/news/music/andre-3000-mitski-and-more-to-feature-on-everything-everywhere-all-at-once-soundtrack-3168786|url-status=live}}</ref> Byrne performed the song with Son Lux at the [[95th Academy Awards]], with [[Stephanie Hsu]] providing vocals in place of Mitski.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://deadline.com/2023/02/oscars-david-byrne-stephanie-hsu-son-lux-perform-this-is-a-life-everything-everywhere-all-at-once-ceremony-1235273011/|access-date=February 27, 2023|website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|author=Denise Petski, Anthony D'Alessandro|title=Oscars: David Byrne, Stephanie Hsu & Son Lux To Perform "This Is A Life" During Ceremony|archive-date=March 5, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230305191929/https://deadline.com/2023/02/oscars-david-byrne-stephanie-hsu-son-lux-perform-this-is-a-life-everything-everywhere-all-at-once-ceremony-1235273011/|url-status=live}}</ref>

On July 20, 2023, the stage version of ''Here Lies Love'' made its Broadway debut.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2023/01/david-byrne-fatboy-slim-here-lies-love-broadway-1235218896/|title = David Byrne & Fatboy Slim Disco Musical 'Here Lies Love' Heading To Broadway| date=January 12, 2023 }}</ref> In the leadup to the premiere, Broadway's musicians' union criticized the show for planning to use a pre-recorded soundtrack and no live musicians.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Paulson |first1=Michael |title=Broadway Musicians Object to David Byrne's 'Here Lies Love' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/30/theater/here-lies-love-david-byrne-musicians.html |access-date=May 31, 2023 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=May 30, 2023}}</ref>  Local 802 of the [[American Federation of Musicians]] criticized this choice as "A direct attack on Broadway Audiences — and live music."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Gagliardi |first1=Tino |title=A direct attack on Broadway audiences — and live music |date=May 30, 2023 |url=https://www.local802afm.org/allegro/articles/presidents-report-june-2023/ |access-date=May 31, 2023}}</ref> Statements from the creative team claiming that the decision was inspired by [[karaoke]] and that the show "does not believe in artistic gate-keepers{{sic}}"<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.instagram.com/p/Cs4g4f1u5W0/|title=An update on the musical genesis of Here Lies Love.|author=Here Lies Love|work=Instagram|date=May 30, 2023|accessdate=May 31, 2023}}</ref> attracted further criticism from union members, who accused Byrne of "denigrating" and "tossing aside" live musicians and likened his remarks to [[union busting]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://playbill.com/article/musicians-union-responds-after-here-lies-love-characterizes-them-as-artistic-gatekeepers|title=Musicians Union Responds After ''Here Lies Love'' Characterizes Them as 'Artistic Gatekeepers'|first=Logan|last=Culwell-Block|work=Playbill|date=May 31, 2023|accessdate=May 31, 2023}}</ref> Following this, the creative team for ''Here Lies Love'' announced that the show would employ twelve live musicians, including three actor-musicians.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://playbill.com/article/broadways-here-lies-love-changes-course-is-now-hiring-live-musicians|title=Broadway's ''Here Lies Love'' Changes Course, Is Now Hiring Live Union Musicians|first=Logan|last=Culwell-Block|work=Playbill|date=June 9, 2023|accessdate=June 9, 2023}}</ref>

On April 19, 2024, Byrne released a cover of [[Paramore]]'s Talking Heads-inspired 2017 song "[[Hard Times (Paramore song)#David Byrne version|Hard Times]]". This came after Paramore themselves contributed a cover of "[[Burning Down the House#Paramore version|Burning Down the House]]" to the Talking Heads [[tribute album]] ''[[Everyone's Getting Involved: A Tribute to Talking Heads' Stop Making Sense|Everyone's Getting Involved]]'' earlier that year. Both covers were released as [[A-side and B-side]] respectively on a [[limited edition]] [[twelve-inch single]] for [[Record Store Day]] 2024, for which Paramore were ambassadors.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.stereogum.com/2260159/david-byrne-hard-times-paramore-cover/music/ |date=April 19, 2024 |title=David Byrne – "Hard Times" (Paramore Cover) |magazine=[[Stereogum]] |access-date=June 11, 2025 |last=Deville |first=Chris |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240610100513/https://www.stereogum.com/2260159/david-byrne-hard-times-paramore-cover/music/ |archive-date=June 10, 2024 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/david-byrne-to-cover-paramores-hard-times-for-record-store-day-2024-3597053 |magazine=[[NME]] |last=Duran |first=Anagricel |date=March 5, 2024 |title=David Byrne to cover Paramore's 'Hard Times' for Record Store D |access-date=June 11, 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240422120334/https://www.nme.com/news/music/david-byrne-to-cover-paramores-hard-times-for-record-store-day-2024-3597053 |archive-date=April 22, 2024}}</ref>

==Other work==
David Byrne co-founded the world-music record label [[Luaka Bop]] with Yale Evelev in 1990. It was originally created to release Latin American compilations, but it has grown to include music from Cuba, Africa, the Far East and beyond, releasing the work of artists such as [[Cornershop]], [[Os Mutantes]], [[Los de Abajo (band)|Los De Abajo]], [[Jim White (guitarist)|Jim White]], [[Zap Mama]], [[Tom Zé]], [[Los Amigos Invisibles]], and [[King Changó]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.luakabop.com|title=LUAKA BOP|website=Luakabop.com|access-date=January 25, 2017}}</ref><ref>[https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1076395&ps=rs NPR audio interview 8 July 2000]. Npr.org, Retrieved June 11, 2010.</ref>

In 2005, he initiated his own [[internet radio]] station, Radio David Byrne.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.davidbyrne.com/radio/index.php |title = Radio David Byrne |publisher = David Byrne.com |access-date=January 11, 2010 }}</ref> Each month, Byrne posts a playlist of music he likes, linked by themes or genres. Byrne's playlists have included [[African popular music]], [[Classic country|country music classics]], [[vox humana]], classical opera and [[film score]]s from [[Cinema of Italy|Italian movies]].

He serves on the board of directors of [[SoundExchange]], an organization designated by the [[United States Congress]] to collect and distribute digital performance royalties for sound recordings.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |title=Board of Directors |url=https://www.soundexchange.com/about/our-team/board-of-directors/ |access-date=May 19, 2022 |website=SoundExchange |language=en-US}}</ref>

In 2006, Byrne released ''Arboretum'', a sketchbook facsimile of his Tree Drawings, published by [[McSweeney's]]. Byrne is a visual artist whose work has been shown in contemporary art galleries and museums around since the 1990s. Represented by the [[Pace/MacGill]] Gallery in New York. In 2010 his original artwork was in the exhibition ''The Record: Contemporary Art and Vinyl'' at the [[Nasher Museum of Art]] at [[Duke University]].<ref>[http://www.davidbyrne.com/art/david_byrne_artbio.php Visual art listing at Byrne's website]. Retrieved June 11, 2010.</ref>

===TED Talks===
David Byrne has also been a speaker at the [[TED (conference)|TED]] conferences.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.ted.com/speakers/david_byrne|title=David Byrne {{!}} Speaker {{!}} TED|last=Byrne|first=David|access-date=November 7, 2018|language=en}}</ref> In June 2010, he spoke at the TED conference about the effects of architecture on music.<ref>{{cite web|last=Byrne|first=David|title=How architecture helped music evolve|url=https://www.ted.com/talks/david_byrne_how_architecture_helped_music_evolve|website=Ted.com|date=June 11, 2010 |language=en|access-date=November 7, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nme.com/blogs/nme-blogs/ted-talks-10-music-related-lectures-that-will-enrich-your-day-9354|title=TED Talks: 10 Music-Related Lectures That Will Enrich Your Day – NME|date=September 1, 2014|work=NME|access-date=November 7, 2018|language=en-US}}</ref> Later in October 2010, he performed a hit from Talking Heads' 1988 album ''[[Naked (Talking Heads album)|Naked]]'', titled "(Nothing But) Flowers", along with [[Thomas Dolby]] and the string quartet [[Ethel (string quartet)|Ethel]], who together made up the TED2010 house band.<ref>{{Citation|last1=Byrne|first1=David| author3=Ethel |last2=Dolby |first2=Thomas|title="(Nothing But) Flowers" with string quartet|date=October 22, 2010 |url=https://www.ted.com/talks/david_byrne_ethel_thomas_dolby_nothing_but_flowers_with_string_quartet|language=en|access-date=November 7, 2018}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Byrne lives in New York City. His father, Thomas, died in October 2013. His mother, Emma, died in June 2014.<ref>{{cite web |date=July 31, 2014 |title=Journal – EMMA BYRNE |url=http://davidbyrne.com/emma-byrne |access-date=January 25, 2017 |website=Davidbyrne.com}}</ref>

Although a resident of the United States since childhood, Byrne was solely a [[British citizen]] until 2012, when he became a [[dual citizen]] of the United Kingdom and the [[Citizenship of the United States|United States]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20081113152122/http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2008/11/04/david-byrne-cant-vote-but-hopes-you-will/ "David Byrne Can't Vote But Hopes You Will"]. ''Rolling Stone''. November 4, 2008. Retrieved January 11, 2010.</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Lynskey|first=Dorian|date=March 4, 2018|title=David Byrne: 'I'm able to talk in a social group now – not retreat into a corner'|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/mar/04/david-byrne-i-am-able-to-talk-in-a-social-group-now-american-utopia|access-date=March 4, 2018|work=The Guardian}}</ref> He has also held [[Irish citizenship]] since 2020.<ref>{{cite web |title=U2 X-Radio – Close to The Edge: Feat. David Byrne |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aM1GHhyDc30?si=SJsHV3HWySsg8Oy3&t=1860 |website=youtube.com |language=en |format=video |date=July 2, 2020}}</ref> Speaking of his Scottish origins in a 2014 interview with ''[[The Evening Standard]]'', Byrne said: "I have lived in the States pretty much my whole life, but from my parents and everything, there's still an affinity to maybe a Scottish sense of humour, and some of the attitudes that go with that." During the [[2014 Scottish independence referendum]], Byrne expressed his preference for Scotland to remain part of the United Kingdom.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/david-byrne-2-10-1237994 |title=David Byrne warns Scottish referendum voters of danger of independence |website=[[NME]] |date=August 28, 2014 |access-date=October 12, 2022}}</ref>

Byrne describes himself as on the [[autism spectrum]], but has not been professionally diagnosed. In a 2020 interview on [[Amy Schumer]]'s podcast ''3 Girls, 1 Keith'', he said that he felt that his condition was a superpower as it allows him to hyperfocus on his creative pursuits.<ref>{{cite web|title=Performance With David Byrne|website=[[Spotify]] |url=https://open.spotify.com/episode/3oHiChsIjNTDe0X8QNDshy|access-date=March 30, 2021}}</ref> In 2012, he said that he felt that music was his way of communicating when he could not do it face to face because of his autism.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Front Row – David Byrne: 'I identify with Susan Boyle' – BBC Sounds |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p00yq6c6 |access-date=May 16, 2022 |website=www.bbc.co.uk |language=en-GB}}</ref>

===Relationships===
Byrne had a brief relationship with [[Toni Basil]] in 1981<ref name=Bowman202>{{cite book |first=David |last=Bowman |title=This Must Be the Place: The Adventures of Talking Heads in the 20th Century |url=https://archive.org/details/thismustbeplace00davi |url-access=registration |year=2001 |publisher=HarperCollins |location=New York |isbn=978-0-380-97846-5 |page=[https://archive.org/details/thismustbeplace00davi/page/202 202] }}</ref> and he dated [[Twyla Tharp]] between 1981 and 1982.<ref name=Bowman202/> While visiting Japan in 1982,<ref>Bowman, p. 235.</ref> Byrne met costume designer [[Adelle Lutz]], and they married in 1987.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/29/magazine/same-as-he-ever-was.html |title=Same as He Ever Was |first=Marshall |last=Sella |date=April 29, 2001 |work=The New York Times |access-date=January 15, 2014}}</ref> They have a daughter, Malu Abeni Valentine Byrne, born in 1989, and a grandson born in 2018.<ref>Bowman, p. 336.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/david-byrne-on-american-utopia-and-living-an-optimistic-life/ |title=David Byrne on "American Utopia," and living an optimistic life |first=Anthony |last=Laudato |date=January 5, 2020 |work=[[CBS News Sunday Morning]] |accessdate=January 23, 2022}}</ref> Byrne and Lutz divorced in 2004.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/4986234/David-Byrne-stay-hungry.html |title=David Byrne: Stay Hungry |first=Richard |last=Grant |date=March 16, 2009 |work=The Daily Telegraph |access-date=January 15, 2014 }}</ref> After his divorce, he became romantically involved with the art curator and [[Gagosian Gallery]] sales director Louise Neri.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/rockandjazzmusic/3612979/How-the-Talking-Head-learnt-to-sing-from-the-heart.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/rockandjazzmusic/3612979/How-the-Talking-Head-learnt-to-sing-from-the-heart.html |archive-date=January 11, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=How the Talking Head Learnt To Sing from the Heart |first=Robert |last=Sandall |date=February 28, 2004 |work=The Daily Telegraph |access-date=January 15, 2014 }}{{cbignore}}</ref> He also had a relationship with the artist [[Cindy Sherman]] from 2007 to 2011.<ref>{{cite news|first=Simon |last=Hattenstone |url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2011/jan/15/cindy-sherman-interview |title=Cindy Sherman interview |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |date= January 15, 2011|access-date=November 2, 2011 |location=London}}</ref> As of 2025, Byrne is in a relationship with writer and hedge fund manager [[Mala Gaonkar]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Hasan |first1=Sadiba |title=Their Friend Rigged the Gala Seating Chart. It Worked. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/23/style/malu-byrne-andrew-kuo-david-byrne-wedding.html |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=July 29, 2025}}</ref> In late August 2025, Byrne revealed they were engaged, and on September 3, 2025, he said they would be married that week.<ref>{{Cite news |date=August 20, 2025 |title=David Byrne quietly reveals engagement to entrepreneur Mala Gaonkar |url=https://www.kayofm.com/kayo-country-entertainment-news/ |access-date=September 3, 2025 |website=KAYO News |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Vadukul |first=Alex |date=September 3, 2025 |title=David Byrne says on Instagram that he will marry Mala Gaonkar 'this week' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/02/style/david-byrne-wedding-mala-gaonkar.html |access-date=September 3, 2025 |work=The New York Times |language=en}}</ref>

===Cycling===
Byrne is known for his [[Cycling advocacy|activism in support of increased cycling]] and for having used a bike as his main means of transport throughout his life, especially [[Cycling in New York City|cycling around New York]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.davidbyrne.com/archive/art/books/bicycle_diaries/|title=Bicycle Diaries|work=davidbyrne.com|access-date=July 20, 2016}}</ref> In [[Los Angeles]], Byrne drives a [[Citroën DS]], but in New York, he does not drive a car.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blogs.kcrw.com/rhythmplanet/david-byrne-and-barry-white-what-cars-they-drove/|title=David Byrne & Barry White: What Cars They Drove|first=Tom|last=Schnabel|author-link=Tom Schnabel|date=November 5, 2011|work=KCRW Rhythm Planet|access-date=July 20, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160809153034/http://blogs.kcrw.com/rhythmplanet/david-byrne-and-barry-white-what-cars-they-drove/|archive-date=August 9, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/04/01/ted.david.byrne/|title=David Byrne: Song lyrics are overrated|last=Sutter|first=John D.|date=April 1, 2010|publisher=CNN|access-date=May 15, 2013}}</ref>
[[File:David Byrne Rocket bike rack at Stanford Museum of Art.jpg|alt=A red bike rack in the abstract shape of devil horns|thumb|A bike rack designed by Byrne outside the [[Cantor Arts Center]] at [[Stanford University]]]]
He says that he began cycling while he was in high school and returned to it as an adult in the late 1970s. He likes the freedom and exhilaration cycling gives him. He has written widely on cycling, including a 2009 book, ''[[Bicycle Diaries]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bikeportland.org/2009/07/23/rockerbike-activist-david-byrne-announces-portland-event-21399|title=Rocker/bike activist David Byrne announces Portland event|last=Jonathan Maus|date=July 23, 2009|work=BikePortland.org|access-date=May 15, 2013}}</ref> In August 2009, Byrne auctioned his [[Montague Bikes|Montague folding bike]] to raise money for the [[London Cycling Campaign]].

In 2008, Byrne designed a series of [[bicycle parking rack]]s in the form of image outlines corresponding to the areas in which they were located, such as a dollar sign for [[Wall Street]] and an electric guitar in [[Williamsburg, Brooklyn|Williamsburg]], Brooklyn. Byrne worked with a manufacturer who constructed the racks in exchange for the right to sell them later as art. The racks remained on the streets for about a year.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/09/arts/design/09bike.html |first=Ariel |last=Kaminer |title=David Byrne, Cultural Omnivore, Raises Cycling Rack to an Art Form |work=The New York Times |date=August 8, 2008}}</ref>

Two bike racks constructed from the Byrne Bike Rack Alphabet, a system of modular letter segments that can be combined to form various words, remain installed at the [[Brooklyn Academy of Music]].<ref>{{cite web |title=David Byrne Bike Racks |url=https://www.bam.org/visit/david-byrne-bike-racks |website=bam.org |publisher=Brooklyn Academy of Music |access-date=October 25, 2019}}</ref>

He arrived at the 2023 [[Met Gala]] on a Budnitz [[single speed bike]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 2, 2023 |title=David Byrne Rode His Bike to the Met Gala, Of Course |url=https://www.bicycling.com/news/a43769384/david-byrne-met-gala/ |access-date=May 13, 2023 |website=Bicycling |language=en-US}}</ref>

== Discography and other works ==

===Studio albums with Talking Heads===
{{further|Talking Heads|Talking Heads discography}}
*''[[Talking Heads: 77]]'' (1977)
*''[[More Songs About Buildings and Food]]'' (1978)
*''[[Fear of Music]]'' (1979)
*''[[Remain in Light]]'' (1980)
*''[[Speaking in Tongues (Talking Heads album)|Speaking in Tongues]]'' (1983)
*''[[Little Creatures]]'' (1985)
*''[[True Stories (Talking Heads album)|True Stories]]'' (1986)
*''[[Naked (Talking Heads album)|Naked]]'' (1988)

=== Solo studio albums and collaborations ===
{{Main|David Byrne discography}}

<!--For main studio albums-->
* ''[[My Life in the Bush of Ghosts (album)|My Life in the Bush of Ghosts]]'' (1981) <small>(with [[Brian Eno]])</small>
* ''[[Rei Momo]]'' (1989)
* ''[[Uh-Oh (David Byrne album)|Uh-Oh]]'' (1992)
* ''[[David Byrne (album)|David Byrne]]'' (1994)
* ''[[Feelings (David Byrne album)|Feelings]]'' (1997)
* ''[[Look into the Eyeball]]'' (2001)
* ''[[Grown Backwards]]'' (2004)
* ''[[Everything That Happens Will Happen Today]]'' (2008) <small>(with [[Brian Eno]])</small>
* ''[[Love This Giant]]'' (2012) <small>(with [[St. Vincent (musician)|St. Vincent]])</small>
* ''[[American Utopia]]'' (2018)
* ''[[Who Is the Sky?]]'' (2025) <small>(with [[Ghost Train Orchestra]])</small>

===Soundtracks and music for theater===
{| class="wikitable"
!rowspan="2"| Year
!rowspan="2"| Album details
!colspan="2"| Peak chart positions
!rowspan="2"| Notes
|-
!| [[Billboard 200|US]]
!| [[UK Albums Chart|UK]]
|-
|1981
| '''''[[The Catherine Wheel (album)|The Catherine Wheel]]'''''
*Released: November 1981
*Labels: Sire
|align="center"| 104
|align="center"| —
|Music for the 1981 [[Twyla Tharp]] dance production ''The Catherine Wheel''.
|-
|1985
| '''''[[Music for "The Knee Plays"]]'''''
*Released: May 1985
*Labels: [[ECM (record label)|ECM]]
|align="center"| 141
|align="center"| —
|Music for [[Philip Glass]] and [[Robert Wilson (director)|Robert Wilson]]'s play [[The Civil Wars: A Tree Is Best Measured When It Is Down]]. Re-released as ''[[The Knee Plays]]'' in 2007.
|-
|1986
| '''''[[Sounds from True Stories]]'''''
*Released: 1986
*Labels: Sire
|align="center"| —
|align="center"| —
|Soundtrack to the film ''[[True Stories (film)|True Stories]]''.
|-
|1987
| '''''[[The Last Emperor (album)|The Last Emperor]]'''''
*Released: 1987
*Labels: Virgin
|align="center"| 152
|align="center"| —
|Score to the film ''[[The Last Emperor]]'', composed with [[Ryuichi Sakamoto]] and [[Cong Su]].
|-
|1991
| '''''[[The Forest (album)|The Forest]]'''''
*Released: June 1991
*Labels: Luaka Bop/Warner Bros.
|align="center"| —
|align="center"| —
|Music for the 1988 Robert Wilson theatre piece ''The Forest''.
|-
|1999
| '''''Your Action World'''''
*Released: January 1, 1999
*Labels: Self-released
|align="center"| —
|align="center"| —
|Music for Byrne's art presentation of ''Your Action World''.
|-
|1999
| '''''[[In Spite of Wishing and Wanting]]'''''
*Released: 1999
*Labels: Self-released
|align="center"| —
|align="center"| —
|Music for the [[Ultima Vez]] dance production ''In Spite of Wishing and Wanting''.
|-
|2003
| '''''E.E.E.I. (Envisioning Emotional Epistemological Information)'''''
*Released: July 2, 2003
*Labels: Self-released
|align="center"| —
|align="center"| —
|Music for Byrne's speaking tour and [[PowerPoint]] presentation.
|-
|2003
| '''''[[Lead Us Not into Temptation]]'''''
*Released: September 30, 2003
*Labels: [[Thrill Jockey]]
|align="center"| —
|align="center"| —
|Soundtrack to the film ''[[Young Adam (film)|Young Adam]]''.
|-
|2008
| '''''[[Big Love: Hymnal]]'''''
*Released: August 19, 2008
*Labels: Todo Mundo/[[HBO]]/[[Playtone]]
|align="center"| —
|align="center"| —
|Soundtrack to the second season of ''[[Big Love]]''.
|-
|2010
| '''''[[Here Lies Love]]'''''
*Released: April 6, 2010
*Labels: Todomundo/[[Nonesuch Records|Nonesuch]]
|align="center"| 96
|align="center"| 76
|With [[Fatboy Slim]]. A disco song cycle occasionally given staged performances.
|-
|2019
| '''''[[American Utopia (film)|American Utopia on Broadway Original Cast Recording]]'''''
*Released: October 25, 2019
*Labels: [[Nonesuch Records|Nonesuch]]
|align="center"| —
|align="center"| —
|Original cast recording of the Broadway production of ''American Utopia''.
|}
* "—" denotes albums that were released but did not chart, albums not released in a particular territory, or chart information is not available.

===Film and television===
'''Concert films'''
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
!class="unsortable" |Notes
|-
| 1984 ||  ''[[Stop Making Sense]]'' || Himself || Concert film from [[Talking Heads]] tour; also composer
|-
| 1992 || ''Between the Teeth – Live'' || Himself || VHS release; also composer
|-
| 2004 || ''[[David Byrne Live at Union Chapel]]'' || Himself ||
|-
| 2010 ||  ''[[Ride, Rise, Roar]]'' || Himself || Concert documentary<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.davidbyrne.com/film/index.php |title=David Byrne website film listing |website=Davidbyrne.com |access-date=June 25, 2010}}</ref>
|-
| 2020 || ''[[American Utopia (film)|American Utopia]]'' || Himself ||
|}

'''Other film and television'''
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
!class="unsortable" |Notes
|-
| 1979 || ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' || Himself || Episode: "Cicely Tyson/Talking Heads" 
|-
| 1986 || ''[[True Stories (film)|True Stories]]'' || The Narrator || Feature film; also director, writer, composer
|-
| 1987 || ''[[The Last Emperor]]'' || — || Feature film; composer
|-
| 1988 ||  ''[[Married to the Mob]]'' || — || Feature film; composer
|-
| 1989 ||  ''[[Heavy Petting (1989 film)|Heavy Petting]]'' || — || Documentary; interviewed subject
|-
| 1989 || ''Ile Aiye'' (''The House of Life'') || — || Documentary; composer
|-
| 1989 || ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' || Himself || Episode: "Woody Harrelson/David Byrne"
|-
| 1995|| ''[[Space Ghost Coast to Coast]]'' || Himself || Episode: "Fire Drill"
|-
| 2003 || ''[[Young Adam (film)|Young Adam]]'' || — || Feature film; composer
|-
| 2003, 2012 || ''[[The Simpsons]]'' || Himself (voice) || Episodes: "[[Dude, Where's My Ranch?]]", "[[How I Wet Your Mother]]"
|-
| 2007 || ''[[Big Love]]'' || — || 12 episodes; composer
|-
| 2011 || ''[[This Must Be the Place (film)|This Must Be the Place]]'' || Himself  ||Feature film
|-
| 2016 || ''[[Contemporary Color (film)|Contemporary Color]]'' || — || Feature film; composer
|-
| 2019 || ''[[John Mulaney & the Sack Lunch Bunch]]'' || Himself || Children's musical comedy special
|-
| 2020 || ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' || Himself || Episode: "John Mulaney/David Byrne"
|-
| 2025 || ''[[Étoile (TV series)|Étoile]]'' || Himself || (S01:E05) "The Rat"
|}

==Tours==
* Rei Momo Tour (1989-1990)
* Uh-Oh Tour (1992)
* David Byrne Tour (1994)
* Feelings Tour (1997-1998)
* Look Into the Eyeball Tour (2001-2002)
* Grown Backwards Tour (2004-2005)
* [[Songs of David Byrne and Brian Eno Tour]] (2008-2009) <small>(with [[Brian Eno]])</small>
* [[Love This Giant Tour]] (2012-2013) <small>(with [[St. Vincent (musician)|St. Vincent]])</small>
* [[American Utopia#Tour|American Utopia Tour]] (2018)
* [[Who Is the Sky?#Tour|Who Is the Sky? Tour]] (2025-2026)

==Awards and nominations==
{{main|List of awards and nominations received by David Byrne}}

==Bibliography==
Sources:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.davidbyrne.com/art/david_byrne_artbio.php |title=Byrne's bibliography on Byrne's Website |website=Davidbyrne.com |access-date=June 25, 2010}}</ref>
* ''True Stories'' (1986)
* Preface for [https://aperture.org/shop/occupied-territory-2997/ ''Occupied Territory''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191026161215/https://aperture.org/shop/occupied-territory-2997/ |date=October 26, 2019 }} by [[Lynne Cohen]], [[Aperture Foundation]] (1987)
* ''Strange Ritual'', [[Chronicle Books]] (1995)
* ''Your Action World'' (1999)
* ''The New Sins (Los Nuevos Pecados)'' (2001)
* ''David Byrne Asks You: What Is It?'' Smart Art Press (2002)
* ''Envisioning Emotional Epistemological Information'' with DVD (2003)
* ''Arboretum'' (2006)
* ''Bicycle Diaries'' (2009)
* ''[[How Music Works]]'' (2012)
* ''American Utopia'' (2020)<ref>{{Cite web |date=December 10, 2020 |title=American Utopia: David Byrne: Bloomsbury Publishing |url=https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/american-utopia-9781635576689/ |access-date=November 19, 2024 |website=Bloomsbury}}</ref>
*  ''A History of the World (in Dingbats): Drawings & Words'' (2022)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{Citation |author1=Gittins, Ian |year=2004 |title=Talking Heads Once in a Lifetime: The Stories Behind Every Song |publisher=[[Carlton Publishing Group|Carlton]] |isbn=978-1-84442-671-3 |ref=none}}
* {{Citation |author1=Howell, John |author2=Byrne, David |year=1992 |title=David Byrne |publisher=[[Thunder's Mouth Press]] |isbn=978-1-56025-031-9 |ref=none}}
* {{Citation |author1=Steenstra, Sytze |year=2010 |title=Song and Circumstance: The Work of David Byrne from Talking Heads to the Present |publisher=[[Continuum International Publishing Group|Continuum]] |isbn=978-0-8264-4168-3 |ref=none}}

==External links==
{{Sister project links|b=no|n=no|v=no|wikt=no|species=no|s=no|d=Q336640}}
* {{Official website}}
* [https://arbutus.world/ Arbutus Foundation] - a charity founded by Byrne
* {{AllMusic|class=artist|id=mn0000197364|title=David Byrne|access-date=January 8, 2017}}
* {{discogs artist}}
* {{IMDb name|126154}}
* {{Charlie Rose view|4012}}
* [https://www.npr.org/2023/11/01/1209679558/david-byrne-talking-heads-stop-making-sense David Byrne interview] on ''[[Fresh Air]]'', November 1, 2023

{{David Byrne|state=expanded}}
{{Navboxes
|title = [[List of awards and nominations received by David Byrne|Awards for David Byrne]]
|list =
{{AcademyAwardBestOriginalScore 1981-2000}}
{{DramaDesk Music 2001–2025}}
{{Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score 1970–1989}}
{{Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media}}
{{GMSA for Best Song Written and/or Recording Created for a Film}}
{{Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award}}
{{2002 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame}}
{{Special Tony Award}}
}}
{{Talking Heads}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Byrne, David}}
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