David Byrne has revealed his new album, Who Is the Sky?, isn’t his only major life event this week. On his Instagram Story, the Talking Heads founding member announced that he is getting married to his partner, Mala Gaonkar, just weeks after they announced their engagement.
To mark the occasion, Byrne shared a list of instrumental songs that will be played during their wedding dinner. “I’m getting married this week and made an almost entirely instrumental playlist while our guests eat an amazing and spicy dinner,” he wrote. “My sense is that words and lyrics can be distracting — the ear goes to them, especially if it’s a song one knows.”
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He continued, “So, I opted for buoyant instrumentals that will create a hopeful and joyous atmosphere… and that folks can also ignore at the same time.”
Spanning 42 songs and two-and-a-half hours, the playlist features tracks by Brian Eno, Jeff Beck, Herbie Hancock, Henry Mancini, and T Bone Burnett, as well as Latin artists like El Alfa, Son Rompe Pera, and Meridian Brothers.
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In a recent interview with The Sunday Times, Byrne spoke about his relationship with Gaonkar in the context of his new song “Moisturizing Things,” saying: “My fiancée will sometimes come at me with greasy hands, ready to smear my face. And at one point I thought, ‘What if I wake up and really looked younger?’ Hence the song. But there’s a message, too. About how people judge us by the way we look. You learn a lesson you didn’t expect at the start.”
Gaonkar is the founder of SurgoCap Partners, the largest female-led hedge fund to date, as well as the co-founder of the Surgo Foundation and a former founding partner at Lone Pine Capital. She also collaborated with her fiancé on his 2016 guided immersive theater production, “Theater of the Mind.”
Who Is the Sky? arrives this Friday, September 5th, via Matador Records. Featuring singles “The Avant Garde,” “She Explains Things to Me,” and “Everybody Laughs,” it will be supported by a multi-leg world tour across North America, Australia, New Zealand, and Europe beginning later this month. See the schedule below, and get tickets here.
David Byrne 2025-2026 Tour Dates:
09/14 – Providence, RI @ Veterans Memorial Auditorium
09/16 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Benedum Center PAC
09/17 – Columbus, OH @ Mershon Auditorium
09/19 – Akron, OH @ Akron Civic Theatre
09/21 – Schenectady, NY @ Proctors
09/23 – Syracuse, NY @ Landmark Theatre
09/25 – Buffalo, NY @ Shea’s Buffalo Theatre
09/27 – Washington, DC @ The Anthem
09/28 – Washington, DC @ The Anthem
09/30 – New York, NY @ Radio City Music Hall
10/01 – New York, NY @ Radio City Music Hall
10/02 – Boston, MA @ Boch Center Wang Theatre
10/03 – Boston, MA @ Boch Center Wang Theatre
10/04 – Boston, MA @ Boch Center Wang Theatre
10/07 – Wallingford, CT @ Toyota Oakdale Theatre
10/08 – Portland, ME @ Merrill Auditorium at City Hall
10/10 – New York, NY @ Radio City Music Hall
10/11 – New York, NY @ Radio City Music Hall
10/14 – Richmond, VA @ Altria Theater
10/16 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Met Philadelphia presented by Highmark
10/17 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Met Philadelphia presented by Highmark
10/18 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Met Philadelphia presented by Highmark
10/21 – Toronto, ON, Canada @ Massey Hall
10/22 – Toronto, ON, Canada @ Massey Hall
10/23 – Toronto, ON, Canada @ Massey Hall
10/25 – Detroit, MI @ Fox Theatre
10/28 – Chicago, IL @ The Auditorium
10/29 – Chicago, IL @ The Auditorium
10/31 – Chicago, IL @ The Auditorium
11/01 – Chicago, IL @ The Auditorium
11/03 – Minneapolis, MN @ Orpheum Theatre
11/04 – Minneapolis, MN @ Orpheum Theatre
11/06 – Denver, CO @ Bellco Theatre
11/07 – Denver, CO @ Bellco Theatre
11/11 – Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theatre
11/12 – Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theatre
11/13 – Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theatre
11/16 – San Francisco, CA @ The Theater at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
11/17 – San Francisco, CA @ The Theater at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
11/18 – San Francisco, CA @ The Theater at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
11/20 – Los Angeles, CA @ Dolby Theatre
11/21 – Los Angeles, CA @ Dolby Theatre
11/25 – Austin, TX @ Bass Concert Hall
11/26 – Austin, TX @ Bass Concert Hall
11/28 – Dallas, TX @ Music Hall at Fair Park
11/29 – Dallas, TX @ Music Hall at Fair Park
12/02 – Atlanta, GA @ Fox Theatre
12/03 – Atlanta, GA @ Fox Theatre
12/05 – Miami, FL @ Fillmore Miami Beach At Jackie Gleason Theatre
12/06 – Miami, FL @ Fillmore Miami Beach At Jackie Gleason Theatre
01/14 – Auckland, NZ @ Spark Arena
01/17 – Brisbane, AU @ Brisbane Entertainment Center
01/21 – Sydney, AU @ ICC Sydney Theatre
01/22 – Melbourne, AU @ Sidney Myer Music Bowl
01/24 – Adelaide, AU @ Adelaide Entertainment Centre Arena
01/27 – Perth, AU @ RAC Arena
02/12 – Berlin, DE @ Tempodrom
02/15 – Amsterdam, NL @ AFAS Live
02/16 – Amsterdam, NL @ AFAS Live
02/18 – Brussels, BE @ Forest National
02/21 – Milan, IT @ Teatro degli Arcimboldi
02/22 – Milan, IT @ Teatro degli Arcimboldi
02/24 – Frankfurt, DE @ Jahrhunderthalle
02/26 – Esch-sur-Alzette, LU @ Rockhal Main Hall
02/27 – Zurich, CH @ The Hall
03/02 – Cardiff, UK @ Utilita Arena
03/03 – London, UK @ Eventim Apollo
03/04 – London, UK @ Eventim Apollo
03/06 – Glasgow, UK @ SEC Armadillo
03/07 – Glasgow, UK @ SEC Armadillo
03/09 – Manchester, UK @ O2 Apollo
03/10 – Manchester, UK @ O2 Apollo
03/13 – Dublin, IE @ 3Arena
03/15 – London, UK @ Eventim Apollo
03/16 – London, UK @ Eventim Apollo
03/18 – Paris, FR @ La Seine Musicale
03/19 – Paris, FR @ La Seine Musicale
