INTERVIEW: X Ambassadors Talk 'Ahead Of Myself,' Vulnerable Sophomore Album

X Ambassadors understand just how big the expectations are for the next era in their career, and considering the overwhelming success of their debut album, VHS, it's entirely understandable. Released in early 2015, the group's debut set spawned the platinum-selling "Renegades," and the double-platinum "Unsteady," helped land bookings amongst festivals like Lollapalooza and Bonnaroo, and has since become a measure of success for Sam Harris, Casey Harris and Adam Levin.

Ahead of a handful of international tour dates, which will see the trio touch down in Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom, the band stopped by iHeartRadio HQ to discuss their newest offering: "Ahead Of Myself." Leading their as-yet-untitled sophomore effort, the record sees the band coming face-to-face with insecurities and fears, all while trying not to judge themselves or others because of them. Elsewhere in the conversation, the trio spoke about their sophomore effort, reminisced on the band's early days and teased the rest of their 2017 plans.

iHeartRadio: What can you tell us about "Ahead of Myself?"

Sam Harris: It's a very personal song for us. It's a song about admitting your fault, admitting mistakes, and admitting when, and recognizing when you have, maybe, gotten in a little over your head [or] a little too deep in something, or maybe committed to something or someone, or made promises that you realize eventually. "I don't know if I did the right thing." [It's like] when you get ahead of yourself. It's going to be the first single for our new record, and it's a step in a new and exciting direction for us, so we're stoked.

Your debut, VHS, was just so big. Are you nervous going into this next era of your careers?

Casey Harris: The second album's always the big test, you know?

Adam Levine: It's the tricky one.

Casey: You have to outdo yourself, and if you've done really well the first time around, that's a high bar to go for. I don't know. We're all pretty excited and pretty confident about this album, honestly.

Will the collection be just as vulnerable as "Ahead of Myself"?

Sam: Yeah, I would say even more so. We've been through a lot together as a band over the last year and a half, and since we made VHS and we've grown. There's been heartbreak and struggle and there's been a lot, and it all went into this new record. The songs are very personal, but it also feels celebratory, too. It's an exciting new chapter for us.

VHS was 20 tracks long. You had a bunch of interludes. Are you still aiming for such a big and comprehensive album?

Sam: As of right now, we are trying to get it a little tighter. I mean, the last album, there were 13 songs, 20 tracks, because of all the interludes. As of right now, there are less interludes on it. That may change. But we're still telling the story. We're creating a mood and creating a world on this new record. I don't want to give away too much because you got to listen to it when it comes out.

I read once about how you felt like you needed to leave the New York City area to find your sound. Years later and whatnot, what do you think about when you look back at that era in your careers?

Sam: I mean, that was like nose to the grindstone, real hustle period for us. We played shows for nobody and we played shows for free, and for just tips, literally passing ... to lose money. We played to rooms full of people who just couldn't care less. But we did it over and over and over and over again, and it was a really beautiful time for us. I mean, obviously, I think when anyone looks back on their initial years as a group or as an artist, it's always very nostalgic, and you look back on those times fondly, which we do, but they were also very, very difficult. We're very happy to be where we are right now.

Do you have any advice for any bands that are in that same position that you guys were in when you were trying to hustle and make it work?

Adam: Just hustle. I mean, it sounds cliché, but for us, all of our biggest opportunities came from things we least expected [like] doing that one acoustic performance that seemed just for a kid's blog that no one watches. That essentially what got us signed and started our careers, so, really, just taking every opportunity, no matter how big or small, and just keep going no matter what.

What's the game plan for the rest of the year?

Sam: We have a lot going on, but it's also kind of all up in the air, because we've got the record coming out. We've got the new single coming out, and we have videos to shoot. We have a promo to do. We're holding off time for that will quickly get filled up. It's going to be a busy end of the year for us. And then top of next year, we will probably be going on an extensive tour supporting the next record.

Casey: Also, in September, we're putting on our own festival in our hometown of Ithaca, New York, which I'm really excited about. We're curating it and playing it, and somehow managed to get The Roots to co-headline it with us, so we're pretty stoked on that.

Sam: It's called the Cayuga Sound Festival.

This conversation has been edited for clarity and length.

Photo: Katherine Tyler for iHeartRadio


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