Donald Glover is officially putting the Childish Gambino moniker to rest. In a conversation with The New York Times published on Wednesday, the 40-year-old explained why his upcoming LP Bando Stone & The New World will be the final project under the Childish Gambino name.
"It really was just like, 'Oh, it's done.' It's not fulfilling," Glover admitted to the outlet. "And I just felt like I didn't need to build in this way anymore."
"I'm not 25 anymore, standing in front of a boulder like, 'This has to move,'" he added. "You give what you can, but there's beauty everywhere in every moment. You don't have to build it. You don't have to search for it."
The GRAMMY winner implied that becoming a parent also influenced his decision to shed the alter ego, as well as a changed definition of what success means.
"Success to me is, honestly, being able to put out a wide-scale album that I would listen to," he said. "For this album [Bando], I really wanted to be able to play big rooms and have big, anthemic songs that fill those rooms, so that people feel a sense of togetherness."
Donald Glover and his wife, Michelle White, have three sons born in 2016, 2018, and 2020.
"I think grace is undervalued in the world.. When I put my son on my shoulders, I feel deep joy. That's real," Glover, who has three sons with Michelle White, born in 2016, 2018 and 2020, added. "No one on their deathbed is going to look back and say, 'Thank God I avoided being cringe.'"
Glover has utilized the Childish Gambino alter ego for over a decade, rising to fame with six albums and five GRAMMY wins. Bando Stone & The New World will be the rapper's first release since he surprised fans with the release of 3.15.20 in March 2020.
The album featured appearances by Ariana Grande, 21 Savage and SZA, and was released as two versions: a continuous play version under "Donald Glover Presents," and a standard track-by-track version under "Childish Gambino." In May, it received an update with the release of Atavista (3.15.20 reimagined versions).
Bando Stone & The New World, which also serves as the soundtrack for Glover's upcoming feature film directorial debut of the same name, boasts a star-studded lineup of musical guests including Jorja Smith, Yeat, Chloe Bailey, Steve Lacy, Flo Milli, Amaarae, Foushee and more. One of Glover's sons even makes a cameo.
"If people listen to this album, and it becomes a part of their identity, if they look back a year later and are reminded of how much they listened to it and what that felt like in the summer of '24 -- that kind of real estate is way more valuable to me [than chart metrics]," Glover told the NYT.
Glover further expanded on his decision to retire Childish Gambino during a recent visit to First We Feast's Hot Ones.
"I always knew like Childish Gambino was like a character, on some level I wanted it to end," Glover told host Sean Evans. "I feel like the Childish Gambino character is almost like the boss from The Office. It's like yeah, that worked 10 years ago...It's like oh, it's a little sad but it's also like wow, the cycle kind of continues which is great I think."
Donald Glover to retire his decade-long moniker, Childish Gambino.
Friday's album release isn't the only reason Glover will be celebrating this week. On Wednesday, the actor picked up two Primetime Emmy nominations for his role as John Smith in Prime Video's Mr. & Mrs. Smith.
The TV series is a new take on the 2005 film that starred Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, with a twist on the film's original premise.
Glover stars alongside Maya Erskine -- who also scored a nomination for her role as Jane Smith -- as two strangers who land jobs working for a mysterious spy agency that offers them a glorious life of espionage, wealth, world travel, and a dream brownstone in Manhattan. The catch? New identities in an arranged marriage as Mr. and Mrs. John and Jane Smith.
Now hitched, John and Jane navigate a high-risk mission every week while also facing a new relationship milestone. Their complex cover story becomes even more complicated when they catch real feelings for each other. The series asks the question: what's riskier, espionage or marriage?
Donald Glover and Maya Erskine in Prime Video's 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith'
The show earned 16 Emmy nominations overall, including Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, and Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.
Glover and series co-creator Francesca Sloane released a statement reacting to the Emmy noms to ET, saying, "We really weren't expecting this, but damn did we put in some work -- it's not every day you get to make something with a bunch of your best friends and it's definitely not every day that it then receives love this way."
The statement continues, "We want to do a quick shout out to the people who deserve some recognition -- Jen, Vernon, Kara, Carina, and the entire Amazon team for your unwavering support in making this our way, Michael Schaefer (the muscle), Yariv and New Regency, Anthony 'I'll never say no' Katagas (you're the man), Kaitlin (the glue), Fam (the secret sauce), Hiro (the visionary), Christian (the heart), Carmen Cuba (queen), Doug, Karena, Amy, Christina, Steve, Carla, Adamma, Adanne, Yvonne, Julia, Schuyler, Kyle, Isaac, Kate and especially Greg, Dave, Gerry, Ruth, Madeline, Blair, Cody, Stephen Murphy, Pope and his amazing team, Nathan, Rob, Eric, Glen, Emile, all of our ridiculously talented guest stars, the rest of the tirelessly committed cast and crew, including and especially to all of the PAs and assistants."
"And most importantly, thank you to Maya for your generosity and incomparable genius in being our Jane. We love you all," the statement ends.
Bando Stone & The New World will be available on all musical platforms on Friday.
The 2024 Primetime Emmy Awards will broadcast live on Sunday, Sept. 15 at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET on ABC and stream the following day on Hulu.
In the meantime, stay tuned to ETonline.com for complete Emmys coverage.
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