David Byrne

David Byrne is a musician, composer, and producer. Recent works include the Broadway debut of David Byrne’s American Utopia and the forthcoming Spike Lee–directed film version; the launch of his Reasons to Be Cheerful online magazine; and the solo album American Utopia. Byrne co-founded the band Talking Heads, for which he was the guitarist and lead singer, and established the record labels Luaka Bop and Todo Mundo. Other artistic achievements include the theatrical piece Joan of Arc: Into the Fire; The Institute Presents: NEUROSOCIETY, a series of interactive environments questioning human perception and bias; the theatrical production Here Lies Love; and the book How Music Works. Byrne wrote, directed, and starred in True Stories, a musical collage of discordant Americana released in 1986. For his contribution to The Last Emperor’s soundtrack, Byrne received an Academy Award for Best Original Score.