Tyler, The Creator says he originally planned for CHROMAKOPIA, ranked by Complex as the second-best album of 2024, to be his “last album for a VERY long time.”
In a note to fans on Tuesday, Oct. 29, Tyler pointed listeners to the release of “MOTHER” and detailed what led to its creation. The song, now available thanks to a CHROMAKOPIA re-release, previously served as “the grounding piece of the album” before being taken off the tracklist at the “last minute.” Elaborating further on his intentions behind his eighth studio album, Tyler expressed gratitude for an “incredible year” brought on by its release.
“I was planning on this being my last album for a VERY long time,” he wrote on Instagram. “Release it. Do the big tour. Go disappear and only pop out for movie roles. See what a life is like without work being top of mind. It’s hard [though], I love making things.”
Despite these original plans, Tyler ended up with an album that he says took him “places the others didn’t,” leading to him feeling “in awe of the success” a year on from its October 2024 release.
“To those who love this body of work, tell me about it,” he told fans. “I hope it holds weight in your life. Thank you.”
Of course, CHROMAKOPIA did not end up being Tyler’s “last album for a VERY long time.” Instead, he gave fans DON’T TAP THE GLASS less than a year later, again opting for a Monday rollout instead of the industry standard of Friday.
At the close of his recent world tour, Tyler let fans know he was pondering a “long break,” saying at the time that he’s “fucking not 20 no more.”
In December, Tyler will be seen alongside Timothée Chalamet in the Josh Safdie-directed Marty Supreme. At a surprise screening this month, the two-time Grammy winner thanked Safdie and urged those in attendance to “make the biggest noise” for the writer-director.
“I’m so grateful, beyond grateful,” he told the New York Film Festival crowd. “I play piano and put on cool clothes. I do not act at all. This man is so good that I trusted him and said, ‘Anything you need. I don’t want to read this script. I will show up and be there.’ Because I trust this man and the way he curated and handled every detail. And the team, working with y’all, it was so wonderful. I got emotional up there because you gave me a chance, so I thank you, I love you, and thank you.”