Donald Glover is closing the chapter on his musical persona, Childish Gambino, with one final act. The five-time Grammy winner is set to release his new album, Bando Stone & The New World, this week before retiring his stage name.
In a recent interview, Glover opened up about his decision to step away from music. He explained that while he continues to thrive in the film industry, his music career no longer feels fulfilling. “It really was just like, ‘Oh, it’s done.’ It’s not fulfilling. And I just felt like I didn’t need to build in this way anymore,” he shared with The New York Times on July 17.
At 40, Glover announced his retirement as Childish Gambino ahead of the release of his fifth and final album, Bando Stone & The New World, on Friday, July 19. This album will also serve as the soundtrack for the movie of the same name, starring Glover himself. The upcoming album features an impressive lineup of artists, including Flo Milli, Amaarae, Yeat, Foushee, Steve Lacy, Jorja Smith, and Chloe Bailey.
What we know about Donald Glover’s Bando Stone and The New World album?
Glover is embracing new priorities, expressing deep affection for his family. “I think grace is undervalued in the world. When I put my son on my shoulders, I feel deep joy. That’s real,” he reflected, highlighting his focus on spending quality time with his sons, Legend, Drake, and Donald Glover III, whom he shares with his wife, Michelle White.
Bando Stone & The New World follows Childish Gambino’s previous album, 3.15.20, released in 2020. A select audience had the chance to preview Glover’s new music at a listening party at NYC’s Little Island.
Simultaneously, Glover has been nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards—Outstanding Lead Actor and Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series for Mr. & Mrs. Smith.
In the upcoming blockbuster Bando Stone & The New World, Glover stars as Bando Stone, a famous musician stranded in an empty world. The film, which he also directed and produced, follows Stone as he navigates a dystopian, post-apocalyptic world alongside Jessica Allain’s character and her child. The trailer, which premiered on July 1, 2024, teases a sci-fi thriller-comedy filled with gigantic computer-generated animals and the haunting question, “What are you when the world ends?”
Glover’s final bow as Childish Gambino marks the end of an era, but it also signals the beginning of new adventures in both his personal and professional life.
