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Buzz Knight
Taking a Walk I'm Buzz Knight, the host of the Taking a Walk podcast. And imagine strolling down a sunlit street, the pulse of the city in your ears. Then suddenly you hear the unmistakable beat that makes you want to move. Today on Taking a Walk, we're going to step into the rhythm and soul of Fitz and the Tantrums. The band that turned retro grooves into modern anthems and made dancing in the street cool again. From chart topping hits to electrifying live shows. Fits in. The Tantrums have redefined what it means to blend old school soul with new school pop. So lace up your sneakers and join us as we take a walk with the band that's been keeping us on our feet and on our toes ever since their first infectious hook. Hang out a couple minutes, we'll pay some bills and be right back with Fitz.
Fitz
This is an iHeart podcast.
Bobby Bones
Hey, it's Bobby from the Bobby Bones Show. I had an incredible time at this year's iHeartRadio music festival and even got the chance to hang out with Diplo and Bailey Zimmerman while I was there. How did Ashes come together? Diplo?
Diplo
I pulled up real quick. He was about to leave on tour. You're about to jump in your tour bus and we had like three hours.
Bailey Zimmerman
It was really cool. He literally just like randomly showed up to my house and like, oh hey Diplo, what are you doing? He's like, I have a song that I want to show you. And I was like, okay.
Bobby Bones
You can listen to the full episode out now wherever you get your podcasts and big shout out to my friends at Hyundai for making this possible. Had a blast cruising around festival weekend in the all new Palisade hybrid.
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Walk is brought to you by Chase Sapphire Reserve. Whether I'm booking my next vacation or going to a concert, Chase Sapphire Reserve is my gateway to the world's most captivating destinations. When I use my Chase Sapphire Reserve Card, I get eight times points on all the purchases I make through Chase Travel and even access to one of a kind experiences like music festivals and sports events. And that's not even mentioning how the card gets me into the Sapphire Lounge by the club at select airports nationwide. No matter where I'm walking, travel is more rewarding with Chase Sapphire Reserve. Discover more@chase.com Sapphire Reserve cards issued by JP Morgan Chase Bank NA member FDIC subject to credit approval terms apply. Every music lover has that moment you hear or read something that stops you in your tracks. A forgotten B side, an offhand comment in an interview, a connection. Nobody else noticed that. Curiosity.
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Buzz Knight
Buzz Lexus believes in the importance of standards. One of my standards I never want to be late. I always want to show up on time. For Lexus, the standard is simple experience. Amazing. Their benchmarks aren't stats or specs, they're feelings. Exhilaration, joy. That sense your car was designed just for you. Machines built to make you feel more human. Because a car that doesn't make you feel something is a car that stops short of amazing experience. Amazing at your Lexus dealer.
Interviewer
Taking a Walk oh Fitz, it's so great to be with you on the Taking a Walk podcast.
Chase Sapphire Reserve Sponsor
Thank you.
Fitz
No, thanks so much for having me. Pleasure to be here.
Interviewer
So, before we get with the festivities and we talk about man on the Moon and the tour, which I'm so excited for, for you and the band, I want to ask you our opening question since we call the podcast Taking a Walk. If you could take a walk with somebody living or dead, associated with music, more than likely, who would you take a walk with and where would you take that walk?
Fitz
Me and my family were huge fans of going to Europe every summer. Just got back from there, so that's still fresh in my mind. Walking through ancient European cities streets is pretty magical experience, I would say. Walking through somewhere in like Aix en Provence in the south of France with, hmm, let's see, Jimi Hendrix or Jeff Buckley, One of those two. That's. Those are my two picks.
Interviewer
Oh, I love that. I love that. That's. That's, that's quite a. That's quite a range, my friend.
Fitz
Absolutely. Well, I mean I'm Jeff beikley, obviously. For as a singer, I bow to that man. I think he's one of the most amazing singers of all time and also one of the greatest songwriters in them. Just as a sheer freak shredder, Jimi Hendrix. I mean, you gotta kinda think he'd have a good night out with him.
Interviewer
That would be awesome. Jeff's father was not too bad of a musician either, don't you say?
Fitz
Oh yeah. I mean, Tim was an incredible musician. It's interesting to see their sort of competitive, estranged relationship. I think it's part of the reason why Jeff Buckley was so brilliant.
Interviewer
You know, I think Tim Buckley and Jeff Buckley are both very under appreciated by the masses.
Fitz
Oh, for sure.
Interviewer
So Fitz, what inspired you way at the beginning to form Fitz and the Tantrums? Tell me how this all first came together.
Fitz
You know, for me, I, you know, I've been a singer my whole entire life. Came out of the womb singing, driving my parents crazy, my whole life, just always been a singer. But you know, I think it took me a long time to kind of find my true natural voice. And you know, I had many, many projects, many bands where I was a singer, sometimes, sometimes just a producer making beats behind a singer. You know, I had so many bands before this one and nothing ever worked out. And I kind of had to put down the dream and pick it up like two or three different times. But every time I couldn't let the idea go because I just felt like it was what I always kind of visualized as what my life would be. And just, you know, when you're somebody making music, for me, it's never been a choice, it's been a calling. And if I don't do it on the regular, I don't feel balanced as a human being. And I just couldn't let the idea go. And so, you know, I had branched out into writing music for film and television, started a company doing music for advertising, done all these things because I kept getting outright rejected by the music business. Couldn't get arrested, nobody cared, nobody wanted to hear any of it. And ultimately, you know, I came back to it one more time. And this time it was just like I think I was finally had found what felt like, you know, when you're a singer in your whole life, you can sing in many different styles. And then the question really becomes, what is your authentic voice if you can imitate many styles as a trained vocalist? And it was really only with those first songs that I started to write that I really found that. And those were the songs that became fits in the Tantrums. I think a lot of the projects I had done before, they tried to include all of my different tastes all in one EP or lp. And this time I was trying to be much more vigilant about staying true to this one vision. And that was easy because I've really found that my voice exploded when I sang in a soulful style. It's where my voice sang out the best and where I felt the most at ease and natural about it. So I just really made that first record trying to be true to that one vision. And after 15 years of no's, all of a sudden the universe started saying yes. And it felt supremely different than any other experience I had ever had before. And that just kind of fed me to believe that I should, you know, at 38 years old, take one more swing at trying to be in a band and, you know, got my first record deal when I was 40, 41, something unheard of, you know, and here I am, you know, days away from turning 55 and releasing my band's sixth studio album on a major record label. You know, did two solo records as well during that time. So this is my eighth album coming out in the last 16 years, and it's pretty, pretty incredible. And I'm super proud of this new album.
Interviewer
I'm so privileged that I've got to hear it all. And I have the chills with gratitude just thinking about it, and it's just so wonderful. But I have to ask you, going back again to what you were talking about, where did you get instilled in you this incredible resilience that kept you on this path that you're still on today?
Fitz
You know, honestly, anybody that's in these kinds of fields, whether it's trying to be a movie maker, a songwriter with a band, or an actor, there's so much of your life is waiting for somebody else to say yes to your dreams. And that's honestly also why I switched, because I also went to film school. I switched from film back to music because at least with the way that the convergence of technology happened, I could make a song in my room by myself. I didn't need 30 people to go make a movie, take months to do it. I could wake up in the morning with nothing, and by the evening I could be driving around listening to a song that I just created out of Thin Air. And that. That was a drug to me, that. That experience of creation from nothing to something and having something to show at the end of the day. Was so rewarding to me. And it just kept me. It kept me going. And at every turn, I just couldn't deny what I knew I wanted to do. And I just kept persevering and taking one more swing and taking one last swing. When my life was very comfortable, successful company, I basically risked everything. I took my whole entire savings and float threw it into the band while we toured the world, you know, with Sharon Jones and The Dab Kings, Maroon 5, all these amazing things. But I was doing, paying for the whole thing at the beginning. And it was just one huge leap of faith. But I will say again that I knew what rejection felt like because I had felt that for so many years, record labels passing on my projects and stuff, that this, the universe was just saying, there's a magic happening. And there was this whole word of mouth. This was at the height of Facebook exploding. There was this whole word of mouth where people were just like, you have to go see this band. Fits in the tantrums live. It's like going to the church of music. It's like nothing I've ever experienced. And we just set this high energy show celebration. Come let your hair down get crazy with us. And that word of mouth traveled via the Internet and helped propel us to the point where we could get a record deal and get the support and keep going. I'd say for me, work ethic, that's. I'm modestly talented and incredibly hardworking.
Interviewer
What? Modestly talented. I know, hardworking, but you're incredibly talented and you have incredible vision. And what I love about this particular project is how you had this vision to throw caution to the wind. So talk about the genesis of man on the Moon and the comfort that you, you know, had in that process.
Fitz
Yeah, well, I think, you know, one being our sixth studio album, you know, I don't feel like I have much to prove to anybody anymore. But also, you know, I went through so many different album cycles with so much pressure for radio singles and this, that and the other. You know, I mean, the thing is, is once you have a couple hit songs on the radio, it's a pretty amazing experience to see how that can travel around the world and show up. And everybody knows your music. It's amazing experience, but that's where the bar is there. And then you always have to maintain that. And anything less than that, it's going to feel like a failure or be perceived by the label or whoever as that. And just with the way that the whole world has changed, the way people consume content and media with TikTok and Instagram Reels and all that stuff. There's just such a different way that people are integrating with that that it's really turned the whole music business on its head. There's nobody really able to dictate or even know what necessarily is a hit anymore. There's very few of those anymore. And so you look at some of the biggest songs of last year and there's no way that any label would have backed that as a song. But guess what? The people decided it, the interwebs, the Internet decided it, and it was a hit. And so I think in that going into this record, I was free from the burden of trying to take a very specific swing. That's kind of like a part of being on a major label, you know, And I think I was just able to have that freedom to just do whatever the hell I wanted. And I didn't want to go. You know, we write in big songs we love. I love pop music, I love an infectious melody. But on this album, I wasn't so concerned with like trying to go with a one listen hit song radio single, you know, like, I could care less about that. Jonas Jerberg, who I did a lion's share of the record with, we sat down at the beginning and talked for hours and listened to my whole catalog and really had a discussion of what felt like it was working and, you know, honest conversation about like, what songs didn't work or what, you know, what parts of this album could have been better or what kind of, in retrospect was not the right choice. Being pretty critical about some of the past stuff, you know, and just saying that we wanted to really set this bar where no line was a disposable lyric, no part was just an afterthought that everything was challenged and held to a standard of just being a vibe, of being an experience. Did we feel something? And who gives a shit whether it sounds like a radio song or not? We're just going to make a record of atmosphere and mood and feelings and things that make us feel something and feel like that deep conversations and that compass that we set at the beginning really set a great path and map for how to make the record.
Interviewer
Well, you've just laid out a masterclass in creativity. So thank you first of all for that, but thank you for this, for this release. Do you think about the live performance aspect of a new release when you're putting it together? My guess is from what you just said, you don't, you know, it's all going to fall together. But do you think about the live performance piece?
Fitz
I mean, I would say for us, because our live show has become such an experience for us and such an expectation from our audience. We set the bar like here, here. You know, I am belting and dancing my ass off for an hour and a half every night. Noel is going absolutely crazy. You know, we don't ever do anything here energetically and it's been a part of what's made our show so fun. So there's never not an experience where we're thinking, how is this going to tie into our show? And that honestly was some of the like challenges. Like our set is so high energy and now six albums in, we are able to cherry pick the best moments from every album and put it into one set. And it's just a punch in the face from the beginning to the end. And on this new album there's some vibe here, tracks, some mid tempo tracks, some tracks that aren't on adrenaline and at level 10. And so it's been really interesting to see slotting those into the live set. We've played a couple of them and it's such a been an amazing experience to see people already gravitating to those songs. And honestly, it's like just a nice hills and valleys for a set for a live night.
Podcast Host
We'll be right back with more of the Taking a Walk podcast. Welcome back to the Taking a Walk podcast.
Interviewer
So I want to talk about a couple of the songs and get your reflection on them. First of all, the title track, man on the Moon. Absolutely love that. Love the, the whole feel of it. But talk about what that song means to you and the creative process behind it.
Fitz
Yeah, well, you know, I mean, I think that song was just a very of the moment experience just with everybody sort of coming into the studio every day, working, looking at their phones, scrolling through this insanity of news where you're just in shock about everything you're reading every day. You know, just trying to. That just kind of kicked off the first lyrics of that song. I feel too much. I want to get out of this place. You know, there's just too much information also because I'm not sure how much worse or better the world is, but what I do know is that every human being is consuming like gigabytes worth of information every, every day in a way that no human being has ever. So is the world on fire or are we just reading about every fire? That's always been happening in the world, but now we're reading about it. So the world feels on fire, you know what I mean? It feels very intense and overwhelming. And doom scrolling is not a healthy activity. And I think we can all get sucked very easily into it because guess what? The algorithm loves a doom scroll because they've kept all of our attention for that much longer.
Interviewer
Like me. Do you really sometimes curse the person that invented the infinite scroll?
Fitz
Yeah, I find myself trapped in it. I've found my attention span has been affected by it. You know, I have kids. I have to really pay attention to how I consume it and how they see me consume it. And if either me or my wife are in the house and we turn on a screen or we scroll once and they hear one little sound bite, they literally are like flies to, you know, moths to a flame. They're just all around me, all look. Trying to see what that little dopamine hit is. You know, I'm not sure where we're all headed as a society with the way that we're consuming all this content, but it's, you know, having just took a substantial little break of seriously detoxing from being in front of it for the last few weeks on vacation, I can see the difference mentally that it has in terms of how you perceive the world. World. And not sure we would have the same world we are living in right now without this form of content and the division we have in this world. All of this stuff, it's. It's insane. It's all algorithm based, tailor made living for all of us, you know.
Interviewer
Yep. The album opens up with one of my other favorites, the Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Maybe you could talk about that one.
Fitz
You know, I love this whole record because there's a lot of full circle moments. Back to our first record that had a lot of 60s soul influence to it and this one has a lot of that. Not in the exact same way, it's got a little more of a twist to it. But I just love that song because it just makes me think of just all the amazing, just spaghetti westerns, you know, it just has that vibe to it. I just love the energy of it. It's such a mood and I love singing it. It sits in that special yet again. Another soulful song that really lets me sing that one. Belt it hard.
Interviewer
Another amazing one. They're all amazing. But another one that absolutely I adore is withdrawals. Maybe you can talk about that one.
Fitz
That was. That was a real strong one and a special one because when we were starting to write for the album, that was one of the first ones that came out of the songwriting process. And it was at a moment where I wasn't totally sure. I was like, can I go this far back into our history to go. Go back full circle to this very soulful 60s moment? And I was a little trepidatious at first, but we had had our conversation and took the leap of faith and just leaned into it, you know, and it was just like, as soon as I got in the vocal booth and started laying down the vocal track, I was like, come on. This is, like, made for my voice, this song.
Interviewer
It feels like the entire work of this project that you and the band really in the zone. Is that a fair analogy? The. The feeling of being in the zone, just like athletes and everybody talk about as well?
Fitz
Yeah, I. I think so, you know, and I noticed that, you know, I mean, because I have made a lot of records. This was my eighth between my. These six band and two solos. This was my eighth record, you know, and I've played thousands of shows. And I think about it all the time when I'm performing live, too, is like, I have a great time out there, but I'm so comfortable out there because I've done it so much now that I'm like, oh, wow, this is Beyond Malcolm Gladwell's 10,000 hours. This is more like 30, 40,000 hours. And, wow, what an experience to be actively working, doing this thing and just feeling like all that work, all those shows, all those records, all those songwriting. So it's all culminated into a very, you know, seasoned performer who, you know, it's like I. I rarely get stage fright or nervous anymore. You know, it's like, it's nothing to me. And that's a crazy thing from where I started. This petrified little kid walking around on a stage, you know, talk about what.
Interviewer
It means to see that community when you're out playing live, all united in a place where everybody's forgetting their troubles, they're forgetting the way the world is or the way their personal life is. And you're out there with the band performing, and you're looking out and you're seeing the impact that you've made in that little community on that particular event. Describe that feeling for someone who's never experienced it, myself or others who haven't.
Fitz
Yeah, you know, I mean, it's a really humbling thing, especially. I think I'm specially placed in that it took so long for my dream to come true that I came into it with a little bit more wisdom and maturity. Just invariably through my age and to get to really experience and witness what that power is. I never have taken too seriously myself as an artist or that my songs are that great. But what I do have reverence for is the fact that once you put a song out into the world, people will take that song and make it theirs and put meaning into it and it becomes something for them. And that experience of getting to see and meet people out on the road, that pull me to the side and they say, you know, I was in such a dark place personally, I was suicidal last year. And your album, literally, I like put it on every morning and forced myself to go running. And your music brought me out of one of the darkest periods of my life. And you're like, holy, holy crap. It just gives me chills even talking about it. And it's not that I wrote such an amazing song, it's just that I created something. I put my heart into it. Somebody else listened to it and it meant something to them. And that experience, you know, we've met, you know, going to a show and they get an email from a family saying, hey, you're coming to Texas. Can we come backstage and meet you? Our daughter just finished doing chemotherapy and hand clap was her warrior song to get through all the treatments. And we're like, of course. And we're all parents and stuff and meeting this kid and just all weep and trying to not just shed buckets of tears as we look into those parents eyes and they say with so much sincerity, like, thank you for what this song provided to our daughter. It's just so humbling. So I never take even a silly pop song, even something with a silly. I never take it lightly or for granted the effect or the power that that stuff can have for other people and how they experience it. And then you take that and you play those shows live and you see the joy on people's faces. We've never tried to be the coolest band in the world, but we've always tried to just give people a safe space to. To let their hair down, have a weird, ugly dance session on the dance floor and get crazy with us and just sing and have fun and celebrate a moment. Because life is stressful, life is hard. And being on the road is not the funnest thing. It's 23 hours of grind for one hour of fun. Sometimes when you're not frigging totally exhausted, you know, it's a lot of work. So that joy that you see on people's face sometimes is the only thing getting you to somehow find the energy to do that level of show that we do every night of the week, it's very hard to pull off. And so that joy that you see and experience sometimes is the only thing that's keeping you going.
Interviewer
How do you keep the balance when you're on the road? You know, because it is such a grind.
Fitz
You know, I've been doing it for so long now, and I've spent so much time on the road that ultimately I have a very regimented routine. I wake up, me and two of the other guys, we go to the gym, we work out, we get or first. Sorry, first we find the best twisty mustache cup of coffee we can in whatever town we're at, have way too much caffeine. Then we go to the gym, we work out, come back, have dinner, do the show, and then get in the bus and drive to the next town and it's on repeat. As a singer, I gotta take supreme good care of myself. I'm the best shape of my life on the road because I'm working out every day and I'm doing a super high intense workout show, live show, while belting the whole time. So my resting heart rate at the end of Tour is like 43. And I'm not even joking.
Interviewer
I love it. I absolutely love it. What would we be surprised at that's on your personal playlist?
Fitz
I don't know. I mean, people don't know. I'm a. You know, I'm a sucker for a. For a big pop song, for a Dua Lipa pop song or, you know, this summer with my family, it's been summer of Sza, so we've just been. We like big R B pop songs and stuff like that. I don't know. I don't know if that would surprise anybody. I also grew up in a house full of classical music and operas, so I like to put that on sometimes. Calms the children and is nostalgic for me.
Interviewer
What is your take on the evolution of pop and soul music today?
Fitz
You know, I mean, I think technology has created so much innovation and independence, the amount of music is impossible to even comprehend. How to even begin to consume 1/100th of it when there are millions of songs coming out every week. But there is some pretty amazing stuff. And I think, like, I was going back to the inspirations or the freedom of today is for music. I'm not sure anybody knows anymore what's fully pop or not or what is the thing. I mean, there's always the standards, but I feel like people are saying yes to those sort of contrived pop songs less and less. It's user generated now and it can be for the weirdest reason. Having been a band that had, you know, has had several hit songs and have one of them out of my league, which is already 12 years old, is, you know, about to hit a billion streams here and it's streaming like crazy because it's on its third or fourth viral TikTok Instagram moment, whatever that means. The Internet giveth and the Internet taketh. I love it and hate it all at the same time.
Interviewer
Congratulations Fitz on the new album man on the Movie and the upcoming tour, and I'm so grateful that you took the time to be on the Taking A Walk podcast.
Fitz
Thanks. My pleasure. It was such a great interview. I appreciate you.
Podcast Host
Thanks for listening to this episode of the Taking A Walk podcast. Share this and other episodes with your friends and follow us so you never miss an episode. Taking a Walk is available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts.
Bobby Bones
Hey, it's Bobby from the Bobby Bones Show. I had an incredible time at this year's iHeartRadio music festival and even got the chance to hang out with Diplo and Bailey Zimmerman while I was there. How did Ashes come together? Diplo?
Diplo
I pulled up real quick. He was about to leave on tour. You're about to jump in your tour bus and we had like three hours.
Bailey Zimmerman
It was really cool. He really just like randomly showed up to my house and like, oh hey Diplo, what are you doing? He's like I have a song that I want to show you. And I was like okay, you can.
Bobby Bones
Listen to the full episode out now, wherever you get your podcast. And big shout out to my friends at Hyundai for making this possible. Had a blast cruising around festival weekend in the all new Palisade Hybrid.
Chase Sapphire Reserve Sponsor
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Buzz Knight
AI Buzz Lexis believes in the importance of standards One of my standards I never want to be late. I always want to show up on time. For Lexis, the standard is simple and experience amazing. Their benchmarks aren't stats or specs, they're feelings. Exhilaration. Joy. That sense your car was designed just for you. Machines built to make you feel more human. Because a car that doesn't make you feel something is a car that stops short of amazing experience. Amazing at your Lexus dealer.
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Fitz
Lenovo.
Interviewer
This is an iHeart podcast.
Podcast: Takin’ a Walk (iHeartPodcasts)
Host: Buzz Knight
Date: October 2, 2025
Guest: Fitz (Michael Fitzpatrick) of Fitz and the Tantrums
Episode Theme:
A deep-dive conversation with Fitz about the origins, evolution, and philosophy of Fitz and the Tantrums, the making of their new album "Man on the Moon," navigating the music business, creative resilience, and the enduring power of live performance.
This episode explores the journey of Fitz and the Tantrums from their inception to their sixth studio album, highlighting Fitz's personal story of perseverance, the creative process behind "Man on the Moon," and reflections on the current state of pop and soul music. Buzz Knight and Fitz discuss creativity, resilience, industry challenges, and the unique communal power of music at live shows.
Lifelong singer, but didn’t find his “true natural voice” for a long time (06:34).
Many prior bands and attempts, repeated setbacks and rejections by the music business.
“If I don't do it on the regular, I don't feel balanced as a human being.” (06:34)
Return to music after ventures into film, television, and advertising music.
The soul style unlocked his best, most natural singing; focused the debut record on that sound.
“After 15 years of no's, all of a sudden the universe started saying yes.” (09:19)
“Got my first record deal when I was 40, 41 … here I am, days away from turning 55 and releasing my band’s sixth studio album...” (09:33)
Notable Quote:
Resilience rooted in loving the act of creation and the “drug” of making something from nothing—able to “wake up with nothing, and by evening … be driving around listening to a song I just created out of thin air.” (10:47)
Risked everything financially on touring the world with the band.
Early word-of-mouth and live show buzz drove the band's break even before labels.
Attributes survival to “modestly talented and incredibly hardworking.” (13:08)
Notable Quote:
Sixth studio album: less pressure, “don’t feel like I have much to prove to anybody anymore.” (13:48)
Shift in industry: “No one really able to dictate ... what necessarily is a hit anymore ... the people decided it.” (15:03)
Creative freedom: not chasing a "one listen hit," but prioritizing authenticity, “a record of atmosphere and mood and feelings...”
Collaborative self-critique: worked with producer Jonas Jerberg to deeply analyze strengths, weaknesses, and challenge every lyric and idea.
Notable Quote:
The conversation is intimate, direct, and passionate—Fitz is self-aware, humble, and grounded, with a sense of gratitude and joy for where perseverance has taken him. The episode is both inspirational for those chasing creative dreams and informative for music fans curious about the behind-the-scenes realities of band life and modern music-making.
Summary prepared for listeners who haven’t heard the episode, providing an engaging, detail-rich account of the conversation, memorable quotes, and the overarching journey of Fitz and the Tantrums.