Nero: 'Welcome Reality' to be re-released in the US
Exclusive: Interscope To Re-Release Nero's 'Welcome Reality' With New Tracks, Skrillex Remix of 'Promises'
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Nero may have sent six tracks from debut album Welcome Reality onto the charts in the U.K., but Interscope A&R rep Dave Rene thinks the EDM band has only scratched the surface of its success in the U.S.
"They have such a massive following [in the U.K.], but we just didn't have kind of traction here yet," said Rene, who told Billboard back in May that his two biggest successes of the past twelve months were getting his own office and signing Nero. "With 'Promises' now catching fire here, we just wanted to re-pack[age the album] to re-introduce them and also add some new content in an album context."
With that philosophy in mind, Interscope/Cherrytree Records is re-packaging the album as Welcome Reality +, which will include two new original tracks as well as the Skrillex-assisted remix of "Promises," the original of which debuted at No. 1 on the U.K. charts and recently was certified Gold in the U.S. The album is set for release October 22.
Welcome Reality initially came out on the band's U.K. label MTA Records last August, before Rene -- who had been tracking the band for three years -- was able to bring them to Interscope with the intention to break them in the U.S. "To me they're the rock band of this electronic, EDM space," Rene said, musing on what attracted him to the group initially. "That was one of the most interesting things I'd heard in a long time... It was really progressive for a major label like Interscope [to sign them], when a lot of people here weren't quite ready for it."
One way to sell American audiences was to involve Skrillex, who has become somewhat synonymous with the rise of EDM in the U.S., legitimized by his three Grammy wins earlier this year. His remix of "Promises" -- which Rene dubs as more of a collaboration and a "complete flip of the song" than a remix -- has become the band's best-selling track since it came out alongside the single last year. "[Skrillex's] sound design is meticulous, so he just put his swag on it," said Rene. "You can't really go wrong with a Skrillex co-sign at this point."
Nero is joined on Interscope by other EDM acts such as Zedd, Alesso, and Swedish House Mafia's Sebastian Ingrosso, putting Interscope at the forefront of the major label push into the EDM scene. Cherrytree Records -- the label owned by Martin Kierszenbaum which initially left, then decided to remain with Interscope at the end of July -- also boasts Far East Movement, Robyn, and LMFAO on its roster.
"When I met with Dan, Joe and Alana at their studio in London, I knew they were onto to something very special and with the help of Jason Iley at Mercury UK, we began a quintessentially "Cherrytree" campaign to introduce Nero in the US in an authentic and organic way," Kierszenbaum said in a statement to Billboard.biz. "This latest, new package relaunch is the continuation of that plan and another anchor to bring further attention to what is a maverick and remarkable album."
Coinciding with the release of Welcome Reality +, Nero is headed out onto the road for nine dates starting October 24, with stops in Boston, New York, and Washington D.C., with more dates expected to be announced shortly. The band has also been in the studio, with a new project tentatively slated for next year to come on the heels of this release and the momentum "Promises" is gaining with its gold status.
"We're thrilled that Promises has gone gold in the States... it's certainly not something we could have ever predicted when we made the record back home in the UK.," Nero said in a statement to Billboard.biz. "It really means a lot to us and we want to say a huge thanks to all our fans in America for the support they've given us. We've been in the studio the last few months so we're looking forward to sharing the new music and coming back to tour the States in October."
i like nero but i legit think they should stop trying to make them happen in the US. if anything they should wait until they release their 2nd album and promote that properly stateside as opposed to digging up their has-been debut and force-feeding it the american audience
NERO
Hi everyone.. this Monday we'll be giving away a new track called 'Won't You (Be There)'. It's a dancefloor tune we initially wrote to play out in our DJ sets, but we thought that while we work on our 2nd album we'd give it to you guys....check back here on Monday evening to grab it.
