Actor, singer, songwriter, and “recently retired DJ” Ansel Elgort sat down with Billboard this week to discuss his recent pivot toward the music world. With cosigns from Frank Ocean as well as Logic (“When you hear Ansel’s music, you know he has really taken the time to study…), Elgort has at least some sort of momentum behind him as he attempts to transition into a serious musician. He also spoke about his time opening for the The Chainsmokers on their 2015 Friend Zone Tour. From Billboard:
“It’s a prime example of how success makes everyone hate you if you’re not underground,” he says when asked about the perhaps inevitable pockets of backlash against The Chainsmokers. “And I’ve also been there. It becomes a meme to hate somebody. But don’t be like, ‘They seem like they’re so bro-y.’ They were never trying to fool anyone into thinking they weren’t bro-y.” He takes a deep breath. “Sorry if I sound heated. It’s just so easy to be a hater.”
He also shared a bit about hanging out with Frank Ocean at the Met Gala back in May:
He admits that he recently had a “who?” moment at the Met Ball, when Frank Ocean approached him. “I was like, ‘He looks like Frank Ocean … but why is he being so nice to me?’” recalls Elgort. “He said he had seen me singing ‘City of Stars’ [from La La Land] on Instagram, and he said, ‘You have an amazing voice.’ ” Post-Met Ball, the two hung out in Chinatown, “and no one bothered us, never,” says Elgort. “Then we walked into an ice cream store with a lot of kids, and after two minutes it was like, ‘OK, let’s bounce.’”
Also Read
GAY RAP
Check out the interview in full over on Billboard.
