Rufus Wainwright - Unfollow the Rules (The Paramour Session) [Live] (2021)

Praised by the New York Times for his “genuine originality,” Rufus Wainwright has established himself as one of the great male vocalists, songwriters, and composers of his generation. The New York-born, Montreal-raised singer-songwriter has released ten studio albums to date, three DVDs, and three live albums including the Grammy-nominated Rufus Does Judy aT Carneige Hall. He has collaborated with artists such as Elton John, Burt Bacharach, Robert Wilson, David Byrne, Boy George, Joni Mitchell, Pet Shop Boys, Heart, Robbie Williams, Jessye Norman, Billy Joel, Paul Simon, Sting and producer Mark Ronson, among many others. He has written two operas, numerous songs for movies and TV, and is currently working on his first musical. His latest Grammy® and Juno nominated album, Unfollow the Rules, finds Wainwright at the peak of his powers, entering artistic maturity with passion, honesty, and a new-found fearlessness. Rufus Wainwright: Unfollow The Rules – The Paramour Sessions sees Wainwright performing songs from his Grammy® Award-nominated 2020 album, Unfollow the Rules, along with other classic songs from his extraordinary canon, recorded live in a beautiful ballroom at the famed Paramour Mansion in Los Angeles. He’s accompanied by a guitarist, pianist and string quartet. The set list features two previously unreleased songs “Treat A Lady” and “Happy Easter.” It includes a striking new rendition of Unfollow the Rules’ “Peaceful Afternoon,"

Rufus Wainwright has been making music pretty much his entire life. It's almost as if he were destined to do it, considering his pedigree: Rufus is the son of folk singers Loudon Wainwright III and the late Kate McGarrigle; his sister, musician Martha Wainwright; his half-sister, singer-songwriter Lucy Wainwright Roche. That means Rufus grew up with music all around him, all the time. He played in the family band and in the mid-'90s, he went to Los Angeles to make his debut solo album, which ended up being his breakout. Since then, he's released several albums, he's written operas, he's lived in Canada and the United States. And more recently, he moved back to LA to make his new record, Unfollow the Rules. And LA is where he was when we recorded this session, our very first World Cafe in front of a live, virtual audience. My conversation with Rufus Wainwright is coming up in a moment, but first, recorded live at The Paramour Estate in Los Angeles, let's start with Rufus Wainwright with "Trouble in Paradise."