"Only Harry Styles can make pop music" — Clean Bandit's Chatto claims Atlantic Records told them to "stop making pop music"

Clean Bandit released Cry Baby, the lead single from their upcoming third album, in early August. On Tuesday, August 20, 2024, the trio - consisting of Grace Chatto, Jack Patterson, and Luke Patterson - was interviewed by the BCC in light of their track's success.

In the interview, Clean Bandit revealed they had been sitting on Cry Baby for a long time after Atlantic Records, their last record label, rejected it. Elaborating on it, Jack Patterson told BBC:

"We were told to stop making pop music. We were sent dance music playlists on Spotify and told, 'Your music has to sit on here - only Harry Styles can make pop music.'"

Clean Bandit's Cry Baby debuted on YouTube on August 9, 2024, and has amassed over 2.5 million views on YouTube in less than two weeks, making its way on the UK Singles chart. It is announced to be part of their third studio album, whose name is yet to be revealed.

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Clean Bandit was called "shy and unassuming" by their record label

Soon after the success of their debut single, A+E, in 2012, Clean Bandit signed a deal with Atlantic Record in 2013. Pop songs were the band's specialty from the beginning, with tracks like Rockabye and A+E bringing them commercial and creative success.

However, after a few years, their record label directed them to ditch pop music. Grimace Chatto also told BBC:

"There was a push for us to stop having strings in our music."

The concern behind this push was that, according to Atlantic Records, they were "shy and unassuming people." While talking to BBC about it, Jack Patterson recalled:

"We were told, 'you don't have a face, you need to make club music.'"

The "insistent" demands of their record label led Clean Bandit to mistrust their instincts, and as a result, none of their records made it into the UK Single's top 10 since 2020. Recalling their hopelessness in their final days with their record label, Grace Chatto said:

"We allowed it to happen because we were like, 'We'd rather release something than nothing.' But the music didn't feel like our music. Our fans were feeling it. We were feeling it. In the end, we were like, what's the point in doing anything?'"

In 2022, Clean Bandit decided to exit their deal with Atlantic Records "amicably," retaining the rights to all their unreleased songs. They then signed with Sony Music's B1 Recordings and are set to release their third studio album with the new record label this year.

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The entire set of Cry Baby was built by Grace Chatto's father

According to BBC, Wolfgang Boss - one of the managers at B1 Recordings - is the one who encouraged Clean Bandit to release Cry Baby after their move. The song is a collaboration with David Guetta and Anne-Marie. The trio created the song and directed the music video, whose epic storyline was turned down by most production companies.

Talking about it with BBC, Grace Chatto said:

"They said it would cost at least a quarter of a million pounds, so I ended up producing it myself, which is a first."

In other words, the trio funded the commissioning and construction of Cry Baby's sets on their own. Having Chatto's father - Ricky Chatto, a carpenter working at London Underground - came in handy for the band.

Ricky Chatto constructed a complete dining car and sleeper carriage for the music video inside the band's Finsbury Park studio. After the success of Cry Baby, the trio is planning an even bigger shoot for their next single, which will feature the Swedish pop star Zara Larsson, per BBC reports.