Jared Followill on Kings of Leon royalties and fame
There has been increased tension in The Kings of Leon, and the controversy is over royalties. The problem, in part, centers around the song writing credits for their upcoming fifth album.
The band has taken to serious composition after their return from touring, but when bassist Jared Followill got the call from his brother Caleb that “I’m sitting here writing the next album by myself,” the response was quick. “We ended up going to his house so that when the record comes out he can’t go, ‘Dude, I’m getting 70 per cent…’” said Jared.
The family band, made of Jared, his brothers Caleb and Nathan Followill and cousin Matthew Followill have gotten a lot of attention since they formed in 1999. In 2008 they had 9 Top 40 singles in the UK. They released their latest album Only by the Night in the fall of last year. Unfortunately Jared personally feels some of the attention is unwarranted.
“Everything that I thought was quite charming about us, he [Caleb] wanted to lie about. For me it’s hard having an opinion on this band, if I wasn’t involved I can’t imagine liking us a lot…”
Royalties aside, the Kings of Leon will be wrapping up their latest tour this month and in November will be releasing their first DVD, Kings of Leon: Live At The O2 London, England, which highlights their performance on June 30th 2009 in front of 18,000 fans – the show had sold out within an hour.
