Mac Wilson was little more than a first-year college student when Norah Jones broke out with her 2002 release, Come Away With Me. Today, Mac is a 20-year veteran in radio, and Jones is a music-industry veteran with nine Grammy wins.

Jones’ latest album is Visions, released on March 8, 2024, and the track “Running” has been a particular favorite on The Current. Checking in from her home in New York, Jones spoke with Mac Wilson about the new album, and she also reflects on her Grammy Awards experiences to date.

Listen to the interview above, and read a transcript below.

Interview Transcript

Edited for clarity and length.

Mac Wilson: Hello, my name is Mac Wilson from The Current, I'm joined by none other than Norah Jones. Hello, Norah.

Norah Jones: Hi, how are you?

Mac Wilson: I'm doing well. Where are you calling in from today?

Norah Jones: I'm in New York.

Mac Wilson: So did you get an opportunity to get out and see the eclipse earlier this week?

Norah Jones: I did. I did. Yeah, it was really fun. Especially fun in New York City, because it's just fun for that kind of thing to happen in the big city. You know, everybody's looking up and together, and there's a lot of community feelings. 

Mac Wilson: So we were way out in rural Indiana, so we were away from everybody, so we had the exact opposite experience with people, but really was it one of those things where people were out in the street, like, "Hey, let's share in this experience together"?

Norah Jones: Yeah. Because also, it was hard to get glasses at the last second. I knew a lot of people trying to find glasses the day of, and they couldn't. And there were people at work, you know; people were inside working, outside on the streets just for a minute borrowing strangers' glasses. People were lending their glasses to strangers, because like, it's just a sweet thing to do.

Mac Wilson: Yeah, it's that idea of community. And it sort of brought us together. And, like, it seems like a cliche, but they say, you know, it's good things that bring us together as a people sometimes, which is a cool thing to see.

Norah Jones: Definitely. It was a sweet moment in New York.

Mac Wilson: So I was on my way back from vacation, and they phoned me up, they were like, "Hey, do you want to talk to Norah Jones today?" And I'm like, "Well, yeah, that's gonna be exciting." And as I was thinking about it coming in, working in radio for 20 years, people ask me, they're like, "Who's the most famous person that you've interviewed?" And I never have a good answer for them. And now I'm sitting here, and I'm like, "Oh, it's probably Norah Jones." So that's exciting. It's intimidating in a very good way. It's a pleasure to have you on the phone. So Norah, I want you to think about your career and all the people that you've met in and performed with, collaborated with, or just run across, what's an instance of one where you were like, genuinely, like awestruck, and to the point of almost intimidation beforehand.

Norah Jones: Probably when I was younger, I was definitely more like that. But I think with Ray Charles, I met him and I just started crying immediately. And a few months later, I got to record with him, which was crazy. I'm glad I had that moment where I cried, where we weren't recording together. It was just in passing. And then I got to record with him, and it was pretty cool.

Mac Wilson: Well, that's funny. I was just going to ask you about your first Grammy ceremony. And then I'm like, "Oh, right! She recorded with Ray Charles, when he did his final record and you one Record of the Year." I don't know exactly what the count is off the top of my head of folks who have won Record of the Year twice. But that's a that's a pretty cool thing.

Norah Jones: Oh, yeah. I never thought about it like that.

Mac Wilson: Like there's a couple of folks who have famously won it back to back; I think Roberta Flack and U2 did it in back-to-back years, and Billie Eilish just did it recently, too. But I mean, you're on the list, too, for that collaboration. And that's pretty cool.

Norah Jones: It's funny, I never would have thought myself on that list. I guess I thought of that award is really for him, not me, even though my name is on it, too. But yeah, that's cool.

Mac Wilson: So Come Away With Me, that came out when I was probably a freshman in college. And then you won every imaginable Grammy, it seems, at that ceremony. So I'll admit, at the time, I was rooting for Bruce Springsteen, but you wound up winning Album of the Year and Record of the Year and Song of the Year and everything else. Was there ever a moment where you're like, "Oh, my gosh, the number of names that I came out on top of at this Grammys!" I'm sure that those thoughts entered your head at the time, but like, at what stage did it like really hit you?

Norah Jones: I didn't. I think I was just embarrassed the whole time because I won one, and then I won two, and then I won three, and then I was — I got a lot of camera time. And then when it came to the end, I think everybody thought Bruce was going to win. And then I won. And then I was just kind of embarrassed.

Mac Wilson: Where do you keep your Grammys today?

Norah Jones: They're in my basement on a shelf.

Mac Wilson: Perfect, that's as good a place as any for them. So you've had a long career. Let's go back up to the future now. So Visions is the name of the new record. We've been enjoying "Running," in particular, that's a just a nice vibe that we've got for that when we've been playing. What was the the genesis of writing that one?

Norah Jones: I kind of started writing that song in the middle of the night, sort of one of those songs where you're falling asleep, and then you wake up with a little melody, and I recorded it. And maybe a year or two later, I brought it in when I was recording with Leon Michels, who produced the record. And I just had a bunch of ideas, I wanted to see what we could finish them as and what they were and I didn't really know what it was, but he played drums and I played piano, and we recorded the basic track, and then we just kind of built it from there.

Mac Wilson: Over your career, you've worked with different producers on any given record. What did Leon specifically bring to the table on this one that maybe you hadn't had in the past or is just different?

Norah Jones: I mean, everybody has their own style, right? Everybody has their own way of speaking, their own way of making music, their own stamp of sound. And I think Leon is just one of those people where everything he does is cool. And he's not trying to be cool or aesthetically trying to put his stamp on anything. He's just cool. And he's got an organic way of making music and getting sounds. You know, he's got a lot of cool microphones and instruments in his little studio. Most of the record, including "Running," was just me and him playing all the instruments in his little studio. And that's why it sounds the way it does, I think. It's just kind of a little imperfect but has all the good vibes, you know? And that's what I like. We had a lot of fun making it.

Mac Wilson: So whether Leon or his friends, there's roots with them and bands like Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, as you had several of the Dap-Kings perform on the record. Were you a fan of or are you a fan of Sharon's music? You said that "Running" came to you in the middle of the night. Was that the case with a lot of the songs on the record where it's exactly that, where you're falling asleep at night, and it's like, "OK, I gotta get up and put this down."

Norah Jones: Oh, yeah, I always loved her. But I really know Leon more from the last few years, listening to his band, El Michels Affair, and all the stuff he produces is so cool. But yeah, I love that whole crew. They're amazing. And Sharon Jones was amazing. And it's nice to see all those guys doing so well and doing different things.  Yeah, either that or in a meditation or in the bathtub. Really all the places where it's quiet. On a walk, if I don't put my headphones on, then I can work on a song in my head. A lot of stuff just turns around in my head. And that's where it comes from. But that stuff doesn't show itself if you don't have any quiet moments in your day. And with the phones and everything, it's so hard to have that now and busy lives. So I've definitely sort of tried to carve that out a little more for myself now.

Mac Wilson: Are you able to work, essentially work from home on your songs? Or do you like rent out a space where you separate yourself? You noted a meditation in there, but just the process of working? Like how does that fit into your day-to-day life?

Norah Jones: It really doesn't, unless it appears in my head. If something's inspiring, I'll record it on my voice notes. And usually, then I have to go run an errand. And so I'll work on it whenever I get time. I found that being on airplanes is a good place to go through all voice notes and come up with song ideas and finish stuff. But really the VoiceMemo app is the best thing. I mean, before phones were so prevalent, I had like a little voice recorder I would carry around with me for that reason. So it's more like capture the lightning when it strikes and work on it later, whenever that is. But no, I don't rent out a place. It's just sort of whenever I have time.

Mac Wilson: What are your plans for bringing the songs to a live setting, if any?

Norah Jones: I have a tour booked, and we're going to start in a few weeks. And I have a really incredible band. I have two really incredible female singers with me this time, which I've never had, such a strong harmony game on tour. So I'm really excited for that. And all the guys in my band also sing — the two guys, the bass player and the drummer — sing as well. So we have the potential for some crazy harmonies, which is all over the record, so that's great.

Mac Wilson: We are chatting with Norah Jones, and I'm thinking, while I've got Norah Jones on the line, we're gonna go to another spot in your catalogue that I've always been curious about: It's one of the collaborations that you did with Danger Mouse for the Rome album that he did when you did vocals on "Black," where it's very, very famously in a pivotal scene of Breaking Bad. So how did the process go when that song got cleared for it? Did you know exactly when that song was going to be played? That it was going to be at such a crucial moment? Or just walk through what that experience was like.

Norah Jones: I can't remember, but I think I must have cleared it. I didn't write the song, so I don't know if I had to clear it or not being an artist on it. But I think I know that it was happening, but I don't think I realized it was happening until I was watching that episode, because I did watch the show. So I didn't expect it to come up in that episode. Or I didn't remember, you know? I wasn't thinking about it. You know, you clear these things months in advance, and you don't know which episode is coming up. You're not like keeping track. But it was crazy!

Mac Wilson: Yeah, like I'm thinking of the story of of Jackson Browne where he signed off on the use of Nico and "These Days" in Royal Tenenbaums. And he totally forgot about until he was in the theater. Watching the movie, he goes, "Boy, that sounds like me," and then he remembered signing off on it. So it sounds like it was a similar experience for you.

Norah Jones: Yeah, yeah. I don't think it's something you really keep track of until afterwards.

Mac Wilson: Well, Norah, it's been a joy having you on the line, you know, diving into a little bit of stuff from your career and some of the new stuff as well. Visions is the album, and you're out on the road as well. And you got to see the eclipse. That's great stuff all around. Norah, thank you for joining me on the line today.

Norah Jones: Thank you.

Mac Wilson: Thank you so much.

Norah Jones: Thanks a lot! Have a great day.

Mac Wilson: Thank you, Norah. Take care.

Norah Jones: OK. Bye.

External Link

Norah Jones – official site