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How Did Wolfgang Van Halen Become A Part Of Oscar-Nominated I’m Just Ken? Musician Explains Ahead Of Academy Awards 2024
Wolfgang Van Halen was a part of I'm Just Ken, a Ryan Gosling-sung song from the movie Barbie, co-written and produced by Mark Ronson and Andrew Watt. Read on to know about his role!
Wolfgang Van Halen was part of the team that recorded I’m Just Ken, the Ryan Gosling-sung piece from Greta Gerwig’s hit film Barbie. He plays guitar on the track, which was co-written and produced by Mark Ronson and Andrew Watt and features Slash on guitar, current Foo Fighters drummer Josh Freese on drums, and Jelly Fish/Imperial Drag keyboardist Roger Manning.
Wolfgang Van Halen began his career at 16 playing alongside his father and uncle. His own band, Mammoth WVH, has become a regular opening for bands like Metallica and Guns N' Roses.
How did Wolfgang Van Halen become a part of I’m Just Ken?
While film star Ryan Gosling sang the track in the film, he had an all-star backing band in the studio. In addition to Wolfgang Vah Halen, Guns N' Roses' guitarist Slash is on the track, along with Foo Fighters drummer Josh Freese and Jellyfish keyboardist Roger Manning. Ronson and Watt co-wrote and co-produced the song.
“I’m honestly happy just to be a part of it, to have an opportunity to play a super small part in it,” Van Halen told Billboard. He added, “It was a really, really wonderful opportunity. I knew (the movie) was good just from being involved in it and seeing what I was able to see. But to see the song I played on blow up as much as it did was pretty crazy.”
Van Halen was recruited for the track after meeting Ronson at the Taylor Hawkins tribute concert in London in September 2022. Van Halen said, “Mark Ronson and I hit it off and he reached out and hit me up and it was just a really good time." He added, "I spent two days in his studio and we just played around with ideas and it was a really good time. (Ronson) and his writing partner Andrew are such wonderful dudes and amazing at what they do that it was an honor just to see how they worked.”
I’m Just Ken was a top 5 hit on the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart during the summer and hit No. 87 on the Billboard Hot 100, while Barbie The Album reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and No. 1 on the Soundtrack Albums chart.
“For Mark and Andrew to bring me into it, just to play some guitar in the movie, it was really, really wonderful,” Van Halen further said. He continued, “I’d love to do something like that again, especially with those guys. They’re wonderful dudes and incredibly talented. Everybody in the movie, the whole production of it, are so deserving of every accolade they’re getting. It’s really exciting.”
Van Halen does not, however, see soundtrack composing in his future at the moment. “I’m still very much focused and driving on building Mammoth and seeing what is possible with that,” he explained. Van Halen added, “But certainly, opportunities like the one that Mark gave me for Barbie, when they come up it’s very, ‘Okay, we can certainly make time for something like this.’ But I’m very much driven in terms of, ‘Let’s see where we can take Mammoth.’”
Exploring Wolfgang Van Halen's career
Wolfgang Van Halen is an American musician. The son of actress Valerie Bertinelli and guitarist Eddie Van Halen, he performed alongside his father as the bassist for the rock band Van Halen from 2007 to 2020. He also performed with the heavy metal band Tremonti from 2012 to 2016. After his father's death in 2020 led to the disbandment of Van Halen, he began to focus on his solo project Mammoth WVH, in which he performs all instruments and vocals. His debut album Mammoth WVH was released in 2021, and his second album Mammoth II was released in 2023.
Van Halen started his musical career as a drummer. He often watched his father rehearse, and at times would try to play his uncle Alex's drum kit, whereupon the latter would give him a few lessons. He started playing drums at the age of nine, mostly self-taught with only a few lessons from his uncle and got his first drum set from his father as a present for his tenth birthday.
Sometime later, he moved on to guitar and bass. He can also play the keyboard and began actively participating in Van Halen, the band. He also made guest appearances during some dates of Van Halen's 2004 tour, appearing during his father's extended guitar solo spot and playing 316 with him.
In 2021, Van Halen released his debut album Mammoth WVH under the same name. The LP showcased his talents as a songwriter and musician with the artist writing every song and playing every instrument on the studio album. After the album's release, Mammoth WVH began touring, with Frank Sidoris, Jon Jourdan, Ronnie Ficarro, and Garrett Whitlock rounding out the touring lineup.
He was nominated for a 2022 Grammy Award in the category of Best Rock Song for his song Distance, from his album Mammoth WVH. Both Distance and his second single, Don't Back Down, debuted at #1 on the Billboard's Mainstream Rock Airplay Chart. The Wolfgang Van Halen-led band is the first act to send its first two songs to No. 1 on the chart since The Glorious Sons in 2019.
Van Halen's musical style mainly consists of the hard rock, alternative rock, and heavy metal genres.
ALSO READ: Who Is Valerie Bertinelli's Son Wolfgang Van Halen? Know More About The Grammy Nominated Musician
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