Role Model on New Album, Dakota Johnson, Portman Film
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- Role Model released his new album 'Chuck Timely and The Hourglass,' which he says blends pop music with heartland rock influences from Jackson Browne, Bruce Springsteen, and John Mellencamp.
- Pillsbury says he deliberately opted out of the 'pop boy' race: 'Being a pop star is not interesting to me,' noting he's more comfortable 'just under' the level of shiny outfits and background dancers.
- The album chronicles the two-year aftermath of his 2023 split from Emma Chamberlain, with Pillsbury saying he chose to 'fix myself first' rather than jump into another relationship, and lacking a therapist at the time, the questions 'came out in songs.'
- Dakota Johnson ended up on the track 'Love I You' after producer Mason Stoops convinced both of them — Pillsbury originally recorded the flirtatious spoken-word bridge himself and wanted to keep his personal life separate from the music.
- Pillsbury made his acting debut in Lena Dunham's upcoming film 'Good Sex' opposite Natalie Portman; he said he didn't eat all day before his first scene, which featured roughly 100 extras watching him act for the first time.
- Pillsbury killed his 'Sally' stage bit from the 'Sally, When the Wine Runs Out' era, saying almost nobody cared — except parents asking if their daughters could still play Sally at Red Rocks — and now calls that song's bridge 'lyrically the dumbest I've ever written.'
- Pillsbury says he'd love to return to his real name but has a 'gut feeling it's too late,' frustrated that Twitter comments constantly ask 'What parents name their kid Role Model?'
Why it matters: The album marks a deliberate pivot away from the novelty-driven 'Sally' era that launched him toward Gen-Z audiences, staking Role Model's next chapter on a more personal, influencer-adjacent identity — one tied to his high-profile relationship with Dakota Johnson and a Natalie Portman film debut. For a rising artist, dropping the bit that broke him signals confidence in the new record but also forfeits the low-effort hook that defined his audience.
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