Jack Antonoff Says Florence Welch Gave Him ‘a Lot of Tips’ for Writing a Broadway Score

TIME100 Honoree Jack Antonoff is making his Broadway debut later this year. It was announced on April 16 that the famed music producer would be crafting the score for the modern adaptation of Romeo + Juliet, starring Rachel Zegler and Kit Connor. Antonoff tells TIME that he spoke with Florence Welch, who did the score for Gatsby at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Mass.

“She’s walking me through it,” he says, adding that Welch has given him “a lot of tips.” When asked about the specifics of the conversation, Antonoff said that “it’s private.” Tony-winning director Sam Gold, who will direct the Zegler and Connor-led Romeo + Juliet, is working with Antonoff on the sound for the new show. “[Gold] is so brilliant, and our conversations about what it could be are kind of wide open. We’re trying to find a sound that is somewhat bizarre and familiar,” Antonoff says.

Read More: What to Know About Taylor Swift’s Collaborators on The Tortured Poets Department

The collaboration process is something that Antonoff is very familiar with given his long list of credits on multiple pop stars albums. From Lorde to Lana Del Rey, he’s “got something cooking,” but was not specific about who he’s working with next. He even joked about wanting to do classical music. When asked who he’d like to collaborate with next whom he hasn’t had a chance to, Antonoff says, “I never know if I like someone’s work, and that’s already in the past.” He urges that something is on the way.

Antonoff is just coming off two-weekend performances at Coachella with his band, Bleachers. The first-weekend set was visited by his long-time collaborator, Taylor Swift, and her boyfriend, Travis Kelce. Swift’s latest project, The Tortured Poets Department, was released last Friday. Anotonoff is credited as a producer on 16 songs and has a songwriting credit on 10.

The TIME100 Gala is TIME’s annual celebration of the TIME100 list of the world’s most iNFLuential people. The Gala brings together icons, leaders, change-makers, and celebrities from across industries and nations for one lively evening of meaningful dialogue and celebration. This year’s Gala features live performances from Dua Lipa and Fantasia Barrino, two honorees on the 2024 TIME100 list.

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Correction, April 26: The original version of this story misstated the name and theater of the Florence Welch-scored adaptation of The Great Gatsby. The show is Gatsby, not The Great Gatsby, at the American Repertory Theater, not Repository.