Role Model debuts on the late night show performing his viral hit with help from the British pop star, plus another song from his latest album
Singer-songwriter Role Model debuted as Saturday Night Live musical guest with two songs from the deluxe edition of Kansas Anymore, his second studio album, which he released in February.
After an introduction from SNL host Amy Poehler, the 28-year-old Maine native opened with “Sally, When the Wine Runs Out.” In live performances of the indie pop hit, Role Model has often invited a fan, another musician, or some other special guest to play the part of Sally. Here, it was Charli XCX.
The British pop singer—SNL‘s musical guest last November—received wild screams of approval from the audience. After dancing and swirling her hair to the song’s bridge, she slid her sunglasses onto Role Model’s face, blew him a kiss, then strutted away.
Role Model’s second performance was of the more mellow “Some Protector.”
The artist, whose real name is Tucker Pillsbury, has said his latest album, which follows 2022’s Rx, is a big step forward.
“I think the one thing I wanted to prove when I first put it out was my growth — my songwriting and my taste in music had matured, and I had also matured as a person,” he told Rolling Stone in a revealing April interview. “It felt like a big shift in the way I would talk about things and write about them, and a big part of that was just me getting to a place on guitar where I could play well enough that I could write songs by myself on it.”
Role Model, who opened for Gracie Abrams last year and then headlined his No Place Like Tour this spring, will be one of the four artists at Rolling Stone‘s Musicians on Musicians live event Oct. 23 at New York’s Beacon Theatre. He will be paired with María Zardoya of the Marias, while Jack Antonoff will join Hayley Williams with Bleachers, for conversations and collaborative performances on stage. SNL‘s James Austin Johnson will host.
Role Model begins a stretch of European shows next month.
