Exclusive: André 3000 Wore a Grand Piano to the Met Gala—and Dropped a Surprise EP

According to Lee, André’s extensive design experience was apparent. “I don’t think I’ve ever worked with anyone who paid so much attention to the details and had thought things through so thoroughly,” Lee said. “André arrived with these incredible iPad drawings that were super inspiring. He knows and talks about clothes in such a technical and expert way that I’ve never experienced from another musician before.”

(“I think everyone’s jealous we’re the ones dressing André for the Met,” Lee added. “That’s certainly what I’ve been hearing since I arrived in town.” “Really?” André replied. “I hadn’t heard that!”)

It might not surprise you that the piano prop was André 3000’s idea. “When I heard about the piano, I was like, Only him. He’s the only one,” said Roach. André first had the idea of wearing a large piano on his back when he was laying down his piano tracks over a decade ago. He thought it might make a good music video at some point: André 3000 walking around the streets of New York, piano in tow. For his first Met Gala in 17 years, and with the piano project on the horizon, he figured, why not wear it to the Met instead? “It’s saying a lot for this little bitty piano album, which is kind of hilarious to me,” André said.

Ironically, when the rapper stealthed his way through the kitchen back in 2008, he wore a white Bixby dinner jacket, black trousers, and jaunty boater hat—every bit the Black dandy that the 2025 Met Gala celebrates. Jumpsuits, on the other hand, might not be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of this year’s theme. When asked at the Saturday fitting about how dandyism influenced his and Lee’s creative dialogue, André replied, “It wasn’t like we said, Okay, we got to check these boxes to find this dandy thing to do. My understanding of dandyism is your own personal outburst in fashion, or your own exclamation point on fashion. You don’t really have to try for it if it’s something that you are doing.”