Watch David Byrne and ‘American Utopia’ Cast Perform ‘I Zimbra’ on ‘Colbert’

David Byrne joined the cast of his Broadway stage musical American Utopia for a performance of “I Zimbra” on The Late Show.

The musician, in costume, opened with a spoken word introduction before he and cast performed the eclectic musical number, which involved a slew of percussion instruments.

Byrne joined host Stephen Colbert for an interview to discuss the hit musical and the recent release of the cast recording of American Utopia. Byrne also used the opportunity to teach Colbert a few dance moves.

American Utopia has returned to Broadway after it’s original 2019-2020 sold-out run. The musical was also captured by director Spike Lee for a film version, which aired on HBO.

Byrne recently joined Lorde for a conversation for IndieLand‘s Musicians on Musicians feature. During the interview, the musician reflected on how his approach to music has changed over the years.

“I’ve learned that there’s nothing wrong with a song sounding beautiful,” Byrne said. “You can say something quite profound, something kind of radical, even, but the melody can sound quite beautiful and seductive on the surface. And then it sucks you into something where it might really change your way of thinking.”

He added, “There was a time when I thought things had to be edgy. I was maybe afraid that if things sounded too beautiful or pretty, then it was shallow. Like a greeting card. You can’t be saying anything serious this way. But then I heard other songwriters saying something deep and important, and yet the song is really nice to listen to. I thought, ‘OK, it can be done.’”