Andre 3000 Carries Piano on His Back at 2025 Met Gala & Drops New Piano Album at the Same Time

Leave it to André 3000 to get the Met Gala red carpet buzzing and do some album promo at the same time.

On Monday night (May 5), the Outkast legend showed up to the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute fundraiser with a baby grand piano strapped to his back, and at the same time, he surprise-dropped his latest instrumental album, called 7 piano sketches.

The album was released at 8 p.m. ET via Epic Records, shortly after André arrived on the carpet wearing his piano look by Burberry, in collaboration with benji bixby and styled by Law Roach. (This marked the debut for benji bixby, which is the latest incarnation of André’s late-’00s line Benjamin Bixby.)

André’s Met Gala look mimics the cover art of the new album.

In a press release, André said the original title for the project was “‘The Best Worst Rap Album In History’ and here is an excerpt from the original liner notes: ‘It’s jokingly the worst rap album in history because there are no lyrics on it at all. It’s the best because it’s the free-est emotionally and best I’ve felt personally. It’s the best because it’s like a palette cleanser for me.'”

7 piano sketches is the follow-up to another instrumental project from André, the 2023 flute album New Blue Sun, which was nominated for album of the year at the 2025 Grammys, along with two other nods for the work.

In November, André will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame alongside bandmate Big Boi as part of Outkast.

Listen to the new album and see André’s full piano-inspired look below.