Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig still doesn’t own an amplifier for his electric guitar.
The 35-year-old frontman has released the band’s fourth album ‘Father of the Bride’ – their first in six years – on Friday (03.05.19) but he admitted more than a decade after the group’s debut he still doesn’t always see himself as a "professional musician".
Speaking to The Sun, he explained: "I still can’t think of myself as a full-time, professional musician.
"It’s not necessarily impostor syndrome. I can recognise the fact that this is reality. Maybe this is just my own myth or something but I just associate being creative with being an amateur.
"I have a piano and an electric guitar but I don’t even have an amp. I’m still getting used to understanding that this is what I do."
The ‘A-Punk’ band – completed by Chris Tomson and Chris Baio, and former member Rostam Batmanglij – leaped onto the scene in 2008 with their self titled debut, and that early success meant the group felt like they were in a "life-or-death" situation with each subsequent release.
Ezra added: "The early years of the band were a whirlwind. There was a lot of excitement and also a lot of stress and anxiety making the follow-up albums.
"It felt like a real life-or-death thing for us, as we had success on our first album, which seemed like a one-in-a-million thing to happen.
"We didn’t wait around too long in between the first three albums (including 2010’s ‘Contra’ and 2013’s ‘Modern Vampires Of The City’) as we benefited from the very specific moment when we started. So taking time off after the third album was a necessity."
Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig still doesn’t have his own amp
