Rod Stewart Announces a Transition to Swing Music from Rock ‘n’ Roll: With “I’m Not Retiring,”
“Everything has to come to an end sooner or later,” Stewart told BBC Breakfast recently.
Rod Stewart is aiming to move away from the rock ‘n’ roll genre, more than 60 years after he began playing music.
In a recent interview with BBC Breakfast, the Grammy winner said that he plans to release a new album in the swing genre soon after his upcoming summer tour.
Stewart remarked, in response to host Charlie Stayt’s observation that “rockstars are performing into incredible ages now,” Stewart said, “I am stopping.”
“I’m not retiring, but I want to move on,” the 78-year-old artist explained to the site. “I had a lot of success with The Great American Songbook, and I just finished a swing album with Jools Holland that will be out next year, so I want to keep going in that direction.”
Stewart went on to say that he wants “to leave the rock ‘n’ roll stuff behind, for a while.”
“Everything has to come to an end sooner or later,” the performer remarked, emphasizing that he’s at a “good place” with the pivot.
“I’m looking forward to doing something else, especially singing with Jools’ band,” Stewart stated. “It borders on rock ‘n’ roll anyway, it’s just not ‘Maggie May’ and ‘Do Ya Think I’m Sexy?'”
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee began performing in the early 1960s before joining many bands, including the popular Faces. His first solo album, An Old Raincoat Won’t Ever Let You Down, was published in 1969, and he’s had numerous hits since then, including “Tonight’s the Night (Gonna Be Alright),” “You’re in My Heart (The Final Acclaim),” and the songs above.
Stewart has already deviated from rock music, performing songs from The Great American Songbook for a series of albums in the 2000s and delving into the soul genre with his 2009 album Soulbook.
He’s preparing to embark on a European tour until July 22 before returning to North America the following week for a string of gigs that will last through September. He’ll return to Las Vegas in November after a couple of gigs in Brazil and more in North America.
