Billy Joel announced that he would release the song “ Turn The Lights Back On » on February 1st.
Billy Joel will come out of a 17-year hiatus on February 1 with the release of “ Turn The Lights Back On “. According to a press release, this is a “ classic Billy Joel-esque song, which embodies the hallmarks of his signature sound and opens the next chapter in his story. »
“ Turn The Lights Back On » was produced by Freddy Wexler, who has worked with Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber, Kanye West, Blackpink, P!nk, Lil Wayne, Selena Gomez and Celine Dion. It was written by Wexler, Arthur Bacon, Wayne Hector and Joel.
@billy_joel22♬ original sound – Billy Joel
Billy Joel first hinted that a new song might be coming late last year, during a concert at Madison Square Garden. “ I have good news and bad newsdid he declare. I’ll give you the bad one first. We have nothing new to present to you. The good news is that you won’t have to listen to something you have no idea what it is. On the other hand, we have a little something we’re working on that you might hear one day. » (A clip of this moment became the first message posted on the musician’s official TikTok account).
There hasn’t been a Billy Joel album since the classic piano album Fantasies & Delusions (2001), in which British-Korean pianist Richard Hyung-ki Joo performed instrumental works written by Joel. His last pop album dates back to 1993 and is entitled River of Dreams. He has toured extensively since then, but his only new singles have been ” All My Life ” And ” Christmas in Fallujah “, two titles released in 2007. The first is a love song for his wife at the time, Katie Lee, while the second is a rock song with Cass Dillon on vocals. A live version with Joel on vocals was released in 2008.
In an interview given to WECB In 2019, Joel spoke about his decision to stop releasing new songs. “ I always write music. I just don’t record it and it’s not in song form. It’s a whole different type of music. This is purely for my own edification. I don’t feel obligated to record it. I don’t feel like I have to make myself relevant. Like I said, I lived the rock & roll life, and I don’t write anything like that anymore. »
He pursues : ” I have a lot of music that no one has ever heard and may never hear if I don’t decide to do something with it. It’s really the creative process that’s important to me, not having records on the charts or selling a lot of records. I’m always learning, and you never stop learning. That’s the great thing about the writing process. We always learn something new every time we create. »
Joel’s next show will be a headlining show on January 24 at the Tokyo Dome in Japan. Throughout the year, he will give a series of concerts “ One Night Only » with Sting in American stadiums. On July 25, he will end his monthly residency at Madison Square Garden after a decade.
