Following his 100th sold-out performance at Madison Square Garden, The state of New York declared July 18 as Billy Joel Day. This summer, Joel will celebrate 10 years performing at the emblematic New York venue; a residency that began in January 2014 and will end next July, with what will be Billy’s 150th performance.
Now, the American singer, songwriter and pianist has shared his first new song in decades, Turn The Lights Back Onwhich was produced by Freddy Wexler and written by Wexler, Arthur Bacon, Wayne Hector and Joel.
Turn The Lights Back On is a song in the classic style of Billy Joel, which embodies the hallmarks of his characteristic sound and marks the beginning of the next chapter of his story. In the letter, he asks: “Have I waited too long… to turn the lights back on?”.
At the end of 2023, Joel, 74, was already beginning to give hints that he was working on new music. “I have good news. I have bad news. First I’ll give the bad news: we don’t have anything new to play. The good news is that you don’t have to sit and listen to something you have no idea what it is. Although there is something that we have worked, you may hear it at some point”hinted at his simple future.
Billy Joel is still one of the most influential artists of all time. In addition to selling more than 160 million albums worldwide and becoming the fourth best-selling solo artist in the United States, she has 6 Grammy Awards from 23 nominations.
His dynamic stage presence, his sincere delivery and his skillful way of playing the piano make his concerts unforgettable experiences. Billy Joel is one of the few artists who had top ten hits in the 70s, 80s and 90s. In 1992 he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Two years later, in 1994, he was also inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Additionally, he became MusiCares Person of the Year in 2002 and in 2013 received the prestigious Kennedy Center Honors. Making history, their double diamond album Greatest Hits – Volume I & Volume II It is the sixth most certified album of all time. successes like Piano Man, Uptown Girl either We Didn’t Start The Fire They have resonated through the ages.
Performance at the 2024 Grammys
Next Sunday, at the Crypto.com Arena theater in Los Angeles (California, USA), the 66th Grammy Awardsthe awards given by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize a particularly outstanding achievement in the music industry.
This year, Joel will be one of the artists who will appear on one of the most relevant stages in the world of music awards. A performance that will mark the artist’s return to the ceremony stage since 2002, when he performed with the late Tony Bennett.
