At least temporarily, Sir Rod Stewart has stated on BBC Breakfast that he intends to “leave rock n’ roll behind” and pursue swing music in a different way. Stewart stated the following on his choice to take a step back:
“I am actually stopping. I’m not retiring, but I want to move on to… I had great success with ‘The Great American Songbook,’ and I’ve just done a swing album with Jools Holland, which is going to come out next year, so I want to go in that direction.”
Stewart said that his next record with Holland will mark the beginning of a new phase for him.
“So I just want to leave all the rock and roll stuff behind, for a while maybe… Everything has to come to an end sooner or later. I’m really looking forward to doing something else, especially singing with Jools’ band; it borders on rock n’ roll anyway, it’s just not ‘Maggie May’ and ‘Do Ya Think I’m Sexy?.’”
The rock star’s choice to move away from his cult hits like “Hot Legs” and “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy?” and focus more on swing music isn’t all that shocking considering that he admitted to The Telegraph last year that he couldn’t sing those words forever, saying:
“I’ve got to move on; I don’t want to be singing ‘Hot Legs’ when I’m 84. I said that when I was in my 30s, about my 60s, and I’m still singing it.”
But before Sir Rod Stewart switches from rock to swing, his UK summer tour, which is a part of his “Global Hits Tour” with Boy George and the Culture Club, begins on June 24 at Home Park Stadium in Plymouth.
The BBC Breakfast video is embedded below.
'Everything has to come to an end sooner or later'
Singer Rod Stewart has told #BBCBreakfast he's giving up rock and roll as he prepares to go on tour with Boy Georgehttps://t.co/Y29oI6E5Pk pic.twitter.com/odrQmQkOlT
— BBC Breakfast (@BBCBreakfast) June 9, 2023
