Phil Collins may be working on new music for the first time in over two decades.
The Genesis frontman hasn’t released an album of original music since Disney’s Brother Bear soundtrack in 2003. One year prior to that, he released his last solo studio album ‘Testify’.
Now it seems that new music may be on the horizon. The revelation came via a Facebook post last night (August 19) from record producer and journalist Simon Napier-Bell. Napier-Bell had interviewed Collins at his home in Switzerland for a new documentary about The Marquee Club. The iconic venue, which notably hosted the first-ever live performance from the Rolling Stone, closed its doors in 2008 after 50 years. It was later revived for one night only last year.
Napier-Bell wrote that Collins was “in top form, full of wicked stories,” and “hugely fun”, before revealing that the ‘In The Air Tonight’ singer had recently had his studio revamped.
“For sure, before too long we’re going to hear some new music,” Napier-Bell continued.
THE MARQUEE MOVIE…Yesterday we filmed Phil Collins at his house by Lake Geneva. He was in top form, full of wicked…
Posted by Simon Napier-Bell on Monday, August 19, 2024
In June, Collins announced a 30th anniversary box set of his 1993 album ‘Both Sides’, due for release on September 20th via Rhino Records.
The lavish box set comes with five vinyl records – two of which are the original album remastered at half-speed by Abbey Road Studios’ Miles Showell, and three feature demos, B-sides and live recordings from that era.
Last year, Collins’ Genesis bandmate Mike Rutherford shared an update on the singer’s health, saying he was “much more immobile than he used to be.”
Collins has experienced issues with his health since suffering a spinal injury in 2007, which damaged vertebrae in his upper neck and also left him with nerve damage. The injury has impacted his ability to perform, and at Genesis’ last ever show in March 2022, he performed in a wheelchair.
In September 2022, Genesis sold a portion of their songs’ assets to Concord Music Group, including the publishing rights and master recordings for much of Genesis’ music.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the deal was valued at more than $300million (£253million) and will also include master recordings of songs from throughout Collins’ solo career, such as ‘In the Air Tonight’, ‘You’ll Be In My Heart’ and ‘Against All Odds’, and his popular covers of Diane & Annita’s ‘A Groovy Kind Of Love’ and ‘You Can’t Hurry Love’ by The Supremes.