Popstars and retirement never really go well together. Cher did her farewell tour years ago, but then went back on tour in 2014. Tina Turner did 4 tours AFTER her official farewell tour. Despite the continuous rumors of her coming back, she has remained retired for a while now though.
However, Phil Collins recently broke his silence. First, with the remastering and repackaging of two of his albums. Then, with an announcement of a memoir, due for release next year. All nothing out of the ordinary for a retired popstar so far, but then he announced a full comeback with a new album and a tour, over ten years into his retirement.
I think it just goes to show that once you have the music in you, you have it for life. For me, writing lyrics is something I can stop doing for a while, but out of nowhere, inspiration can hit me and I just have to write down my ideas. It just comes naturally, ‘cos as long as I live my life, I’d want to express myself this way. I can imagine it would be hard to retire from that.
Phil credits his children as his main motivation for a comeback. His youngest kids are now in their teens, and have missed his music career fully. Just the occasional tour with Genesis and a cover cd is what they’ve managed to catch on to, but that’s about it. It’s time to introduce them to the Phil Collins the rest of the world knows as well.
His age has caught up with him though. Not just in his face – the current Phil Collins was introduced to the public with the new covers of his repackaged albums – but also in his body. Before he could fully embark on his new adventure, he’s had to undergo major back surgery. All the result of his days as a drummer, but it would potentially allow him to drum again. Something he’s not been able to do for years.
So, has he been too enthusiastic to announce a comeback or is it really possible? Well, according to an interview he did with Rolling Stone magazine at the end of last month, he’s collected a group of musicians around him, built a home studio and seriously planned to be working on new music around this time.
His manager was already in the middle of putting together a tour for next year, so a comeback seems set to go and he’s not even ruling out a Genesis comeback after. His health seems to be the only thing that can cause delays in his plans, or will he be pursuing it against all odds?
