Foreigner announced in 2022 that they would retire, but now they have reversed that decision.
Bassist Jeff Pilson revealed in a recent interview that the discovery of a new lead singer within the band influenced their decision to stay together.
“There’s just a lot of forward movement, and the band is incredibly excited,” Pilson told Billboard. “What started off as being a farewell tour ended up being Kelly’s last tour and the band moving forward.”
Pilson was referring to the group’s current singer, Kelly Hansen. When the farewell tour was initially announced, one of the main reasons cited was Hansen’s desire to end on a high note and spend more time with his family.
“This catalog of songs, it’s extremely challenging for a rock tenor vocalist like myself to sing,” Hansen explained. “I never would have thought in a million years I’d be singing these songs in the keys at this age, and I don’t know how much longer I can do that at the level I need to.”
Boosted by their 2024 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Foreigner has continued to add more dates to their farewell tour. However, last month Hansen announced that this summer’s North American leg would be his last. “Being the voice of Foreigner has been one of the greatest honors of my life,” he said. “But it’s time to pass the mic.”
Unexpectedly, a replacement was already within the band. When Hansen was unable to join Foreigner on a recent tour of Latin America, multi-instrumentalist Luis Maldonado, who joined in 2021, stepped up as lead singer and impressed both his bandmates and fans. He will now succeed Hansen.
“Luis really had no intention of this,” Pilson told Billboard. “He was trying to talk Kelly into staying. And when it became clear Kelly really wants to live a life now … Luis just stepped up and, oh my God, that voice came through.”
Pilson, who joined Foreigner in 2004, is their longest-tenured touring member. He stated that founding guitarist and band leader Mick Jones, who is off the road after revealing his Parkinson’s disease diagnosis last year, fully supports the decision to continue touring and recording.
Founding lead singer Lou Gramm, who has been making guest appearances at recent shows, has also pledged his support. “Making this change, with Luis, with Mick and Lou’s endorsement and having the whole organization working more together, has been such a positive thing,” Pilson said.
