Rick Astley continues to build anticipation for the October 6th release of his ninth album ‘Are We There Yet?’ by sharing the new single ‘Never Gonna Stop’. It comes after his phenomenal double bill of Glastonbury sets which made him the talk of the nation: first opening Saturday’s festivities in style with a triumphant performance which mixed crowd-pleasing ‘80s classics alongside some typically classy covers, and then later that day, his latest show with Blossoms as they teamed up for for a euphoric, life-affirming set of classic songs by The Smiths.
A towering R&B ballad rich with warm live instrumentation, ‘Never Gonna Stop’ proves that Rick’s sumptuous voice continues to grow in stature. His vocals simmer with feeling as his lyrics explore the belief that a personal human connection is the one thing that can counteract the madness that permeates the world. As with the rest of the ‘Are We There Yet?’ album, ‘Never Gonna Stop’ was written, produced and almost entirely performed by Rick at his home studio in south-west London.
Rick says, “I am so excited about the release of ‘Never Gonna Stop’, the second single from my forthcoming album ‘Are We There Yet?’ I love the vibe of it and I hope you love it too. Rick x.”
Today also brings news that Rick will celebrate the release of ‘Are We There Yet?’ by playing two intimate album launch shows. He will play Sheffield Leadmill on October 29th before heading to Kingston Pryzm on October 30th, the latter hosted by Banquet Records. Tickets for both shows are now available HERE.
‘Never Gonna Stop’ follows the album’s lead single ‘Dippin My Feet’, which received its first play courtesy of Zoe Ball at Radio 2. The two songs preview a twelve-track record, which was inspired, in part, by the vast open roads that Rick was surrounded by throughout last summer’s huge North American arena tour with New Kids on The Block, Salt-N-Pepa and En Vogue. The tour also refuelled his love of the Memphis soul tradition, Stax Records’ timeless R&B, and a touch of Americana.
‘Are We There Yet?’ opens a new road for Rick Astley some 36 years since he first shot to fame. The endearingly boyish 57-year-old is still winning over new fans, whether he’s performing with Foo Fighters, Take That or Blossoms; becoming an unlikely social media sensation; or simply embracing the unending love that greets his era-defining smash ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ which was boosted by its use in an intensely affecting scene in ‘Ted Lasso’. Indeed, since returning to #1 in 2016 with ‘50’, Rick has enjoyed the strongest run of album chart positions of his entire career.
‘Are We There Yet?’ is available to pre-order or pre-save HERE. A range of album bundles offer a variety of options including limited edition physical formats in the shape of picture discs and clear vinyl, a deluxe CD and a pink cassette. The range is completed by a regular CD, signed postcards and a new t-shirt design.
In addition, Rick Astley has just launched a striking new version of the album via bespoke vinyl specialists Blood Records. Pressed on turquoise and red splatter effect LP, this limited edition release features an exclusive sleeve design and is hand-numbered to order. It is available to pre-order HERE.
Rick Astley’s ‘Are We There Yet?’ tour commences with two sold-out shows at the Royal Albert Hall in November, before he embarks upon a run of arena shows next year which includes a 20,000 capacity homecoming show at Manchester’s AO Arena. Tickets for the shows, listed below, are available HERE.
2023
Sunday 29 October Sheffield, Leadmill (JUST ADDED)
Monday 30 October Kingston, Przym (JUST ADDED)
Wednesday 01 November London, Royal Albert Hall (SOLD OUT)
Thursday 02 November London, Royal Albert Hall (SOLD OUT)
2024
Thursday 22 February Nottingham, Motorpoint Arena
Friday 23 February Newcastle, Utilita Arena
Saturday 24 February Leeds, First Direct Arena
Monday 26 February Cardiff, International Arena (SOLD OUT)
Tuesday 27 February Glasgow, OVO Hydro
Thursday 29 February Bournemouth, International Centre (SOLD OUT)
Friday 01 March Birmingham, Resorts World Arena
Saturday 02 March Manchester, AO Arena
Monday 04 March Belfast, The SSE Arena
Tuesday 05 March Dublin, 3Arena
The tour features an array of special guests: Belinda Carlisle and The Lottery Winners (both at all shows except for London, Belfast and Dublin); The Feeling (London only) and Scouting For Girls (Belfast and Dublin only).
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