Many artists have used the Corona period to tinker with new music. After the pandemic paralyzed the business for a long time, numerous music stars reported back in 2022 with new works and performances or announced their imminent comeback.
After six years, Rihanna (34) released new music for the first time in 2022. “Lift Me Up” is the name of the song she contributed to the soundtrack of “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”. The song is a tribute to the late “Black Panther” lead actor Chadwick Boseman (1976-2020), who died at just 43 years of complications from colon cancer. It’s Rihanna’s first new music since her 2016 album Anti. Since then, the singer has appeared as an entrepreneur, designer and, since spring, as a mother. However, the title song to “Black Panther” is only the beginning of her comeback: As she has already announced on Instagram, Rihanna will perform during the half-time break of the Super Bowl in February next year.
Britney Spears (40) can be heard in a new song for the first time in six years this year. She sings the duet “Hold Me Closer” with Elton John. The dance anthem “Hold Me Closer” is based on the hit “Tiny Dancer” from 1971, refined with disco beats and synthesizers. Elton John (75) revealed in an interview with the “Guardian” that the singer was “a lot afraid” before her comeback. The release of the song in particular was apparently a sticking point: “We had to get her to approve what she did,” explained John. “She’s been gone for so long, so there was a lot of anxiety because she’s been cheated on so many times and she’s been out of the public eye for so long.” Britney Spears was under guardianship for 13 years. This was only ended in November 2021.
Beyoncé (41) released her sixth studio album, Lemonade, in April 2016. By mid-year, she had removed her profile pictures from all her social media channels, prompting speculation from her fans. In June it was clear: you can look forward to new music from the singer after six years. Her album “Renaissance” was released on July 29th and immediately set a record. She was hailed as the first artist whose first seven studio albums debuted at the top of the US charts.
The US band Blink-182 brought their fans a lot of joy in 2022 in several ways. In a bang not only a new world tour was announced, but also a new album. Founding member Tom DeLonge (46), who left the band in 2015, is back with the tour comeback. Germany pay Blink-182 three visits on their tour with over 70 concerts: On September 9th, 2023 they rock the Lanxess Arena in Cologne, after a detour via Scandinavia they then go to the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Berlin on September 16th and on September 17th at the Barclays Arena in Hamburg.
In February, California rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers announced a new album. “Unlimited Love” was released on April 1, 2022. On the new album, guitarist John Frusciante (51) is also celebrating his comeback in the band, who will be heard on a Chili Peppers album for the first time since 2006. “Unlimited Love” is the twelfth studio album by the band around singer Anthony Kiedis (59) and the first long player since “The Gateaway” from 2016. The band from Los Angeles celebrated with their album “Blood Sugar Sex Magik” in the year international breakthrough in 1991.
The boy band Blue reported back after seven years of radio silence. The new album “Heart
Per Gessle (63) launched the PG Roxette project. Together with the singer Marie Fredriksson, who died in 2019, Gessle formed the duo Roxette and wrote music history in the nineties with songs like “It Must Have Been Love” or “Listen To Your Heart”. The single “The Loneliest Girl In The World” was released in early June. She was the forerunner of the album “Pop-Up Dynamo!”, released in September. Per Gessle revealed in an interview with spot on news that he found it difficult to decide on the new band: “It was a difficult decision because it is impossible to replace Marie,” said the 63-year-old. With PG Roxette, however, he wants to “keep the legacy of Roxette alive”.
Peter Fox (51), real name Pierre Baigorry, has been one of the singers of the reggae and dancehall group Seeed since 1998. In 2008 he released his debut solo album “Stadtaffe”, which made it to number one in the German album charts. The work contained hits like “Alles Neu”, “Schwarz zu blau” or “Haus am See” and was voted “Best Album” and “Album of the Year” by 1Live Krone or Echo. In August 2009 he first gave two farewell concerts as a solo artist and then focused again on working with Seeed. In late September, Hurricane and Southside Festival announced Peter Fox as headliner for the 2023 festivals, fueling hopes of a solo return. At the end of October the time had come: Fox released a new single: “Zukunft Pink” (feat. Inéz/Ätna) is “a plea for hope, for vital lightness in difficult times, for letting go and tackling anew”.
The Sportfreunde Stiller made their big breakthrough in the early 2000s. Songs like “A Compliment” or “Applause, Applause” made the three Bavarian musicians famous. After their last album in 2016, however, it became quiet around Peter Brugger (49), Florian Weber (47) and Rüdiger Linhof (49). In May, the Sportis reported back with the single “I’m Alright” after a break of around six years. The long-awaited new album “Jeder nur ein X” followed on September 16th. “We didn’t get along well when we finished the live performances in 2017. We had different opinions and moved away from each other,” Brugger explained in an interview with spot on news about the break. “That’s why we made the cut, we parted ways with a completely open ending. Everyone either started other projects or retired into private life. About two years ago we made the decision to try it together again.”
Dieter Bohlen (68) announced his comeback on stage and his farewell at the same time. He goes on tour again with “Dieter Bohlen Live 2023 – The Greatest Comeback of All Time” and is accompanied by “DSDS” juror Pietro Lombardi (30). On his tour of Germany, the former modern-talking star will probably give at least 15 concerts, including on April 16, 2023 in Berlin or on April 25 in Dortmund. The music icon is also expected on July 30 in the Ludwigsburg Residential Palace. According to the current status, Bohlen’s last concert will take place on the open-air stage in Beelitz, Brandenburg. It remains to be seen how definitive the end of the 68-year-old’s career will be. Already in 2019 he celebrated a comeback with “Dieter Feat. Bohlen – Das Mega Album” after sixteen years of absence from the stage.
