Rick Astley has put plans for a new studio album on hold for fear that nobody is listening during the pandemic. The singer explains: “I’ve written a lot of material, plenty of it still un-recorded, so it doesn’t feel old by the time we release it. But I’m watching a lot of bands and artists struggling to release something as it’s going to get lost in the ether. Even big names. If most acts can’t go on tour for six months then do they want to release an album that they can only play in two years’ time? I don’t want to be in that situation, although if it goes on much longer I might just stick the songs on the internet just for the sake of doing it.”
At least Rick has developed new DIY skills while he waits. He told the Daily Star: “I’ve built something in the back garden. How do I describe it? It’s a roof. I got bored in lockdown, it was like being a kid and working at my dad’s garden centre again. Our daughter is a garden designer, that’s the next stage. She does the gardening and I do the building.”