Billy Ocean celebrated his 70th birthday in January by announcing his first album of new material in over a decade. One World is the Fyzabad-born singer’s 10th studio LP and arrives on 17 April followed by an extensive UK tour in the autumn. “I feel this album reflects my maturity,” explained Billy, who was made an MBE in the New Year’s honours list. “Also, [it covers] the many genres of music I’ve been exposed to – coming from the Caribbean as a little boy influenced by calypso music, to growing up in the East End of London, where music was so wonderfully diverse. The album reflects my thoughts, and the way that I feel at 70 years old. Most of all, I hope that it will make people stop and think about life and its meaning.” The album sees Billy reunite with long-time producer Barry Eastmond who co-wrote many of the singer’s biggest hits including Love Zone, There’ll Be Sad Songs and When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going.
The title track, One World, is available now, while his 2020 UK tour kicks off at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall on 18 September.