Rod Stewart swaps rock 'n' roll for swing, insisting he's 'not retiring but moving on'

Sir Rod Stewart has revealed he will “leave rock ’n’ roll behind”, saying he is “not retiring but moving on”.

The singer, 78, has tweaked his act in recent years to avoid songs such as Hot Legs whose lyrics may seem “inappropriate”.

Sir Rod has now said he wants to leave “all the rock ’n’ roll stuff behind” entirely and turn his attention to swing music.

The star said the new musical venture, a collaboration with Jools Holland, will mark a departure from signature tracks such as Maggie May and Do Ya Think I’m Sexy?

‘I’m not retiring but I want to move on’

He said: “I am actually stopping. I’m not retiring but I want to move on... I had great success with The Great American Songbook and I’ve just done a swing album with Jools Holland, which is going to come out next year so I want to go in that direction.

“So I just want to leave all the rock ’n’ roll stuff behind, for a while maybe... Everything has to come to an end sooner or later.”

He added in an interview with the BBC’s Charlie Stayt: “I’m really looking forward to doing something else, especially singing with Jools’s band, it borders on rock ’n’ roll anyway, it’s just not Maggie May and Do Ya Think I’m Sexy?.”

Separately, Sir Rod announced: “My forthcoming concerts at Edinburgh Castle will be the last of the rock ’n’ roll shows.”

Replacing his rock ’n’ roll tracks will be songs more akin to those of American jazz singer Louis Prima, he said.

‘I don’t want to be singing Hot Legs when I’m 84’

It is a marked shift from his career to date, during which he achieved global fame as a solo artist in the 1970s after spells with Faces and the Jeff Beck Group. His new musical direction comes after he updated his setlist to make it more age-appropriate, saying in 2022: “I’ve got to move on, I don’t want to be singing Hot Legs when I’m 84.”

The singer has also suggested that certain songs are inappropriate in the modern era simply because of their lyrical content, saying that “ you have to be careful of now is what you say in those songs” and claiming that “they’re not appropriate … they were in the 70s but they’re not anymore”.

Musical changes follow Sir Rod’s decision alter his property portfolio and sell his £56 million LA mansion. Last year, the singer was seen repairing potholes near his Essex home as he claimed the authorities “couldn’t be bothered to do it”.

Sir Rod will release his album in 2024 following a UK tour summer tour with Boy George as the support act.

Speaking of his fellow performer, Sir Rod said: “He [Boy George] just broke down so many barriers when he came along, the way he was dressed, the hats, the everything, brilliant.”