Nile Rodgers says new Chic album coming in 2017

  • Share
  • He was also inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame today.
  • Nile Rodgers says new Chic album coming in 2017 image
  • Nile Rodgers says a new Chic album, titled It's About Time, will see release in 2017. Writing on his blog, the singer and musician said that in 2016 he "couldn't release an album about the joy of life in a year of so many deaths," referring to the passing of David Bowie, Prince and others this past 12 months. "When Prince suddenly died," Rodgers wrote, "it was like I'd been struck by lighting twice [following the earlier death of David Bowie]. It made me 'see' why I named the next Chic album It's About Time. Time is so important, and what we do with it is everything." Rodgers added: "I flashed upon this fact: 2017 is the 40th anniversary of the world's most influential disco in history, Studio 54. It's also the 40th anniversary of Chic. Our song 'Le Freak' became one of Studio 54's massive anthems." He confirmed that next year will see Chic "pay homage to the club that put us on the international map" with a series of concerts in addition to the LP. Speaking to Rolling Stone, Rodgers shone more light on It's About Time. "We write happy songs and it's nice to tell people that we're happy, even if there's double entendre going on to reflect the times that we're living in," he said, adding: "So on the surface, it's joyous. Underneath, when you listen to the lyrics, you may go, 'Oh, that's what they're really saying.'" The announcement coincides with the news of Rodger's induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame today. He was given the award for Musical Excellence, which means he wasn't inducted based on voters, as in the Performer category, but selected by a special committee. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Rodgers acknowledged that the victory was bittersweet for him since only he, and not his entire band, was selected for the Hall Of Fame. "I'm a little perplexed," he said, "because even though I'm quite flattered that they believed that I was worthy, my band Chic didn't win. They plucked me out of the band and said, 'You're better than Chic.' That's wacky to me."
RA