Sir Cliff Richard has spoken about how his newly-announced album ‘Rise Up’ will address “the bad period I went through in my life”.
Richard’s upcoming new record will be his first collection of new songs to be released for over 14 years. The album follows the singer’s long but victorious legal battle with the BBC after it was reported back in 2014 that he was being investigated over historical child sexual assault claims.
A court ruled in July that the BBC had breached Richard’s privacy by broadcasting a police search of his home, and he was awarded over £200,000 in damages.
The 77-year-old is now looking to resume his music career, with the singer announcing the release of his next studio album ‘Rise Up’, which is due on November 23.
Recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London, ‘Rise Up’ will see Richards tackling “the bad period I went through in my life” during the aforementioned investigation and subsequent legal battle. It’ll also see the singer express his “renewed feeling of freedom”.
Cliff's new studio album will be titled ''Rise Up'' and will be released on 23rd November 2018. It will feature a duet with Olivia Newton John and also four of his classic tracks reworked using Cliff's original vocals with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. #CliffRichard #RiseUp pic.twitter.com/v4Cx0n11os
— Cliff Richard News (@SirCliffNews) August 28, 2018
Speaking about the title track – which will debut on BBC Radio 2 later this morning (August 29) – Richard said: “I chose Rise Up as the title track because after the bad period I went through in my life, I’ve managed to ‘Rise Up’ out of what seemed like a quagmire.
“I love the lyric ‘They’re never gonna break me down, they’re never gonna take me down, they know I’m gonna rise up feeling stronger’. It is always great to sing lyrics you can ‘feel’ and I really felt those words!
“So, I believe that we have the right title for the album and I am so thrilled in the way that it has turned out.”
Richard also hopes that his new material might attract a “new audience” for his music.
“It has been put to me that a new audience might give me a ‘listen to’, and that is an exciting thought, and if they do and don’t like it they can buy something els,” he said.
“Give me a chance, that is all we can ask… close your eyes and tune in. My longevity should be considered a plus, not a drawback.”