In a recent interview, legendary rock singer and drummer Phil Collins says he hasn’t completely ruled out recording new music, or even touring.
The erstwhile Genesis frontman told BBC Breakfast‘s Charlotte Gallagher that he “can’t really see it [performing live] happening, but I’m healthier now than I had been for quite a while.”
Collins has been open about his medical struggles in recent years, previously revealing that he suffers from Type 2 diabetes and complications from a 2007 spinal injury. In January, he noted he was under 24-hour care and has also said that he could no longer hold his drum sticks properly without feeling pain, even taping his sticks to his hands to get through later gigs. He also experienced kidney issues and underwent five operations on his knee.
The eight-time Grammy winner last toured with Genesis in 2022.
With his impending Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame induction later this year, Collins revealed he was asked by the organization to celebrate the honor with a performance, as is typical tradition. “I said no. ‘Cause you’ve gotta be match fit to do something like that. You can’t just go on stage. You’re gonna have to rehearse, and then by that point, if you’ve not been singing, your voice is gonna be shot, and then that’s not gonna be good. So I’d rather not do it,” he explained.
He continued, “But whether I would go out again, I would contemplate, yeah. I mean, I’m constantly saying to myself, I’ve gotta go back down to my studio at home.”
With that, the Oscar winner said he had “lots of lyrical ideas that I write down” and other “half-formed” projects, in addition to “a couple of things that are finished.”
In addition to Collins (who was previously inducted with Genesis in 2010, joining the esteemed class of two-time inductees), the Class of 2026 for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Performer category also includes several long-overlooked acts like Billy Idol, Iron Maiden and Joy Division/New Order, along with Oasis, hip-hop collective Wu-Tang Clan and R&B stalwarts Sade and the late Luther Vandross.
