Well this is certainly a surprise. While the world waits for the arrival of the next Rolling Stones album, just a day after his 74th birthday, the group’s frontman Mick Jagger appeared on Apple Music’s Beats 1 radio show with Zane Lowe today, to unveil a brand new solo single titled “England Lost” featuring grime rapper Skepta, as well as another song titled “Gotta Get A Grip.”
“I was just in the studio writing and these songs just kind of came up close together,” Jagger told Lowe. “I thought, why not just put them out?”
Jagger was actually spotted in the studio with Skepta recently, but many people assumed that if anything he might be working on a track for the rap star, not bringing him in to guest on his own single. “He really wants to get the best out of himself,” Jagger said. :He’s quite serious in some ways, but funny.”
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It’s hard to believe given the longevity of his career, but this represent’s Jagger first solo single in nine years. The last time he hit the studio to work on something under his own name was in 2008 when he dropped the song “Charmed Life” onto his greatest hits album. A few years after that in 2011, he also contributed some guest vocals to the will.i.am single “T.H.E (The Hardest Ever)” featuring Jennifer Lopez as well as another track by SuperHeavy named “Miracle Worker.”
For those worrying about what this might mean for the future of the Stones and their plans to work on their first new album of new material in well over a decade, you can put your concerns aside. “We’ve been in the studio recording,” Mick told Zane Lowe. “All new songs. We’ve been working on that and we’ll keep working on it until we get it right.” Recently, the group’s imitable guitarist Keith Richards echoed that sentiment during an online Q&A feature.
You can listen to Mick Jagger’s “England Lost” single featuring Skepta as well as “Gotta Get A Grip” above.
