The Rolling Stones officially launched their upcoming 25th studio album, Foreign Tongues, at a star-studded event in New York on Tuesday afternoon. The trio—Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Ronnie Wood—joined host Conan O'Brien to discuss the record, which is set for release later this year.
Event Highlights
O'Brien opened the event with humor, joking that the band might finally "make it after decades of obscurity," drawing laughs from the audience, which included Leonardo DiCaprio, director Baz Luhrmann, and actress Odessa A'zion. The Rolling Stones, who have sold over 250 million albums worldwide, are known for their enduring legacy, but their recent work has shown a creative resurgence. Their 2023 album, Hackney Diamonds, was praised as a return to form.
Album Details
Foreign Tongues features 14 songs spanning multiple genres, as Jagger explained: "The Stones are a rock band that also has the capacity to do ballads, country music, or dance music. So we don't get stuck in one kind of style." The album was produced by Andrew Watt, who also worked on Hackney Diamonds, and includes guest appearances by Steve Winwood, Paul McCartney, Robert Smith of The Cure, and Chad Smith of Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Jagger described the track "Ringing Hollow" as a "country tune" inspired by his and Richards's love for Hank Williams, while "Beautiful Delilah" draws from delta blues. The singer also teased "Hit Me in the Head," a punk rocker featuring parts recorded by the late drummer Charlie Watts before his death in 2021.
Creative Process
The album was recorded in just four weeks, which Jagger said gave it urgency: "Only having four weeks gave us an urgency. We're having fun most of the time in the studio, but it's a lot of concentration too—you've really got to make a song's five minutes count." Richards added that riffs "come to you" and cannot be forced, while Wood compared his guitar interplay with Richards to "an ancient form of weaving."
O'Brien, who had listened to the album 25 times, called it "kick-ass" and reminiscent of the band's 1972 classic Exile on Main St., noting its "vibrancy and urgency."
Reflections on Charlie Watts
The band fondly remembered their late drummer, with Wood stating, "Charlie handed the baton to Steve [Jordan]," the Stones' new drummer. Richards quipped, "When Charlie hit the bucket, he said: 'Steve's your man.'"
Cover Art and Future
The cover art for Foreign Tongues is a painting by Nathaniel Mary Quinn, which Jagger joked was called "Mr Ugly." The band emphasized the importance of keeping things fresh after more than 60 years. Richards concluded: "You don't just want to sit on what you've done before. We put it together, we love to do it, and there is always something more in there."
