Steven J. Horowitz Senior Music Writer Billy Joel is back with new music for the first time in 17 years. The singer-songwriter has announced the release of “Turn the Lights Back On,” his first solo song since 2007 and second since 1993.
The track is slated to hit streaming services on February 1, and will additionally be released on limited edition 7-inch vinyl.
Joel co-wrote the single with the song’s producer Freddy Wexler, who has worked on songs for artists spanning Ariana Grande and Selena Gomez to Kanye West and Lil Wayne.
Additional writers for the song include Wayne Hector (Nicki Minaj, One Direction) and Arthur Bacon. Joel has been gesturing towards new music since last month, when he posted a TikTok stating “we got a little something we’re working on you might hear some time.” Then, this past weekend, fans noticed that the Spotify canvas that showed when listening to Joel’s music had replaced the traditional cover art with an image bearing the statement, “Did I wait too long…” According to a release, “Did I wait too long… to turn the lights back on?” is a lyric from the song.
Read more on variety.com