Rod Stewart Addresses Rumours He’s Packing It In: ‘I Shall Never Retire!’

etcanada.com:

Rod Stewart is issuing a clarification after a recent television interview led fans to conclude he was retiring. In a joint interview with Boy George for BBC, Sir Rod announced that he was shifting gears, and would no longer be performing the type of music that made him a star. “I am actually stopping,” he said, adding, “I’m not retiring,” but noting he’s anxious to move on from rock music, citing the success he experienced with his four-volume collection of standards, The Great American Songbook. READ MORE: Rod Stewart Shredded For ‘Sweet Caroline’ Performance At Platinum Jubilee, Admits ‘BBC Made Me Sing This One’ “I’ve just done a swing album with Jools Holland which is going to come out next year, and I want to go in that direction, so I just want to leave all the rock ‘n’ roll stuff behind… for awhile,” he said.

Explaining he’d likely still perform the occasional concert, Stewart vowed that he was done with touring, at least as a rock artist. “Everything has to come to an end sooner or later,” he said. “I’m really looking forward to doing something else, especially singing with Jools’ band.

It borders on rock ‘n’ roll anyway, it’s just not ‘Maggie May’ and ‘Do Ya Think I’m Sexy?'” Despite clearly saying “I’m not retiring,” Stewart’s remarks were picked up by various media outlets, leading many to conclude that he was.

Stewart took to Instagram to set the record straight. “I’d like to clear up any confusion that I may have caused with my dear fans and the media,” he wrote in his post. “I shall never retire!” he declared. “I was put on this Earth to be a singer and will keep doing so for as long as the good Lord lets me.