Rod Stewart, 78, Defiantly Refuses To Stop Performing – ‘I Shall Never Retire!’

The legendary performer Rod Stewart is speaking out to this week to shoot down rumors that he is retiring from rock ‘n’ roll after he released a previous statement saying he was going to dive into other genres of music.

1/3 A thread.

I’d like to clear up any confusion that I may have caused with my dear fans and the media. I shall never retire! I was put on this earth to be a singer and will keep doing so for as long as the good lord lets me.

— Sir Rod Stewart (@rodstewart) June 21, 2023

‘I Shall Never Retire!’

“I’d like to clear up any confusion that I may have caused with my dear fans and the media,” Stewart, 78, wrote in an Instagram post. “I shall never retire! I was put on this earth to be a singer and will keep doing so for as long as the good Lord lets me.”

“I’ll be playing the hits as advertised for the U.K., U.S., South America and Vegas and into 2024 but no retirement as such,” he continued, addressing his upcoming tour.

This comes days after Stewart expressed plans to “leave all the rock ‘n’ roll stuff behind” after this tour.

“I’m not retiring,” Stewart said, according to NME. “I’ve just done a swing album with Jools Holland, which is going to come out next year, so I want to go in that direction. I just want to leave all the rock ‘n’ roll stuff behind — for a while, maybe.”

Stewart went on to say that he was “really looking forward to doing something else” and that the music he’s been working on with the Jools Holland’s band “borders on rock ‘n’ roll anyway, it’s just not ‘Maggie May’ and ‘Do Ya Think I’m Sexy?’”

‘Everything has to come to an end sooner or later’

Singer Rod Stewart has told #BBCBreakfast he’s giving up rock and roll as he prepares to go on tour with Boy Georgehttps://t.co/Y29oI6E5Pk pic.twitter.com/odrQmQkOlT

— BBC Breakfast (@BBCBreakfast) June 9, 2023

Related: Willie Nelson Reveals Why He’s Refusing To Stop Touring At 90 – ‘It’s Just A Number’

Stewart Compares His Songs To His Children

In his clarification on Instagram, however, Stewart said that he “could never turn my back on the songs that I’ve written and sung over the last six decades.”

“I could never turn my back on the songs that I’ve written and sung over the last six decades,” he wrote. “They are like my children. I created them and I love them. I’ll always come back to them.”

“I’ll always come back to them, just like I did after The Great American Songbook series, which I shall boastfully add, sold 26 million albums!” he added.

Stewart ended his statement by saying that he is eager to release his next project to fans after his 2023 tour comes to an end.

“I look forward to seeing you on the road with all the hits, and I can’t wait to introduce you to my new swing album next year,” he concluded.

Rod Stewart 🎶 Maggie May
Grato @No9dream227 pic.twitter.com/WKyXy0EvHG

— Senex 🎸🎹🎶reserva (@mix031316) June 16, 2023

Related: Harrison Ford Defiantly Refuses To Retire At 80 – ‘I Just Want To Work’

Stewart’s Wedding Anniversary

Stewart celebrated his 16th wedding anniversary with his beloved wife Penny Lancaster, 52, earlier this month.

“I’m definitely more romantic than she is,” he told The Mirror at the time. “I dress up every night for a formal dinner together. I ­absolutely love it. I love lighting all the candles.”

When asked if his and Penny’s busy schedules helps keep their marriage strong, Stewart replied, “It does actually. We often joke about the fact that we can both be in this large house in Essex and not see each other.”

“We stay within the perimeters of the house but we don’t see each other until the evening,” he explained. “We wake up, have a cup of tea in bed together, and then she goes her way and I go mine. It’s lovely, we are not on top of each other all the time. We’re very fortunate in that position.”

Rod Stewart admits he is ‘more romantic’ than wife Penny Lancaster as he reveals marriage secrets pic.twitter.com/t1zfR1sdjg

— DTN NEWS (@DTNNEWUpdates) June 21, 2023

Stewart is one of the greatest performers that is alive today, so we’re glad that he has no plans to retire anytime soon. We can’t wait to see what other music Stewart is cooking up for us in the years to come!