Back in September, original Foreigner frontman Lou Gramm revealed in an interview with American Songwriter that he was preparing a new solo album called Released that he was planning to put out in 2026. Now, official details about the project have been announced.
Videos by American Songwriter
Released is scheduled to arrive on March 20. The album features 10 original songs, including nine new tunes co-written by Gramm and his longtime collaborator Bruce Turgon. Turgon was a member of Gramm’s pre-Foreigner group Black Sheep, and also played bass with Foreigner from 1992 to 2003 and on Lou’s previous two solo efforts.
Def Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell is featured on Released’s first track, “Young Love,” while veteran rock bassist Tony Franklin lent his talents to tune called “Long Gone.” The album also includes an “unplugged” version of “True Blue Love,” a song that first appeared on Gramm’s second solo album, Long Hard Look, which was released in 1989.
Released was produced by Lou. The album also features contributions from members of his solo band, including his brother, drummer Ben Grammatico.
Released will be Gramm’s third official solo album, following his 1987 debut, Ready or Not, and Long Hard Look. In addition, his solo group, the Lou Gramm Band, released a self-titled album in 2009.
Gramm revealed in a November 2025 interview with American Songwriter that a lead single from the album will be released in February. Lou is planning to tour in 2026 in support of Released, but revealed he also intends to retire from touring before the end of the year.
More About Released
According to a post on Gramm’s official Facebook page, Released is “a collection of hidden gems (finished versions of strong ideas from past sessions) and new material.”
The album can be pre-ordered on CD now at CherryRed.co.uk and as a limited-edition red-vinyl LP via Amazon.
In his September 2025 interview with American Songwriter, Gramm said of Released, “It’s all good rock songs, and they’re all vastly different from each other. And the style, I think at this point, is almost uniquely my own, which I like. There’s shades of Foreigner in it, too, but I think it sounds more like my solo albums than anything else. … I can’t wait for the public to hear it.”
Gramm also shared that Released features a few tracks that were initially recorded during the Ready or Not and Long Hard Look sessions, but weren’t completed at the time.
“When you release an album, you have 10 songs on it, but there’s always three or four that are great ideas that don’t make the cut, you know, probably ’cause they’re not finished,” he explained. “So I went back and listened to the multi-track of the Ready or Not album and the Long Hard Look album, and I found at least two, maybe three songs from each of those albums that [weren’t] finished.”
He continued, “I had the foresight to go back and listen to the almost-made-it songs, and I finished them. And now they’re on my [new] album.”
Gramm also noted that Released includes “a number of new songs too.”
Other News About Gramm
In December 2025, Gramm participated in a series of Foreigner concerts celebrating the band’s recently released expanded reissue of its chart-topping 1981 album 4. Lou joined the group’s current lineup to sing several songs at each show.
In 2026, Foreigner will be celebrating its 50th anniversary. Gramm has been announced as a special guest at five concerts the band will be playing in Florida this April.
Check out the group’s full schedule at ForeignerOnline.com.
Lou also will be performing on the 2026 ’70s Rock & Romance Cruise, taking place in late March. In addition, according to StubHub and other sources, Gramm has solo shows lined up on May 9 in Wabash, Indiana, and May 28 in Stamford, Connecticut.
Released Track List:
- “Young Love”
- “Lightning Strikes”
- “Walk the Walk”
- “Long Gone”
- “Heart and Soul”
- “Long Hard Look”
- “True Blue Love” (Unplugged)
- “Deeper Side of Love”
- “Time Heals the Pain”
- “Word Gets Around”
(Photo by Joy Malone/Getty Images)
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