Billy Joel Issues Definitive One-Word Answer on a New Album, Talks the Torture of Writing

For six decades, Billy Joel not only captivated fans with songs like “We Didn’t Start the Fire” and “Piano Man”, but also released thirteen studio albums. His last album, Fantasies & Delusions, hit shelves back in 2001. Entering the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the icon sold over 160 million albums worldwide as he continues to entertain fans. Most recently, he finished a concert at Madison Square Garden and even made an appearance at the Grammy Awards. While remaining in the spotlight, the hitmaker discussed the idea of another album. 

Speaking with Variety about his past and future in music, Joel had a blunt answer when pressed about working on a new album. He insisted, “Nope.” With it being over 20 years since the musician released an album, it seems fans will continue to wait for something that might not ever come. 

Diving deeper into his answer, Joel believed many artists weren’t making albums. “Who makes albums anymore anyway? I think the only person making new albums these days is Taylor Swift or Olivia Rodrigo. I don’t know other people who make albums.” Joel added, “I don’t know what the marketing of that is like now.”

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Billy Joel Discusses Torture Of Writing New Songs

Although thrilled about the success that followed him throughout the decades, Joel also opened up about the process of writing music and how it was torture. “There’s this big black beast with 88 teeth that wants to bite my fingers off while I’m writing. I drive myself nuts. It’s just not as good as I want it to be. It’s a great deal of torment, and I decided I don’t want to put myself through that anymore.”

Always wanting to present his best in front of his fans and the music industry, Joel explained how writing led to “drinking problems and all kinds of self-hate when I was writing, because I set the bar so high. It’s not something I miss.”

With Joel simply enjoying the later years of his career by taking fans on a journey into the past, it appears the icon is content with the legacy he made in music.

(Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)