Kelly Hansen is opening up about his decision to leave Foreigner. Nearly five months after Hansen announced his departure from the band on The Voice, the frontman spoke to People about his big decision, which he began considering in 2020.
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“I started to have the sense of being home. I started to say, ‘Wow, this is something I haven’t had in my life for a very long time,’” Hansen told the outlet of the period of quarantine.
At the time, Hansen said he “had this feeling of what it’s like to be home and also with a sense of, I feel I have some kind of stability financially and otherwise, where I could start thinking about making a choice that’s different than what I’m doing.”
“Although I love what I do, I’ve been in this business nearly 50 years, and I put in my time,” he added. “… I think that Americans, in a way, have a work ethic that says, work till you die, and I thought to myself, I’ve traveled the world, I’ve seen a lot of places, I’ve seen a lot of cultures and I’ve experienced how other people in other countries approach living and the style of living. I said to myself, ‘I want to enjoy and live my life.’ I have many other passions and pursuits.”
While Hansen said his health is not a factor in his decision, he did note that “physicality plays a part because these songs are really difficult to do at the level and the standard that I will accept.”
Kelly Hansen’s History With Foreigner
Before his time in Foreigner, Hansen co-founded and fronted hard rock group Hurricane in the ’80s. After the group disbanded, Hansen had a stint with Unruly Child and worked on other musical projects, before he joined Foreigner in 2005.
Since then, Hansen has been performing with Foreigner. While performing on the season 27 finale of The Voice in May, Hansen revealed, “After 20 magical years fronting this band, this will be my last year with Foreigner. At the end of this summer, a new great voice will sing these songs for you; my friend Luis Maldonado.”
In an Instagram post following his departure announcement, Hansen said, “It’s been an amazing, incredible ride. Love the guys, love the band, love these songs, love you guys. It’s very difficult to describe what you guys have done for me and my gratitude for all that you have given me over these 20 years in the band.”
Kelly Hansen Talks Life After Foreigner
Hansen’s last show is scheduled for Oct. 11, after which time Maldonado, the current guitarist, will take over frontman duties. The singer knows that his final gig with the band will be an emotional one.
“I don’t want to not acknowledge the weight of this for me, and I’m not even going to assume what the weight is like for anybody else,” he told the outlet. “I want it to be joyous, and I want it to be memorable, and I want it to be fun.”
“I’ve been telling the audience that I’m taking mental snapshots because this year is different than the 20 years prior, because the 20 years prior were the blur of being in the thick of it,” Hansen continued. “Now I’m poking my head out of the forest, and I’m seeing the pasture ahead, and I’m not just fighting the trees every day. I’m seeing the sun, the pasture in front of me.”
As for how it will feel to not perform anymore, Hansen insisted, “I really am not troubled by living a smaller life. I really am not.”
“I’ve lived, my whole life has been loud music and bright lights and a lot of s**t, and I spent a lot of my time trying to avoid f**king landmines, and I don’t want to have to do that,” he said. “I just want to live my life with my friends and my family and just dig it.”
Photo by Craig Barritt/Getty Images for The Buoniconti Fund To Cure Paralysis
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