In 2024, founding Asia keyboardist Geoff Downes re-formed the prog-rock supergroup. Downes, who also is a longtime member of Yes, recruited drummer Virgil Donati, guitarist John Mitchell, and singer/bassist Harry Whitley for the band’s new lineup.
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Since Asia’s relaunch, the group has toured the U.S., the U.K., and Japan, and also performed at the Frontiers Rock Festival in Italy in April 2025. Now comes word that Asia has signed a new deal with Frontiers Music, which was the band’s label home during the 2000s and 2010s.
Downes has issued a statement in which he revealed that the band was “thrilled” about the new record deal.
“Having been loyally supported by the label throughout the ASIA reunion period from 2005-2015, we are now entering an exciting new chapter in the band’s 45-year history,” Geoff wrote. He also reported that the agreement will include “a sequence of live albums, DVDs and a brand new studio album scheduled for a 2026 release.”
He added, “It’s very much a homecoming for the band, and so we are greatly looking forward to a long and fruitful partnership with them in the future. Watch this space!”
Frontiers Music executive Mario de Riso also shared some comments about the partnership.
“So proud and excited for the label to be able to bring back this iconic band,” de Riso said. “There was certainly unfinished business to deal with and, thanks to this fabulous new line-up, new music from ASIA can now come to fruition. It will be a blast!”
In a 2024 interview with Classic Rock, Downes revealed that he was hoping to complete some unfinished songs he’d worked on with Wetton for the new lineup to record.
More About Asia
Asia was formed in 1981 by Downes, former King Crimson singer/bassist John Wetton, Yes guitarist Steve Howe, and Emerson, Lake & Palmer drummer Carl Palmer. The British supergroup enjoyed huge success with its self-titled 1982 debut album.
Asia spent nine weeks atop the Billboard 200, and yielded two hit singles—“Heat of the Moment” and “Only Time Will Tell,” which peaked at #4 and #17, respectively, on the Billboard Hot 100. Asia wound up being the best-selling album in the U.S. in 1982.
The band’s original lineup only initially stayed together for a few years, though. The band continued to tour and record with various lineups until 2006, when Asia’s four founding members reunited. The reunion lasted until 2013, when Howe exited the group to focus on Yes and solo projects. Wetton remained with Asia until his death from cancer in 2017.
The band underwent additional lineup changes, and remained active until 2019. Downes decided to restart Asia after spearheading a tribute concert to Wetton in 2023. Geoff invited Mitchell, who had played with Downes’ and Wetton’s side project Icon and Wetton’s own solo group, to perform with him at the tribute. Downes also invited newcomer Whitley to take part in the event.
Geoff had discovered Whitley, and was impressed by how similar the young musician’s singing voice were to Wetton’s. Performing with Mitchell and Whitley inspired Downes to launch a new version of Asia.
Asia’s most recent studio album, Gravitas, was released in 2014. It was recorded by Wetton, Downes, Palmer, and guitarist Sam Coulson. Coulson replaced Howe in the group in 2013 and was a member of Asia until 2018.
(Courtesy of Scruffy Bear Media)
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