“It’s been great to jump into new music but with an old heart at the centre of it,” says singer
Rick Astley celebrates 60th birthday with the release of his new single Waiting On You.
A landmark birthday is the perfect time for reflection. And as Rick Astley turns 60, he can look back on some enviable achievements – from his iconic global breakthrough with Never Gonna Give You Up to an unexpected career resurgence as he returned to No.1 with 50. But it’s also a time to look ahead towards what comes next, and that starts with intent as Rick shares his new single Waiting On You.
Waiting On You underlines Rick’s ability to evoke timeless 60s soul influences and infuse them with a contemporary touch that is completely in tune with the present day. Emotive strings and Rick’s inimitable baritone provide the perfect sonic touchpoints for a song which not only looks back to the first flush of love, but also celebrates how it endures deep into a life together.
Waiting On You was written, produced and almost entirely solely performed by Rick Astley at his studio, The Spud Farm.
Rick says, “The beauty of having a guitar older than I am is that it makes me play, write and feel everything differently. This track has a feeling of a decade long ago, lyrically and style wise. It’s been great to jump into new music but with an old heart at the centre of it.”
Listen below:
Beautiful Life
Astley recently joined BBC Radio 2’s Dermot O’Leary for the next edition of BBC Two and BBC iPlayer’s Reel Stories, which saw the duo watch back and reflect upon the pivotal moments of Rick’s life and career.
Reel Stories: Rick Astley will be broadcast at 10pm tomorrow (7 February 2026) as part of a themed night, featuring another chance to see Rick’s Glastonbury 2023 set, and ‘Stock Aitken Waterman at the BBC’, with classic BBC performances from Rick, alongside Dead or Alive, Donna Summer, Bananarama, Mel & Kim and Kylie & Jason Donovan.
In 1987, Never Gonna Give You Up hit No.1 in 20 countries across the globe as Rick became one of the world’s hottest new artists – a status that continued with further hits such as Together Forever, Whenever You Need Somebody and Cry For Help. But it wasn’t long until Rick retreated from the spotlight to embrace family life. Yet almost 30 years later, Rick returned to No.1 with 50 and each album since has also raced up the charts: Beautiful Life (No.6), The Best of Me (No.4) and his most recent set, 2023’s Are We There Yet?.
That popularity exploded in the live arena, with countless sold-out arena headline shows, major festivals, live collaborations with Foo Fighters and Blossoms, and an epic North American tour with New Kids On The Block. Meanwhile, Never Gonna Give You Up remains eternally popular, joining Spotify’s Billions Club in 2025 while its official video now stands at a staggering 1.7 billion views. Rick recounted his entire story in 2024’s confessional memoir Never: The Autobiography, but now it’s time for more chapters to be written…
Currently working on more new music, Waiting On You kickstarts a busy year to come for Rick. April will see him embark upon the 12-date UK and Ireland Reflection arena tour, culminating at the 20,000-capacity The O2 in London – with Gabrielle performing as very special guest at all shows. The summer then sees a mix of major festival dates and big outdoor shows across the UK and Europe.
Reflection Tour Dates
10 April – Glasgow, OVO Hydro
11 April – Newcastle, Arena
13 April – Belfast, The SSE Arena
14 April – Dublin, 3Arena
16 April – Liverpool, M&S Bank Arena
17 April – Manchester, The Co-op Live
18 April – Leeds, First Direct Bank Arena
20 April – Bournemouth, International Centre
21 April – Cardiff, Utilita Arena
22 April – Nottingham, Arena
24 April – Birmingham, BP Pulse Live
25 April – London, The O2
21 May – Stockholm, Gröna Lund
22 May – Gothenburg, Liseberg Tivoli
24 May – Denmark, Jelling Musikfestival
05 June – Scarborough, Open Air Theatre
06 June – Isle of Wight Festival
24 June – Llangollen, Pavilion
25 June – Lincoln, Live at Lincoln Castle
27 June – Tetbury, Westonbirt Arboretum
07 July – Munich, Tollwood Musik Festival
11 July – Murcia On
16 July – Valencia, Marina Norte
17 July – Madrid, Noches del Botánico
24 July – Ludlow, Castle
25 July – Sheffield, Tramlines Festival
06 August – Paloznak, Paloznaki Jazzpiknik
30 August – Silverstone, Carfest
Remaining tickets for the Reflection tour are available here and listen to Waiting On You here
Featured image credit: Peter Neill
Read our interview: We meet Rick in issue 101 of Classic Pop available here
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