David Bowie has streamed his upcoming single Lazarus.
A video is to follow on January 7, the day before his 69th birthday and the launch of 25th album ★ (Blackstar).
The follow-up to 2013 surprise comeback The Next Day is a deliberate departure, says producer Tony Visconti.
He told Rolling Stone: “We were listening to a lot of Kendrick Lamar. We wound up with nothing like that – but we loved the fact Kendrick was so open-minded. threw everything on there, and that’s exactly what we wanted to do. The goal in many, many ways was to avoid rock’n’roll.”
Responding to a question about Bowie’s rumoured ill-health, Visconti says: “He’s in fine health. He’s just made a very rigorous album.”
And asked about the chances of touring, he replies: “I don’t think he’s ever going to play live again – if he does, it will be a total surprise.”
Bowie released a video for ★’s title track last month. Lazarus is the title of a musical play based on 1976 movie The Man Who Fell To Earth, in which he starred.
