Gorillaz set to release new album in 2025, confirms frontman Damon Albarn

Damon Albarn, frontman of rock band Blur and virtual band Gorillaz, has exciting news for fans. In an interview with the French publication Les Inrocktupibles, published on March 25, Albarn gave an insider look into his ongoing Opera show, The Magic Flute II: La Malédiction, at the Lido 2 Paris. The show, scheduled between March 27 and March 30, is the sequel to Mozart's Opera The Magic Flute (1791).

While talking about his plans for 2025, Albarn revealed he is "finishing a new Gorillaz album." He added,

"One opera and one new Gorillaz album seems like enough for 2025! Unless someone accuses me of taking my foot off the gas!"

Albarn elaborated on his experience creating the electric opera and his excitement about his "first operatic work."

Damon Albarn of Gorillaz talks about the new album set to release in 2025

Damon Albarn has confirmed he is making a new album for the virtual band, Gorillaz. Although he kept the information under wraps, the album will reportedly be completed in six months, per Billboard. It has been approximately two years since Gorillaz's last album, Cracker Island. He released The Ballard Of Darren, Blur's latest album, during the same timeline.

The former band last appeared live on stage during Coachella 2023 and hasn't returned since then. With the new album's arrival, fans anticipate the band's return on stage.

In addition to the new album, it appears that Albarn's foray into the world of theatre has been a top priority. He told Les Inrocktupibles that the electric opera is one of "the best things" he has done. He elaborated on the behind-the-scenes of the Opera and noted that it comes from

"a fragment of a libretto, written by Goethe, who wanted it adapted by Mozart."

He added,

"Unfortunately, Mozart died, and I don't think Goethe passed it on to him. So it ended up in a drawer for hundreds of years. I don't even know how it was rediscovered."

Albarn revealed he "jumped in a fit of madness" to write when approached by Jean-Luc [Choplin]. He revealed the differences between songwriting and Opera writing are "immense" and noted,

"If an opera singer sings a pop song, it will sound very bad. Pop language doesn't work at all with opera. Opera language is much more… I wouldn't say “complicated”… It's just that you don't go from one note to the next in a straight line. It's much more chromatic."

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Between continuing Mozart's legacy and working on a new album, Albarn's hands are tied. The singer and songwriter noted that the two are enough for 2025 and don't have anything planned "yet" for the year. While a release date hasn't been set yet, more information may be released once Albarn and his team complete making the new album. The name of the album hasn't been disclosed.

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