David Bowie Was Preparing To Follow Up Blackstar With Another Album
He had demoed five songs before he died.
Blackstar is David Bowie's final release, but the recently departed artist was in the early stages of preparing another album, according to a new Rolling Stone interview with his longtime producer Tommy Visconti.
Before his death this week, Bowie had demo-ed five brand new songs and expressed a desire to record them, which Visconti took as good news. “I thought, and he thought, that he'd have a few months, at least. Obviously, if he's excited about doing his next album, he must've thought he had a few more months. So the end must've been very rapid. I'm not privy to it. I don't know exactly, but he must've taken ill very quickly after that phone call.”
Though his condition would improve after Blackstar was completed, Bowie was treating the album as his final project during its recording. “Visconti noticed the tone of some of the lyrics and told him, 'You canny bastard. You're writing a farewell album.' Bowie simply laughed in response. "He was so brave and courageous," says Visconti. "And his energy was still incredible for a man who had cancer. He never showed any fear. He was just all business about making the album.”
Watch the video for “Lazarus” below, and read some more tributes to the legend from other artists.