Rick Astley celebrates 60th birthday with new single 'Waiting On You'

photo by Peter Neill

RELEASES THE BRAND NEW SINGLE ‘WAITING ON YOU’

ON HIS 60TH BIRTHDAY - LISTEN HERE

THE ‘REFLECTION’ UK ARENA TOUR STARTS IN APRIL

RICK JOINS DERMOT O’LEARY FOR ‘REEL STORIES: RICK ASTLEY’ ON BBC TWO AND BBC IPLAYER - TO BE BROADCAST AT 10PM TOMORROW

A landmark birthday is the perfect time for reflection. And as Rick Astley today celebrates his 60th birthday, 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 #1 with ‘50’, and playing one of the major memorable sets in Glastonbury history. 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’ which has just received its premiere courtesy of Scott Mills on Radio 2.

‘Waiting On You’ underlines Rick’s distinctive 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.

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.”

‘Waiting On You’ was written, produced and almost entirely solely performed by Rick Astley at his studio, The Spud Farm.

Rick 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 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.

His story is quite unlike anyone else’s. In 1987, ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ hit #1 in twenty 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 #1 with ‘50’ and each album since has also raced up the charts: ‘Beautiful Life’ (#6), ‘The Best of Me’ (#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. Remaining tickets for the ‘Reflection’ tour are available HERE.

APRIL

10th - Glasgow, OVO Hydro

11th - Newcastle, Arena

13th - Belfast, The SSE Arena

14th - Dublin, 3Arena

16th - Liverpool, M&S Bank Arena

17th - Manchester, The Co-op Live

18th - Leeds, First Direct Bank Arena

20th - Bournemouth, International Centre

21st - Cardiff, Utilita Arena

22nd - Nottingham, Arena

24th - Birmingham, BP Pulse Live

25th - London, The O2

MAY

21st - Stockholm, Gröna Lund

22nd - Gothenburg, Liseberg Tivoli

24th - Denmark, Jelling Musikfestival

JUNE

5th - Scarborough, Open Air Theatre

6th - Isle of Wight Festival

24th - Llangollen, Pavilion

25th - Lincoln, Live at Lincoln Castle

27th - Tetbury, Westonbirt Arboretum

JULY

7th - Munich, Tollwood Musik Festival

11th - Murcia On

16th - Valencia, Marina Norte

17th - Madrid, Noches del Botánico

24th - Ludlow, Castle

25th - Sheffield, Tramlines Festival

AUGUST

6th - Paloznak, Paloznaki Jazzpiknik

30th - Silverstone, Carfest