Singer Janis Ian has told Independent.ie that her upcoming album The Light At The End of The Line will be her final record.
The album to be released on January 21st will be the 22nd record of the folk singer’s career that began with the release of her self-titled debut in 1967.
“It is a final statement,” Ian told the Irish website. “It is all I have learned.”
The singer said the overriding theme of the new record is her observations on what she has learned during her life, and the need for less in life.
“It is like getting older,” says the 70-year-old. “You don’t move as well, and you don’t maybe think as rapidly – but it becomes very much less is more. You don’t need as much. You don’t need as many things. You don’t need as many acquaintances. You don’t require as much to feel like yourself because it is already there.”
“So, on this album, more than any other, there are a lot of silent moments.” Ian said.
The first two tracks from the record can be downloaded now. I’m Still Standing opens the album with mellow guitar and reflections on ageing and gaining wisdom, while Resist is a bluey number about beauty standards, female empowerment and feminism.
The final track on the album will be Better Times Will Come, the collaborative song from Ian that hundreds of musicians have recorded a version of.
Janis Ian began her music career when she was 14 writing Friday’s Child about an interracial romance, the song was first released in 1965. She scored another big hit in 1975 when she released At Seventeen a song documenting teenage angst and the illusions of popularity.
She changed gears in 1979 when she worked with disco producer Giorgio Moroder and released Fly To High, which did not get a lot of attention in her native USA, but was a global hit including Australia where it was a Top 10 hit. Her album Night Rains also included The Other Side of the Sun and Here Comes the Night.
Over the year’s many artists have covered Janis Ian songs including Celine Dion, Roberta Flack, Joan Baez, Nina Simone, Cher, Dusty Springfield, Sheena Easton and Shirley Bassey.
After moving to Nashville in the late 1980’s Ian met Patricia Snyder. She publicly came out as a lesbian in 1993 with the release of her album Breaking the Silence. It was hailed as a comeback album given the 12 year hiatus since Ian’s last release. The couple married in 2003 and now live near Tampa Bay in Florida.
On YouTube Janis Ian has also shared a video for the track Summer in New York which is also included on the record.
“Summer is my favorite time to be in New York. Despite the heat and humidity, there’s a hum to the city you don’t find any other time of year. Chess and congas, ice cream vendors and free outdoor concerts… it’s magical. Growing up in New Jersey, spending time in the city during the summer months was always a highlight.” Ian said.
The videos for the songs have been created by Carol Waechter.
The Light At The End of The Line is released on 21st January 2022.
OIP Staff
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