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The legendary rock band Foreigner is saying farewell to lead singer, Kelly Hansen.
After the band’s stellar performance during Tuesday’s finale of “The Voice,” Hansen – who joined the group in 2005 – broke the news of his departure alongside his bandmates.
“After 20 magical years fronting this band, this will be my last year with Foreigner,” Hansen, who will put down the mic after the band’s summer tour, told the crowd. “At the end of this summer, a new great voice will sing these songs for you; my friend Luis Maldonado.”
Kelly Hansen joined Foreigner as the lead singer in 2005. (Thomas Cooper/Getty Images)
“Being the voice of Foreigner has been one of the greatest honors of my life,” added Hansen, who joined the group in 2005. “But it’s time to pass the mic. Luis has the voice, the energy, and the soul to carry these songs into the future. I couldn’t be prouder to hand this off to him.”
FOREIGNER REVEAL HOW THEIR MUSIC RESONATES FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION
Foreigner was formed in New York City in 1976 by guitarist Mick Jones, vocalist Lou Gramm, drummer Dennis Elliott, keyboardist Al Greenwood, bassist Ed Gagliardi and multi-instrumentalist Ian McDonald. Hansen has been the lead singer of Foreigner since 2005.
Maldonado, third from the right, will take over for Hansen. (Griffin Nagel/NBC)
Mick Jones is the only founding member still with the band. Current members include Maldonado, Bruce Watson, Michael Bluestein, Chris Frazier and Jeff Pilson.
“In 1976, my goal was to assemble the finest group of musicians I could find. Results have shown that it worked! About 30 years later, Jason Bonham encouraged me to do it all over again and create a brand-new Foreigner, and the magic was still there,” Jones said per Rolling Stone.
“I was especially fortunate in the choice of lead singer,” Jones continued. “Kelly Hansen is one of the best front men in our business and over the last twenty years he has breathed new life into our songs.”
“I wish Kelly great happiness in his next endeavors after our summer tour, and I look forward to welcoming Luis to his new position,” Jones added. “Luis was my choice as a guitarist and he has already shown us what he can do on lead vocals by fronting the band in South America to incredible reviews. He will soon lead the charge that will carry us forward to new heights.”
FOREIGNER OVERCAME PRESSURE, FEUDS BEFORE SCORING MUSIC’S HIGHEST HONOR
Kelly Hansen, in 2017, will continue performing with the band through their summer tour. (Getty Images)
Since their music career launched in 1976, the English-American rockers skyrocketed to fame with major hits, including “Cold as Ice” and “I Want to Know What Love Is.”
In October, Hansen and founding member Greenwood spoke with Fox News Digital about the highs and lows of touring, how health challenges have impacted the band, and what it’s like to receive one of “music’s highest honors” ahead of their Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction.
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“When you’re starting out in a band, and you’re trying to be popular, there’s a lot of pressure on you. There’s a lot of pressure on the musicians.” Greenwood explained.
Band members Luis Maldonado, Kelly Hansen, Chris Frazier, Bruce Watson, Jeff Pilson and Paul Mirkovichon backstage as the band Foreigner performs on the “Fox & Friends” Summer Concert Series at FOX Studios on Jul. 22, 2022, in New York City. (Photo by Roy Rochlin) (Getty Images)
“There were fights, there were definitely arguments and things like that in the early days. But… you get over it.”
“A band is really a family. You have all different personalities and everybody’s got to fit together, and you perform every night… it’s work, and it’s pleasure,” Greenwood continued.
During the course of their 50-year music career, several band members suffered from serious health issues: Gagliardi and McDonald died from cancer in 2014 and 2022, respectively; Gramm was diagnosed with a type of brain tumor in 1997; and Jones is currently battling Parkinson’s disease.
Fox News Digital’s Stephanie Giang-Paunon contributed to this post.
