Queen drummer Roger Taylor has officially announced his seventh solo album and a UK tour, releasing the first single today. The 76-year-old musician had teased fans on social media, building anticipation for new material.
New Album Details
Titled Violence Insane in a Beautiful World, the album marks Taylor's first solo release in five years, following 2021's Outsider, which reached the Top 3. The record is set for release on September 18, with special vinyl and CD editions available for pre-order.
The first single, Come on Summer (It's Party Time), features the Ndlovu Youth Choir, known for their Zulu rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody. Taylor previously released the track Chump, a critique of Donald Trump, as a standalone single.
Track Listing
- A Beautiful World – Feat. The Ndlovu Youth Choir
- Violence Insane
- What Really Matters
- Don't Photograph Food
- I See You Now
- Chump
- Spit In His Eye
- Jealous Guy (cover)
- Come On Summer (It's Party Time) - Feat. The Ndlovu Youth Choir
- A Great Big Beautiful World (reprise) – Feat. The Ndlovu Youth Choir
UK Tour Dates
Taylor will embark on a UK tour in September, performing at the following venues:
- Newcastle O2 City Hall (21st)
- Edinburgh Usher Hall (22nd)
- Birmingham The Alexandra (24th)
- Manchester Opera House (25th)
- London Roundhouse (28th)
- Swansea Building Society Arena (29th)
Album Theme and Inspiration
Discussing the album's theme, Taylor explained: "There is a theme, you know, it's in the title really, what a beautiful world we live in, don't f*** it up. There seems to be all this insanity at the moment. The violence in the world seems to be as bad as it ever was, at any point, and certainly in my lifetime. It's just horrific, a lot of insane violence. And we do seem to be f***ing up the world, plastics in the sea, you know, and all these awful wars everywhere and hatred born of different religions."
Despite the heavy themes, Taylor emphasized a hopeful tone: "It's a beautiful world, you know. And kindness is very important, I think, it seems to be forgotten quite a lot. So, that is basically the sort of underlying theme."
On the album's eclectic sound, Taylor cited the Beatles as an influence: "I like the idea of eclecticism. I like the idea of different things, you know? I mean, the great example being the Beatles. I always thought that their albums were very eclectic, especially the later albums from Revolver onwards. You never knew what the next track was going to be, and it was totally different to the track before it. We always tried to do that in Queen. We tried to make a lot of different things and fearlessly tread where no sane man would. Yeah, I think people are really going to like the surreal stuff."
Pre-orders for Violence Insane in a Beautiful World include first access to tickets for the 2026 UK Tour.
