The long (26 years) wait for a new Chic album comes to an end in September.
Along with the release of the new single “Till The World Falls,” Nile Rodgers and company have announced a Sept. 14 release for It’s About Time, an album Rodgers has been working on — and talking about — for years. “I’ve been doing this one album for such a long time,” Rodgers, who’s also “pretty far along” on a new stage musical he’s writing, told Billboard last year. “It’s very reminiscent of Daft Punk‘s last album; They had been working on it for eight years before I walked into the studio and we did ‘Get Lucky.’ But this record has to be true to the story arc that is Chic, even though times have changed.”
Chic released another single, “I’ll Be There,” in 2015, but it’s not known if that is still slated to be part of It’s About Time. Rodgers said that he’s collaborated on songs for the set with Lady Gaga, Elton John, Miguel, Janelle Monae, Disclosure and Anderson.Paak, among others, while other songs came from his cancer recovery, the deaths of friends such as Bowie and Prince, and last year’s vicious presidential campaign.
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Nevertheless, he said over time that he became “more positive, and the record got super-positive. It became this really fun, celebratory record, which is what Chic records are about.”
Rodgers co-wrote “Till The World Falls” with .Paak, anais, Nao and Vic Mensa, and the recording features Mensa as well as vocalists Mura Masa and Cosha. Rodgers and Chic premiered the song June 12 on the BBC’s Later…With Jools Holland.
In a statement Masa said that, “Working with Nile at Abbey Road was so enjoyable. It’s breathtaking to see a man who has been working and striving towards greatness for so long approaching the writing and recording process with the same joy and passion that he always has. Truly an amazing learning experience and a wild fever dream come true.”
Rodgers and Chic are currently on the road in Europe into August, with a Sept. 9 performance at New York’s Octfest also on the books. More details for It’s About Time are expected soon. Rodgers recently told V magazine that the album’s artwork, shot by Britt Lloyd, would recreate Chic’s self-titled 1997 debut and feature fashion models Duckie Thot and Jazzelle Zanaughtti.