Award Shows February 04, 2024
Why Billy Joel Wanted to Return to Grammys with New Single! (Exclusive)
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Billy Joel and his wife Alexis Roderick enjoyed a night out at the 2024 Grammys.
“Extra’s” Melvin Robert spoke with the couple as Billy made his triumphant return to the Grammys to perform his new single, “Turn the Lights Back On.”
“Turn the Lights Back On” was the right song to bring him back for his first release in 17 years. Billy said, “The music was the right kind of music, the lyric was the right lyric. I’ve lived those lyrics, I know what I’m talking about. It just felt right.”
He added, “Everything just came together recently… I’ve been avoiding it studiously for 30 years and it just seemed like, ‘Okay, now’s the time. Who am I to fight?’”
As for why he was avoiding the spotlight, Billy admitted, “It stopped being fun after a while. Songwriting became difficult, recording became not fun, and I’ve been working steadily performing and I’m writing new music, they’re just not songs.”
Alex said she was “proud” of Billy. “I’m proud that he was able to get back to the studio and do what he loves because it’s his passion... For a long time, it was hard for him to have his passion. So, I’m really happy that he enjoys it again.”
When asked what would be surprising to know about Billy, Alex shared, “You're extremely organized and he plans all our vacations, which is wonderful.”
Billy quipped, “Well, there are places I want to go and I want to be with the family and yeah, I mean, it's important to me. Early, early on when I was touring all the time, working all the time, I didn't get a chance to do that a lot.”
