Take That's chief songwriter finds time in a packed schedule to record a new album, following his diamond jubilee No 1
Following the massive success of the Take That reformation, Gary Barlow has announced a new solo album, his first in 14 years. The as-yet-unnamed record will be released on 25 November and follows a solo tour last year.
Barlow revealed his plans over Twitter, telling fans that he is "excited for u to hear [the LP]". The X Factor judge's last release was Sing, a seven-track mini-album conceived for the Queen's diamond jubilee. Sing topped the UK album chart, becoming the shortest No 1 album in chart history.
Despite last year's tour, his fans weren't expecting a new full-length. The 42-year-old has a major role on The X Factor, which won't complete its current series until mid-December. When that's over, Barlow has already promised to reconvene Take That, who will reportedly be hitting the studio in January. "If [Robbie Williams] is around he'll be with us, if not it'll be [us] four. It can go either way," he told the Daily Mirror last week.
Barlow released his first solo album, Open Road, in 1997. It was a hit, charting in 17 countries and selling more than 2m copies. The followup, 1997's Twelve Months, Eleven Days, was nowhere near as successful: even in the UK, it peaked at No 34. But Barlow's stock has certainly risen since Take That's return in 2005: the one-time boyband's last three albums are, respectively, nine, seven and eight times platinum. Their last, 2010's Progress, was the biggest-selling album of the year, and the second-fastest selling album of all-time.