Following two decades of service, Kelly Hansen will step down as the lead singer of Foreigner.
During the legendary group’s Tuesday’s performance on the season finale of The Voice (5.20,) the now 64-year-old rocker announced his forthcoming exit and also revealed his replacement.
Following the group’s rendition of ‘Feels Like the First Time,’ Hansen passed the torch to guitarist Luis Maldonado by saying, “After 20 magical years fronting this band, this will be my last year with Foreigner. At the end of this summer, a new great voice will sing these songs for you; my friend Luis Maldonado,” subsequent to which he brought out Maldonado to sing ‘Juke Box Hero’ before their shared lead vocals on ‘I Want to Know What Love Is.’
In a statement about his departure, Hansen said “Being the voice of Foreigner has been one of the greatest honors of my life. 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.”
Praising the departing musician, the only founding member of Foreigner, Mick Jones said:
“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 endeavours after our summer tour, and I look forward to welcoming Luis to his new position. 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.”
Replacing original singer Lou Gramm, Kelly Hansen joined Foreigner in 2005, and Maldonado joined the group in 2021.
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Author: Al Denté
Photo: Stefan Brending (2eight)