Peter Gabriel, 76, Releases New Single 'What Lies Ahead' with Fans Raving About Its Beauty
Peter Gabriel, 76, Releases New Single 'What Lies Ahead' with Fans Raving About Its Beauty
Jacqueline Burt CoteWed, March 4, 2026 at 12:51 AM UTC
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(Photo by Jeff Kravitz on Getty Images)
So far, 2026 has been a very good year for Peter Gabriel fans...and there's plenty more to come.
First, the iconic musician announced his new album, o\i, a follow up to his critically acclaimed 2023 album i/o (which is being released in the same manner, with a single dropping on each full moon of the year). With January's full moon came the first single, “Been Undone,” while February brought listeners “Put the Bucket Down,” both of which were met with massive praise from fans.
Now, with the advent of the March blood/worm moon comes another new tune from Gabriel: "What Lies Ahead."
In a message to fans on his official website, Gabriel opened up about how the song (which he played live in 2014 and 2023) has evolved over the years.
"On the Back to Front tour, along with 'Playing for Time,' it was one of the songs that was played without words, as a work in progress," Gabriel wrote. "The song actually began with a melody that my son Isaac was playing with and I thought, oh, that’s really nice — I could build that into something."
"On that tour, we had our wonderful Scandinavian contingent of Jennie Abrahamson andLinnea Olsson who was also playing cello," he continued. "I’d always liked Linnea’s cello line so it ended up on this final recording. John Metcalfe added some other elements for the orchestral sessions in 2022."
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Gabriel went on to note that "What Lies Ahead" features "more of the magnificent Orphei Drängar choir, another Scandinavian element, who also featured on 'This Is Home' on the i/o record. It’s a very strange mood that they create, powerful and emotional and it’s a great way to start a song — which was Brian Eno’s suggestion."
"I’ve always liked spiritual, inspirationalmusic because sometimes people get to a different place when they remove themselves and are just present with this feeling of something else out there. Although I’m not religious myself, I definitely have the feeling for it and that’s what I was hoping we would have with the choir at the front, that you go straight away into this other world," Gabriel continued.
"It’s a song about inventors and invention. My dad was an electrical engineer, inventor and I saw him go through the frustrations of not only trying to realize an idea, which has to normally go through so many iterations, but then to sell it, both to the people who’ve got the money and then to the outside world. So, I’ve always been curious about the creative process and how that applies to inventors," the Grammy winner concluded.
Fans on YouTube couldn't get over the new song, with one calling Gabriel an "endless inspiration," adding, "the day I hear something new from Peter is ALWAYS a good day. Thank you, Peter."
"Hearing this touched my heart. Absolutely spellbinding! Thank you Peter," wrote a second fan, with a third calling it "another masterpiece."
"Music as a form of meditation — so beautiful and far superior to anything else I've heard. Thank you, Peter," added yet another fan.
Thankfully, April's full moon will bring another new Gabriel song with it.
Related: '80s Rock Icon, 75, Announces New Album After Resurgence of 1982 Classic
This story was originally published by Parade on Mar 4, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
