Rolling Stones Announces First Studio Album in 18 Years, ‘Hackney Diamonds’

Rolling Stones is back after 18 years.

The Rolling Stones have revealed that Hackney Diamonds, their first studio album since 2005, will be released soon after years of rumours and an uncharacteristically overt teaser campaign that involved the group's iconic logo being projected onto famous buildings in New York, Los Angeles, London, Paris, and other major cities.

At a gathering in East London's Hackney neighbourhood on Wednesday, the three group leaders, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Ron Wood, will conduct a live interview with "Tonight Show" presenter Jimmy Fallon. 

The debut event will be hosted by and broadcast only on YouTube in every country.

“Hackney may be at the heart of Hackney Diamonds, but this is a truly global moment we want to share with fans around the world via YouTube,” the group said in a statement Monday.

The band has been working on new music for many years, but "took a break" to record an album of blues standards that was published in 2016. At least one song is said to have Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, the two surviving Beatles, on it.

The album will be the group's first release following the death of founding member Charlie Watts in 2021. Watts performed at nearly all of the Rolling Stones' recorded songs and had participated in all but one of the band's thousands of live performances since the group's inception in 1962. Last November, the band went on tour with drummer Steve Jordan.