Billy Joel’s new albums praise Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo

According to Billy Joel, only Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo make albums these days.

Speaking to Variety, Billy Joel was asked if “Turn the Lights Back On” – his first single in over a decade – would lead to a new album. He quickly answered in the negative before discussing the situation of musicians producing albums.

“Who makes albums anymore?” he asked Variety. “I think the only people making new albums these days are Taylor Swift or Olivia Rodrigo.”

He added that he “doesn’t know any other people who make albums” or “what the marketing for them looks like today.” Joel rose to fame in the ’70s, when singles and physical albums were all the rage.

To their credit, both Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo make albums. Since her self-titled debut album came out in 2006, Swift has released 11 studio albums and four re-recorded (Taylor’s Version) albums – most recently The Tortured Poets Department. Rodrigo hasn’t been around quite as long, but has already recorded two albums in her young career, Sour and Guts.

Interesting fact – Billy Joel and Olivia Rodrigo have performed together. During his concert on August 24, 2022 at Madison Square Garden, Joel brought Rodrigo on stage. They performed their hit “Deja Vu” together and then Joel’s iconic “Uptown Girl.”

This was a cheeky reference to “Deja Vu,” which references “Uptown Girl” in the second verse. “And I bet she knows Billy Joel / ‘Cause you played her ‘Uptown Girl,'” Rodrigo sings.

Why doesn’t Billy Joel write new music?

When it comes to writing new music, Joel compared the writing process to a “form of torture” and explained why he no longer enjoys the process.

“There’s this big black beast with 88 teeth that wants to bite my fingers off when I’m writing. I’m driving myself crazy. It’s just not as good as I’d like it to be,” Joel said. “It’s a huge pain and I’ve decided I don’t want to put myself through that anymore. I used to have drinking problems when I was writing and a lot of self-loathing because I set the bar so high. That’s not something I miss. I love making music.”

When it comes to new artists trying to break through, Joel doesn’t have much advice. Unfortunately, the industry has changed drastically since Joel’s rise to fame, and he’s not sure what advice he can give.

“Have good-looking parents,” Joel joked before offering more serious advice. “Don’t listen to the people in the record industry because they want you to make things that sell. A musician really wants to make the best music he can make.”

“When you’re a real musician, you’re all about the music, not about record sales, charts and numbers… There’s a lot of pressure to sell records (and) market your material. ‘Give us a product, a product, a product.’ You’re not a product, you’re a musician. And because of that, there’s a huge pressure, and younger people can get really hung up on that,” he continued.

Who is Billy Joel?

Billy Joel is a rock legend known for hits such as “Piano Man,” “Uptown Girl,” and “You May Be Right.” Over the course of his career, Joel has been nominated for 23 Grammys and won five awards.

He is also known for his live concerts at Madison Square Garden. Starting in 2014, Joel performed monthly concerts there. These will end in July 2024 after 104 performances at this iconic venue.

On February 1, 2024, he released “Turn the Lights Back On.” It is Joel’s first single since “Christmas in Fallujah,” which was released in 2007. He also sang the song at the 2024 Grammys.