Nile Rodgers & CHIC announce 'It's About Time', perform lead single 'Boogie All Night' on Jools Holland
The long-awaited album project from Nile Rodgers and CHIC, aptly titled ‘It’s About Time’, is finally getting a release on September 7 via Virgin EMI.
The album, which marks the duo's first studio album in 25 years, features a reworking of the cover of the band’s 1977 debut album 'Chic' with modern fashion icons Duckie Thot and Jazzelle Zanaughtti. It also boasts a string of big-hitting collaborators, including Californian rapper Anderson Paak, Craig David, Stefflon Don and Roc Nation’s Vic Mensa, who have crossed paths with the UK’s NAO, Mura Masa, Stefflon Don, Cosha and Craig David for the new album.
On Tuesday night (June 12) the band performed its new track ‘Boogie All Night’ on Later... With Jools Holland, which features NAO’s soaring vocals and Guernsey-raised producer Mura Masa.
“I’ve had the great privilege of producing some of the greatest artists in the world so when it came time to collaborating for my own record the barometer was shall we say pretty high” explains Nile. “Nao, Mura Masa and Cosha were important to me and to be able to debut the songs we wrote live with them on Later... With Jools before we’ve even put out recorded versions makes it even more special.”
NAO shares: “We all grew up on CHIC! No matter who you are or where you’re from, they’re one of those bands that have sound tracked at least one part of your life. So to now be part of that story and playing in the band — albeit temporarily — is just wild. We’ve had such great fun making records and playing together, it’s been a joy. I’m so glad they’re back, the world — especially right now — needs more CHIC!”
Talking about the new album cover, Rodgers says in a press release: “When I first came up with the concept for the first CHIC album cover more than 40 years ago it was a deliberate statement that we could all be abundant, we could all be with the beautiful people, we could all be included, we could all have good times. Looking at the world today for the release of “It’s About Time” I felt that it was important to make those statements again for a new generation.”
As the co-founder of CHIC, Rodgers pioneered a new musical language with chart-topping hits like ‘Le Freak,’ (the biggest selling single in the history of Atlantic Records!) and ‘Everybody Dance’, even sparking the advent of hip-hop with ‘Good Times’.
His work in CHIC and his production work for artists such as David Bowie, Diana Ross, and Madonna have sold over 500 million albums and 75 million singles worldwide, while his innovative, trendsetting collaborations with Daft Punk, Avicii, Sigala, Disclosure, and Sam Smith have kept him in the vanguard of contemporary music.
Rodgers transcends all styles of music with a catalog of work that’s garnered him plaudits from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (2017) and the Songwriters Hall of Fame (2016). More recently, he was appointed as the first ever Chief Creative Advisor for Abbey Road Studios to cap off a year that included “festival best” performances at both Glastonbury and Coachella and a BBC Music Awards nomination as “Best Live Performance Of 2017”.
Nile Rodgers & CHIC have already confirmed several festival performances across the UK this summer, including Isle of Wight and Wilderness, full list of dates below:
Nile Rodgers & CHIC 2018 tour dates:
Jun 14 @ Blenheim Palace Blenheim Palace, UK
Jun 15 @ Belsonic Belfast, IR
Jun 16 @ Malahide Castle Dublin, IR
Jun 17 @ Cork Live at the Marquee Cork, IR
Jun 22 @ Isle of Wight Festival Isle of Wight, UK
Jun 24 @ Scarborough Open Air Theatre Scarborough, UK
Jun 27 @ Castlefield Bowl Manchester, UK
Jun 30 @ Fiesta x FOLD 2018 Glasgow, UK
Jul 1 @ Fiesta x FOLD 2018 Glasgow, UK
Jul 4 @ Salle Pleyel Paris, FR
Jul 6 @ Greenwich Music Time Greenwich, UK
Jul 11 @ Alnwick Castle Northumberland, UK
Jul 13 @ Henley Festival 2018 Henley, UK
Jul 14 @ North Sea Jazz Festival 2018 Rotterdam, NL
Jul 16 @ Juan Les Pins Festival Juan Les Pins, FR
Jul 19 @ Belvoir Castle Grantham, UK
Jul 21 @ Lytham Festival 2018 Lancashire, UK
Aug 4 @ Wilderness Festival Cornbury Park, UK
Aug 5 @ Brighton Pride presents LoveBN1 Fest Brighton, UK
Aug 9 @ Sandown Live Esher, UK
Aug 10 @ Live at Newmarket Nights Newmarket, UK
Aug 16 @ Tempodrom Berlin, DE
Aug 19 @ Ancienne Belgique Brussels, BEL
Sep 9 @ Octfest New York, NY
