R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe Says He’s Wrapping Up His Debut Solo Album
Michael Stipe is still circling that solo record. The famed musician is still talking about it and working on it, but he’s not quite ready to let it go. The…
Michael Stipe is still circling that solo record. The famed musician is still talking about it and working on it, but he's not quite ready to let it go.
The idea’s been out there for a while now. He first opened up about it in 2023 in a New York Times feature, and here we are today. The album isn't finished, but according to a new interview with Stipe, it’s getting closer.
R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe Open Up About New Solo Album
In an interview with the U.K. Times, Stipe says the album has "taken longer than I wanted," partly due to the pandemic, but that he's "finishing it."
R.E.M. called it a day back in 2011, and Stipe tells the outlet that after that, he needed a break, which is totally understandable. "I took five years but I got pulled back into music," he said.
“It’s been a struggle. That’s the main thing,” he said of the album. “I want it to be great, but I’ve got the pressure of having been in R.E.M. and it’s a high bar, because I want this to be as good as that, and that’s near impossible.”
So, now, he's slowly getting back into the music, but not in the same way. This time it’s different. It's more personal, and he feels more exposed, and maybe that’s where the delay comes from.
He’s been pretty honest about it. The album hasn’t been easy. There’s a kind of invisible benchmark hanging over everything, and decades fronting one of the most respected bands in alternative rock will do that. He knows what those records mean. He also knows trying to match them head-on is a losing game.
So instead, this feels like someone figuring it out in real time. Stipe’s not just singing here. He’s stepping deeper into the music itself, writing and shaping it in a way he didn’t before. He’s said he feels good about it, but not perfect. There’s a humility in that, but also a little tension. You can hear the push and pull between wanting it to land and not quite trusting where it’s landing yet. Even the title’s still up in the air.
But, knowing his creativity and talent, whenever it finally arrives, it’ll probably be worth the wait.
