Foreigner frontman Kelly Hansen has announced that he has left the band.
The band confirmed Hansen's departure, and have already confirmed his replacement. Hansen had previously served as lead singer of the group since 2005, replacing co founder and original vocalist Lou Gramm.
Kelly Hansen confirmed this news himself during the season finale of The Voice (May 20), where he also revealed that Foreigner guitarist Luis Maldonado would be taking over as lead vocalist.
Hansen told the audience: “After 20 magical years performing with this band, this will be my last year with Foreigner. This summer, a new great voice will sing these songs for you, my friend Luis Maldonado".
In a statement, Hansen added: “Being the voice of Foreigner has been one of the greatest honours of my life. But it’s time to pass the mic. Luis has the voice, the energy, and the soul to carry these songs into the future. I couldn’t be prouder to hand this off to him".
Luis Maldonado commented: “This music has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. I’m ready to honour Foreigner’s legacy and bring my heart to every performance".
Elsewhere, former Foreigner lead vocalist, and co founder Mick Jones, paid tribute to Kelly Hansen.
“In 1976, my goal was to assemble the finest group of musicians I could find. Results have shown that it worked! About 30 years later, Jason Bonham encouraged me to do it all over again and create a brand-new Foreigner, and the magic was still there", he said.
“I was especially fortunate in the choice of lead singer. Kelly Hansen is one of the best front men in our business and over the last 20 years, he has breathed new life into our songs. His boundless energy and flawless talent has helped us climb the mountain and set up the opportunity for Foreigner vocalist and guitarist, Luis Maldonado, to bring us home".
Sending Hansen his best wishes, Jones added: “I wish Kelly great happiness in his next endeavours after our summer tour, and I look forward to welcoming Luis to his new position".
“Luis was my choice as a guitarist and he has already shown us what he can do on lead vocals by fronting the band in South America to incredible reviews. He will soon lead the charge that will carry us forward to new heights".
Back in March, Foreigner confirmed that they would perform their upcoming tour with four different vocalists, without Kelly Hansen. More on this here.
